Film Name: 神探 / Mad Detective
In 2008, one of Johnnie To’s masterpieces, I reckon. Different from The Gunman, but even more brilliant.
How many demons lurk within the human heart? Only one deemed divine can probe them. To avoid deifying humanity, we resort to portraying the mentally ill. Thus, a retired detective with a split personality returns to the fray, brilliantly unraveling the depths of the human soul. This film constantly reminds me of the recent Genius on the Left, Madman on the Right—both depict the mentally ill, though they share little in terms of comparability or common ground.
Liu Qingyun truly excels at acting. This kind of internal drama suits him perfectly. In a subject that demands such deep contemplation, he manages to imbue the protagonist with a touch of innocent charm—especially when he bounces along the street. His ghost is, in fact, his affection. Imagine finding a genie bottle on the beach. Some might wish for telepathy—the superpower to read minds. With that ability, you could achieve anything material or spiritual. Sounds great, right? But Johnnie To shows us that while psychic detectives are extraordinary, their endings aren’t so rosy. They merely become stepping stones for others’ ascension.
A person with seven ghosts represents a mind with seven sharp senses. Such a person should be highly intelligent, right? Look at all the ghosts and their schemes: the timid, gluttonous fat man; the fierce, combative brute; the cool, composed woman; the stylish man with braids; the balding middle-aged uncle; and the two utterly unremarkable ordinary men. What a rich inner world! But the main character isn’t exactly handsome, so he’s a real villain. Lam Ka-tung, the eternal supporting actor in Hong Kong films, always plays the bad guy—so why doesn’t he get any awards?
An Chi-kit was quite the heartthrob in his early days. His weak ghost, after much hardship, finally managed to cultivate another ghost—a shrewd female spirit with a sharp makeup look. The director chose to portray her as female. Does this suggest that in his view, shrewdness is one of the most feminine traits? Much like that uncle who seems charming on the surface but is actually gossipy and sharp-tongued—his inner ghost is also a middle-aged woman with a high-pitched voice.
Who can explain why that ear had to be sacrificed to a boss who isn’t even possessed? Pure psychosis? Probably why the detective got fired.
Johnnie To’s films emphasize inner turmoil most of all, making me eagerly anticipate his 2016 release, “Three.”
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