Detective vs. Sleuths

The new Ka-Fai Wai is completely unhinged, but good fun. A spiritual successor to Mad Detective, though without Johnnie To around to add that sprinkle of style and class that is missing from the film. Detective vs. Sleuths isn't very subtle, but it's good to see Wai lean into the madness.

Lee Chun is a detective gone mad. He has a knack for solving cases, but he sees people who aren't there, he talks to himself constantly and he behaves like a true madman. When he told the police that they got the wrong guy for two high-profile cases he was fired from the squad, but years later these two cases come back to haunt them.

Ching Wan Lau commits fully to his character, the pacing is insane, the action over-the-top and explosive, and the cinematography is slick and atmospheric. There's a lot to like and love here, except if you prefer more grounded, serious police thrillers. It's nice to have Wai back and hopefully, this isn't just a one-off.