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Ching Wan Lau, Andy On, Lam Ka-tung, Kelly Lin, Lee Kwok Lun ... see more see more... , Karen Lee , Flora Chan , Eddy Ko , Suet Lam , Seung Siu Fai , Gordon Lam , Ka Tung Lam , Kwok-Lun Lee

A psychotic ex-policeman with a mysterious supernatural gift proves invaluable in the case of a missing police firearm and its vanished owner in this tense police thriller from co-directors Johnny To ... read more read more...(Fulltime Killer) and Wai Ka-fai (Running on Karma). Bun is an outcast detective who always seems to crack the case despite having some rather serious personality flaws. When Bun slices off his ear and offers it up as a gift at a party staged to honor one of his superiors, he is promptly forced into early retirement. Subsequently withdrawn into his own world and tormented by the specters of his former vocation, Bun finds his unique ability to see the hidden personalities and inner demons of everyone he meets nearly driving him to insanity. As a policeman Bun's gift of second sight helped him to solve some of the department's most difficult cases, but now that the visions serve no purpose, they simply serve to erode his already fragile sense of reality. Yet despite Bun's bad reputation, ambitious inspector Ho (Andy On) still believes in him. Recently, Ho has been assigned the difficult case of a locating a missing policeman named Wong (Lee Kwok Lun), who disappeared after pursuing some suspects into the nearby mountains. While Bun is indeed eager to help out with the case, he soon finds his volatile personality clashing with the seven conflicting personalities of Wong's apparently schizophrenic partner Chi-wai (Lam Ka-tung). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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84% liked it

4,205 ratings

Critics

84% liked it

19 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 29 min.

Directed by: Wai Ka-fai, Johnnie To, Ka-Fai Wai

Release Date: July 18, 2008

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DVD Release Date: November 3, 2009

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Stats: 613 reviews

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Sun Taam (Mad Detective) Sun Taam (Mad Detective) Lee Choi Ning (Karen Lee) Sun Taam (Mad Detective) 27th Hong Kong Film Awards Sun Taam (Mad Detective) Poster (China) Poster (France) Sun Taam (Mad Detective) Inner personalities Lau Kam Ling (Jay Lau) Sun Taam (Mad Detective) Screening in Italy Screening in Italy Poster Hong Kong As Inspector Cheung Sun Taam (Mad Detective) Sun Taam (Mad Detective)
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Flixster Reviews (613)

  • WrenchLT
    May 16, 2011
    WrenchLT
    An original and intriguing Hong Kong made thriller about a detective who claims to have the supernatural ability to see the inner personalities of people, something he puts to good use in his line of work. It's an interesting idea but I think it deserved a better story to play ou... read moret the use of its gimmick. It kept my attention though and I was never really sure if the characters' "gift" was real or just in his imagination until all is revealed after the climactic Mexican stand-off. It's a good film but could have been better.
  • rubystevens
    March 15, 2011
    rubystevens
    edge of your seat thriller with an insane and/or psychic lead character keeps u guessing about what's real/not real. stylish and a lot of fun with ending straight out of lady from shanghai!
  • romy861
    March 1, 2009
    romy861
    Very original character for a police story. Enjoyed, even if I did get extremely confused in places!
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    June 21, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Good direction from To, solid performances from everyone (Andy On is just tolerable, nothing more) but the script doesn't help to make this something better. To works a lot better by himself.
  • skactopus
    May 28, 2008
    skactopus
    There is always something that peaks my interest when it comes to a film directed by Johnnie To. Mad Detective, while definitely original and interesting, is just a little short of becoming another Johnnie To great.

    The story is rather interesting, but it is just a bit

    ... read moremuch to grasp unless you really dig down deep and pay attention. Yet, there is just something about this film that keeps you watching until the end. It may be the story itself or just the craziness of the lead character Bun. The fact that Bun can see "inner personalities" of others just adds a whole new dynamic to the characters in the movie, which proves to be highly successful. Just seeing different actors playing the same character in certain situations is so darn entertaining. The actor swaps is also done in a serious way and not in an over-the-top comedic way.

    Other then the weirdness of Bun, the rest of the film is a short slow drama. There are a few scenes that seem to have no meaning what-so-ever and there is little to no action until the very end when you get a typical Johnnie To standoff. It is sort of reminiscent of the mirror scene in Face Off

    The acting is pretty good. Ching Wan Lau is great as Bun and Kelly Lin puts on a good performance as his ex-wife. The 7 inner personalities of Ka Tung Lam's character is a blast to watch too.

    Johnnie To's cinematography and directing skills really save this film from being a complete bore. It offsets the slow pace and the somewhat disappointing storytelling. This is a decent 90 minute watch if you have the time. You just may end up going mad like the Mad Detective.
  • juliomendez19941
    April 20, 2012
    juliomendez19941
    I give a lot praised to director Johnnie To as he personally a favorite of mine for his style, direction, and creative story telling. While I?m familiar with his work in the action genre, he proves once again he can tackle other genre with the same level of greatness.

    Mad Det... read moreective is about rookie cop teams up with a former detective with a supernatural gift to hunt down a serial killer. During the viewing of Mad Detective its protagonist, Inspector Chan, was more interesting than I expected. He`s an unusual detective and unlike anyone I've seen before. He has some unusual methods to solving cases as he has a gift for seeing a person inner personality. This is effectively use throughout the since we see what this character is physically seeing, but it does get tedious and overused throughout its length. The story is well written, though the case is not as interesting characters themselves. As I've come to expect in Johnnie To movies, the female characters don't have a big impact on the story. While it's certainly an improvement that the female characters help us learn about our main character unlike To other movies, they don't have much of an impact on the story. The character themselves are interesting through Chan point of view as we get as it adds another dimension to these character who don't all appear as they look. As much as I liked the character of inspector Chan, some will find him unrealistic. One notable example include Chan cutting his ear and giving it to his retiring boss as a gift. Its story driven by interesting that help move the movie forward. Even if the case is not as interesting as our characters, they help overlook that flaw.

    To direction is spot on as usual with him always bringing the highest level of direction in his movie. The cast is terrific, especially Sean Lau Ching-Wan as Inspector Chan who brings brings a lot energy into the movie and character he portrays. He's easily, in my opinion, the best and most interesting of the cast. You do get to see some familiar faces if you've seen To other work, but thankfully he worked with other actors to prevent repetition. The climax of Mad Detective has easily has the best cinematography in the whole movie and its impressive in the way it's filmed.

    Mad Detective has interesting characters that save movie from it boring case and not so interesting case. Mad Detective is certainly not for everyone, but it?s worth a watch for Sean Lau Ching-Wan performance and portrayal of Inspector Chan.
  • fb6025506
    May 22, 2011
    fb6025506
    Though odd, supernatural, and unrealistic, Johnnie To's MAD DETECTIVE is an excellent detective thriller that uniquely delves into the human psyche and touches upon issues of multiple personalities, insanity, and the happenings and reactions of the mind. Although pacing is a bit ... read moreoff-kilter, the film features great performances with wild characters - starring Lau Ching Wan in a brilliant role - in leading up to a gorgeously-crafted climax that complements the film's clever framing and crisp cinematography. To's film is superbly made and enjoyably original, and definitely one that deserves a wider exposure.
  • gator681
    October 4, 2010
    gator681
    In "Mad Detective," Inspector Bun(Lau Ching Wan) was once a highly decorated police detective with very unorthodox methods, like having himself flung down a flight of stairs in a suitcase. That life is over for him now, as he is no longer on the force, probably having to do with... read more slicing his ear off. Now, Inspector Ho(Andy On), recalling the good old days when he worked with Bun five years previously, recruits him to help out on a case over the objections of Bun's wife(Flora Chan) and most of the detectives under his command. Detective Wong went missing 18 months previously, yet his gun is still making the rounds in a series of armed robberies that have left five dead. After following and meeting with Wong's partner Chi Wai(Lam Ka Tung), they are no closer to solving the case.

    The stylish and violent mystery film, "Mad Detective," may resemble the current trend of "defective detectives" on television(especially the sorely missed "Raines" which was also from 2007) but is better because it goes darker and deeper in exploring an abnormal psychology. While it might be initially confusing for the viewer to sort out what Bun sees(he claims to see a person's inner personalities), imagine how he feels. On the one hand, he can see patterns no one else can see but he also has extremely violent tendencies that puts him on a par with the criminals he pursues.
  • lesleyanorton
    March 10, 2011
    lesleyanorton
    Another Johnnie To Hong Kong cop film and the title says it all. Never mind Nicholas Cage or Harvey Keitel, ex-Inspector Bun's a complete loon. He sees peoples inner personalities, has discourses with his invisible ex-wife and cuts his ear off as a present. He's also of course, ... read morea genius crime solver, even if he has to eat four full dinners or bury himself in a makeshift grave in order to do so.
    Great fun.

  • danieljparsons
    February 22, 2009
    danieljparsons
    Frustatingly underwritten film with an excellent concept (sort of Dead Zone meets Medium). It ends up feeling like a very glossy TV Pilot.

View All Sun Taam (Mad Detective) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr
August 8, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

A stylishly funky Hong Kong thriller from cult director Johnnie To and co-writer/codirector Wai Ka Fai. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
July 18, 2008
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Mad Detective 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. Full Review

Manohla Dargis
July 18, 2008
Manohla Dargis, New York Times

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. Full Review

Jim Ridley
July 16, 2008
Jim Ridley, Village Voice

Even if you lose track of who's shooting whom and why during the abstract climactic face-off, the clever last shot shows you're not alone. Full Review

Derek Elley
September 10, 2007
Derek Elley, Variety

Direction lacks the strong hand of To's solo efforts, and pic shows some signs of rush, with abrupt transitions and lack of flow in the editing. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
May 9, 2010
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

An inventive oddball pic that's diverting and borders on the ridiculous but never becomes uninteresting or completely loses its way. Full Review

Stan Hall
September 26, 2008
Stan Hall, Oregonian

Expect an inferior American remake within five years. Full Review

Anton Bitel
August 9, 2008
Anton Bitel, Little White Lies

Cleverly scripted, brilliantly acted and masterfully edited, Mad Detective explores the very human capacity to lose one's moral centre in a crisis.

Kam Williams
July 21, 2008
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze

More comical than compelling, but what do you expect of a chopsocky revolving around a head case of a hero begging to be buried alive in order to channel his psychic powers? Full Review

Daniel Eagan
July 18, 2008
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International

A freewheeling narrative that twists around its central themes with manic intensity. Full Review

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