Sun taam (2007)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Directors:

Johnnie To
Ka-Fai Wai

Writers:

Ka-Fai Wai (written by) &
Kin-Yee Au (written by)

Release Date:

29 November 2007 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

I can see a person's inner personality.

Plot:

A rookie cop teams up with a former detective with a supernatural gift to hunt down a serial killer. |

Plot Keywords:

Killer | Serial Killer | Supernatural | Self Inflicted Gunshot Wound | Shirt Filled With Blood

Awards:

2 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Ching Wan Lau	...	Inspector Chan Kwai Bun (as Lau Ching Wan)
Andy On	...	Inspector Ho Ka On
Ka Tung Lam	...	Ko Chi Wai (as Lam Ka Tung)
Kelly Lin	...	May Cheung
Kwok-Lun Lee	...	Wong Kwok Chu (as Lee Kwok Lun)
Choi-ning Lee	...	Gigi (as Karen Lee)
Flora Chan	...	May Cheung - in Bun's eyes
Siu-Fai Cheung	...	Violent Man - Ko's Inner Personality (as Cheung Siu Fai)
Suet Lam	...	Fatso - Ko's Inner Personality (as Lam Suet)
Jay Lau	...	Calculating Woman - Ko's Inner Personality (as Lau Kam Ling)
Eddy Ko	...	The Chief
Jo Kuk	...	Cunning Woman - Ho's Inner Personality (as Jo Koo)
Ling To Yuen	...	Policeman (as Yuen Ling To)
Jonathan Lee	...	Weak Boy - Ho's Inner Personality
Ronald Yan	...	Chi-Wai's Boss

Also Known As:

Mad Detective (Hong Kong: English title) (USA) (new title)
Godly Detective (Hong Kong: English title) (working title)
Shen tan (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Runtime:

Canada:89 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A | Hong Kong:III | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | UK:15 | Australia:MA | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Ireland:15A (cinema rating) | UK:18 (video rating) | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

Kwun Tong, Hong Kong, China

Company:

China Star Entertainment

Quotes:

Inspector Bun: [Bun talks to himself] If you shoot, you will be no different from everyone else.
Inspector Bun: [on second thought] I am human too. Why should I be any different?
[Bun pulls the trigger]

Movie Connections:

References Nora inu (1949)

Another To masterpiece

It's been a while since To and Wai's last collaboration, but apparently the time apart did them a whole lot of good. Mad Detective (or Sun Taam, if you wish) is another shining star on To's ever-growing list of first class titles. Stylishly executed, cleverly scripted and dare I say quite original. HK genre cinema doesn't get any better than this.

To's been on a winning streak these last couple of years and with Mad Detective he's really at the top of his game. The film is filled with typical To elements, but also benefits a lot from Wai's creative writing. Mad Detective is one of these rare films that makes you feel like you're watching something novel and original.

Ching Wan Lau, a To regular, is taking on one of the best roles of his career. Lau plays Bun, a detective who's equally brilliant as he is insane. While his methods of investigation are irregular, his behavior is condoned as he's able to solve case upon case. The key to Bun's success is his ability to see behind people's masks. He sees every aspects of a single person as a separate individual. All goes well until Bun's retirement, when his genius is quickly degraded to simple madness.

In Mad Detective, we see Bun chasing after a guy with no less than 7 personalities (though only three of them are dominant). The film is often changing perspectives which keeps the viewer well on its toes. One character is actually played by 8 different actors and To doesn't give too many warnings. But looking back, the film isn't that hard to follow or figure out and the concept never sits in the way of the basic storyline.

Visually To only seems to improve. There are plenty of awesomely framed shots, neatly lit and even though the film has an overall dark overtone, colors really jump of the screen. And while To keeps on making films at a staggering rate, it's impressive to see how visually accomplished each and every one of his later films are.

Another definite plus is the soundtrack. Though often light in tone it doesn't hurt the atmosphere one bit, but only underlines the sad but dark overtones of Bun's madness. Strange sounds are brought together to form music, sometimes quirky melodies are used, but the music never feels out of place. More so, it does an excellent job at defining To's style and helps to shape his films. Not as in your face as the soundtrack of Sparrow, but once you start listing you'll notice how weird it really is.

It would've been quite easy to push the film into one direction, but To manages to keep a healthy balance. One moment Bun's actions can be rather amusing, a couple of minutes later there's a definite sadness to his character. And even though it's actually a dark and personal tale of a sick individual, the film is also able to keep its soft and creative edge, never choosing sides between being a character portrait or purely story-driven film making.

Mad Detective is a film where everything works out. Excellent cast, creative and original perspective, a solid storyline, stylishly visualized and magnificently scored. The film has no weak points, unless you prefer film making to stay in more familiar territory. if so, I suggest you wait for one of the big Hollywood directors to turn it into a lifeless, soulless and old-fashioned crime/drama. If that doesn't sound too appealing, be sure to check out To's Mad Detective. If anything, it's one of the best recent examples there's still plenty of life and creativity left in sculpting stories.

Together with Sparrow, To proves himself to be one of the most interesting directors in cinema today. His genre films are strong, original and seamlessly executed and seem to lack any weak points. Mad Detective is a definite recommend. 4.5*/5.0*