#M ANNOTATED LLM RESPONSE
Mad Detective (2007), directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai, was a major critical success at the time of its release, hailed for its "insanely inventive" narrative and its return to the signature dark, psychological style of Milkyway Image.
1. International Film Festival Reception
The film gained significant prestige through its placement at major A-list festivals:
- Venice Film Festival (September 2007): It was a "surprise movie" added to the official competition at the last minute. This created substantial buzz, with critics describing it as a "concise and artful" alternative to typical action cinema. It was nominated for the Golden Lion.
- Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): Shortly after Venice, it premiered in North America as part of the "Special Presentations" section, where it was noted for its "daring and artistic" approach.
2. Critical Reviews
Critics praised the film for its unique visual language—specifically the concept of "inner personalities" being portrayed by different actors.
- Western Critics:
- Manohla Dargis (The New York Times) called it "insanely inventive and entertaining," highlighting the film's ability to balance absurdity with a tight procedural plot.
- Ty Burr (The Boston Globe) described it as "equal parts gonzo inspiration and overwrought indecision," eventually nicknaming it "The Lunatic from Kowloon."
- On Rotten Tomatoes, it maintained an 84% "Fresh" rating, with many critics comparing it to a more demented version of The Silence of the Lambs.
- Local & Genre Critics:
- The collaboration between To and Wai was celebrated as a "reunion of masters," marking their first co-directing effort since Running on Karma (2003).
- Critics frequently cited the hall of mirrors shootout finale as a masterpiece of choreography and editing, serving as a spiritual successor to Orson Welles' The Lady from Shanghai.
3. Local Box Office and "Category III" Controversy
- Rating: The film was famously given a Category III (18+) rating in Hong Kong. This was due to a single, graphic scene where the protagonist (played by Lau Ching-wan) slices off his own ear. The directors notably refused to cut the scene to get a broader IIB rating, arguing it was essential to the character’s psychology.
- Performance: Despite the restrictive rating and heavy competition from Hollywood films like 30 Days of Night, it debuted at #1 in Hong Kong. It grossed over HK$10.67 million, which was considered a high result for a Category III local thriller.
4. Major Awards and Accolades
The film dominated the screenplay categories during the 2007-2008 award season:
- 27th Hong Kong Film Awards: Won Best Screenplay (Wai Ka-fai and Au Kin-yee). It also received major nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Lau Ching-wan), and Best Editing.
- Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards: Won Best Screenplay and was named a "Recommended Film" of the year.
- 2nd Asian Film Awards: Won Best Screenwriter.
5. Performance of Lau Ching-wan
The performance of Lau Ching-wan as Inspector Bun was a central focus of almost every review. Critics described his portrayal of a schizophrenic genius as having "effortless, manic charisma." While he lost the HKFA Best Actor award to Jet Li (The Warlords), many fans and local critics at the time considered his performance in Mad Detective to be his most daring and iconic work of the decade.
#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)
[1] The film was released in 2007 and directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai.
[2] Mad Detective was the 'surprise film' in competition at the 64th Venice International Film Festival.
[3] Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as 'concise and artful'. The AI attributes this to 'critics' (plural).
[4] As a film in competition at Venice, it was nominated for the Golden Lion.
[5] The phrase 'daring and artistic' is used in Wikipedia to describe the TIFF 'Special Presentations' section itself, not necessarily a specific review of the film, though the film was selected for this section.
[6] The film's central conceit involves seeing 'inner personalities', which was widely praised.
[7] Manohla Dargis (NYT) wrote: 'If the insanely inventive and entertaining Mad Detective weren't so weird...'
[8] Ty Burr (Boston Globe) wrote: 'Mad Detective is equal parts gonzo inspiration and overwrought indecision. It could be called The Lunatic From Kowloon.'
[9] The film holds an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The comparison to 'Silence of the Lambs' is a common summary point found in aggregators like Wikipedia.
[10] It was the first collaboration between To and Wai since 'Running on Karma' (2003).
[11] The hall of mirrors finale is widely cited as a highlight and explicitly inspired by 'The Lady from Shanghai'.
[12] The film received a Category III rating in Hong Kong due to the ear-slicing scene, which the directors refused to cut.
[13] It grossed over HK$10.67 million and debuted at #1, performing well for a Category III film.
[14] It won Best Screenplay at the 27th HKFA and was nominated for Picture, Director, Actor, and Editing.
[15] It won Best Screenplay at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.
[16] It won Best Screenwriter at the 2nd Asian Film Awards.
[17] Lau Ching-wan played the lead role of Inspector Bun.
[18] The phrase 'effortless, manic charisma' appears in the YesAsia product description for the film's DVD, rather than a review by a specific critic.
[19] Lau Ching-wan lost the Best Actor award at the 27th HKFA to Jet Li (The Warlords).
*Mad Detective* (2007), directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai, was a major critical success at the time of its release, hailed for its "insanely inventive" narrative and its return to the signature dark, psychological style of Milkyway Image.
### **1. International Film Festival Reception**
The film gained significant prestige through its placement at major A-list festivals:
* **Venice Film Festival (September 2007):** It was a "surprise movie" added to the official competition at the last minute. This created substantial buzz, with critics describing it as a "concise and artful" alternative to typical action cinema. It was nominated for the **Golden Lion**.
* **Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF):** Shortly after Venice, it premiered in North America as part of the "Special Presentations" section, where it was noted for its "daring and artistic" approach.
### **2. Critical Reviews**
Critics praised the film for its unique visual language—specifically the concept of "inner personalities" being portrayed by different actors.
* **Western Critics:**
* **Manohla Dargis (The New York Times)** called it "insanely inventive and entertaining," highlighting the film's ability to balance absurdity with a tight procedural plot.
* **Ty Burr (The Boston Globe)** described it as "equal parts gonzo inspiration and overwrought indecision," eventually nicknaming it "The Lunatic from Kowloon."
* On **Rotten Tomatoes**, it maintained an 84% "Fresh" rating, with many critics comparing it to a more demented version of *The Silence of the Lambs*.
* **Local & Genre Critics:**
* The collaboration between To and Wai was celebrated as a "reunion of masters," marking their first co-directing effort since *Running on Karma* (2003).
* Critics frequently cited the **hall of mirrors shootout** finale as a masterpiece of choreography and editing, serving as a spiritual successor to Orson Welles' *The Lady from Shanghai*.
### **3. Local Box Office and "Category III" Controversy**
* **Rating:** The film was famously given a **Category III (18+) rating** in Hong Kong. This was due to a single, graphic scene where the protagonist (played by Lau Ching-wan) slices off his own ear. The directors notably refused to cut the scene to get a broader IIB rating, arguing it was essential to the character’s psychology.
* **Performance:** Despite the restrictive rating and heavy competition from Hollywood films like *30 Days of Night*, it debuted at **#1 in Hong Kong**. It grossed over **HK$10.67 million**, which was considered a high result for a Category III local thriller.
### **4. Major Awards and Accolades**
The film dominated the screenplay categories during the 2007-2008 award season:
* **27th Hong Kong Film Awards:** Won **Best Screenplay** (Wai Ka-fai and Au Kin-yee). It also received major nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Lau Ching-wan), and Best Editing.
* **Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards:** Won **Best Screenplay** and was named a "Recommended Film" of the year.
* **2nd Asian Film Awards:** Won **Best Screenwriter**.
### **5. Performance of Lau Ching-wan**
The performance of **Lau Ching-wan** as Inspector Bun was a central focus of almost every review. Critics described his portrayal of a schizophrenic genius as having "effortless, manic charisma." While he lost the HKFA Best Actor award to Jet Li (*The Warlords*), many fans and local critics at the time considered his performance in *Mad Detective* to be his most daring and iconic work of the decade.