It's such a simple conceit but every time it shows up I found myself enraptured with it. Mad Detective has the elevator pitch to end all elevator pitches: a detective with schizophrenia investigates the disappearance of Wong, a fellow officer, and suspects Wong's partner who he believes has seven distinct personalities (each of which he sees as he is able to see every person's inner personalities). From there, To and Ka-Fai weaves a thrillingly complex web of reality and fantasy, of unreliable narrators and the actual people who are somehow even more unbelievable. It's an uninhibited elevation of a fairly standard detective plot both with the cerebral angle as well as a stylish flair that makes Mad Detective such an incredible watch. It's as if Wai Ka-Fai, Johnnie To, and crew are attempting to make the ultimate internal affairs detective narrative to leave no room for anyone else to explore like a scorched earth campaign. The result is exceptional both on a formal level and as a bombastic entertainment that lets you have fun getting lost in its weeds.
It's such a simple conceit but every time it shows up I found myself enraptured with it. Mad Detective has the elevator pitch to end all elevator pitches: a detective with schizophrenia investigates the disappearance of Wong, a fellow officer, and suspects Wong's partner who he believes has seven distinct personalities (each of which he sees as he is able to see every person's inner personalities). From there, To and Ka-Fai weaves a thrillingly complex web of reality and fantasy, of unreliable narrators and the actual people who are somehow even more unbelievable. It's an uninhibited elevation of a fairly standard detective plot both with the cerebral angle as well as a stylish flair that makes Mad Detective such an incredible watch. It's as if Wai Ka-Fai, Johnnie To, and crew are attempting to make the ultimate internal affairs detective narrative to leave no room for anyone else to explore like a scorched earth campaign. The result is exceptional both on a formal level and as a bombastic entertainment that lets you have fun getting lost in its weeds.
