Mad Detective

July was Johnnie To month. This time, however, it is a film I have actually seen before. Viewing it on its UK release, I could confirm that it was indeed worth the few HK$ that I paid for it, but still took approximately 51 weeks to get round to watching it. ‘Mad Detective’ - a co-directing with Wai Ka Fai - is a little different from other Johnnie To works that I have seen; being less about the violence and conflict within power struggles and more around character development.


Bun is a tad…well, mad. Forced out of professional detectiveing, he answers the call of Ho (Andy On), a younger detective out-of-luck in a case involving the disappearance of a police officer 18 months previous, and puts his thinking ear on to aid the detective now in possession of his old police pistol.

But as previously stated: Bun is mad. Claiming to see people’s inner-selves, he will see multiple personalities in individuals to our one, and is ‘aided’ by his wife, who left him many moons ago. It’s not long before Ho realises his mistake and sees why he was kicked-out of the police originally, despite his knack for solving crimes involving suitcases.

Starting off with comedic moments – with multiple personalities visiting the little boys’ room together at once – the film becomes more tense as it progresses towards the climax, as everyone’s inner-self is revealed and the truth uncovered.

Lau Ching Wan does a good job in the lead role, as do the make-up department in making his hair just messy enough to create the illusion of madness and Johnnie To and collaborator Wai Ka Fai shows he can make a film a little different from his norm, with some nice camerawork for an ‘Enter the Dragon’ like ending.

Kitano’s ‘Violent Cop’, To’s ‘Mad Detective’, I am now left to watch William Lustig’s undoubted 1988 classic ‘Maniac Cop’.