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Mad Detective
IFC First Take

Mad Detective reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 68 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
10.0 out of 10
based on 7 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 3 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA 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)


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 

Alternative Title: Sun taam

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.
Read Full Review
75
Boston Globe Ty Burr
Mad Detective is equal parts gonzo inspiration and overwrought indecision. It could be called "The Lunatic From Kowloon."
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
60
Empire Anna Hart
Director Johnny To's previous flicks are slicker affairs, but there's still plenty here to please the fans.
Read Full Review
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.
Read Full Review
50
Variety Derek Elley
A neat idea that doesn't quite hit the bull's-eye.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!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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