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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Mad Detective

EMAILPRINTIFC First Take

Mad Detective reviews
68
10.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 7 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 3 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Crime  |  Suspense/Thriller

Written by: Ka-Fai Wai
Kin-Yee Au

Directed by: Johnny To
Ka-Fai Wai

Release Date:
Theatrical: July 18, 2008

Running Time: 89 minutes, Color

Origin: Hong Kong

Language(s): Cantonese | English

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Ching Wan Lau, Andy On, Ka Tung Lam, and Kelly Lin

A missing police gun is connected to a series of recent heists and murders. Its owner, WONG, vanished earlier while pursuing a suspect in the mountains. His partner, CHI-WAI, miraculously returned unharmed and the hot shot Regional Crime Unit Inspector, HO, is in charge of the investigation. HO knows the only chance he has in cracking the case is to ask for help from his mentor/former boss BUN, a gifted criminal profiler now living in seclusion with his wife MAY. BUN puts himself in the victim's place, literally, and his unorthodox approach has put doubt in HO's mind who feels betrayed when BUN's investigation goes beyond his imagination. What begins as a quest for answers has now taken a schizophrenic turn where truth and lies, reality and delusions intertwine...(IFC First Take)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

80

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

If the insanely inventive and entertaining Mad Detective weren't so weird -- and in Cantonese -- hordes of action geeks would be lining the block to see it.

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75

Boston Globe Ty Burr

Mad Detective is equal parts gonzo inspiration and overwrought indecision. It could be called "The Lunatic From Kowloon."

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75

The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray

Fleeting confusion and bizarre literalization aside, though, Mad Detective is an effective mystery story, with an oddball hero--like TV's Monk, but far crazier--and some moments of visceral violence that raise the stakes.

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75

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Doesn't always make sense, and you cannot always tell what is real and what is imaginary, but viewers will be having too much zonked-out fun to care.

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60

Empire Anna Hart

Director Johnny To's previous flicks are slicker affairs, but there's still plenty here to please the fans.

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60

Village Voice Jim Ridley

Apart from its inventive depiction of the weaknesses that tough guys try to hide, Mad Detective is a slight work from the wildly prolific To.

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50

Variety Derek Elley

A neat idea that doesn't quite hit the bull's-eye.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 10.0 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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