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Mad Detective

Original title: San taam
  • 2007
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
8.7K
YOUR RATING
Mad Detective (2007)
lbx
Play trailer1:42
1 Video
24 Photos
CantonesePsychological ThrillerCrimeMysteryThriller

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

  • Directors
    • Johnnie To
    • Ka-Fai Wai
  • Writers
    • Ka-Fai Wai
    • Kin-Yee Au
  • Stars
    • Ching-Wan Lau
    • Andy On
    • Ka-Tung Lam
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    8.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Johnnie To
      • Ka-Fai Wai
    • Writers
      • Ka-Fai Wai
      • Kin-Yee Au
    • Stars
      • Ching-Wan Lau
      • Andy On
      • Ka-Tung Lam
    • 34User reviews
    • 72Critic reviews
    • 68Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 11 wins & 11 nominations total

    Videos1

    Mad Detective
    Trailer 1:42
    Mad Detective

    Photos24

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    + 18
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    Top Cast31

    Ching-Wan Lau
    Ching-Wan Lau
    • Bun
    • (as Lau Ching Wan)
    Andy On
    Andy On
    • Inspector Ho Ka-on
    Ka-Tung Lam
    Ka-Tung Lam
    • Ko Chi-wai
    • (as Lam Ka Tung)
    Kelly Lin
    Kelly Lin
    • May Cheung
    Kwok-Lun Lee
    Kwok-Lun Lee
    • Wong Kwok-chu
    • (as Lee Kwok Lun)
    Choi-ning Lee
    • Gigi
    • (as Karen Lee)
    Flora Chan
    Flora Chan
    • May Cheung - in Bun's eyes
    Eddie Cheung
    Eddie Cheung
    • Violent Man - Ko's Inner Personality
    • (as Cheung Siu Fai)
    Suet Lam
    Suet Lam
    • Fatso - Ko's Inner Personality
    • (as Lam Suet)
    Jay Lau
    Jay Lau
    • Calculating Woman - Ko's Inner Personality
    • (as Lau Kam Ling)
    Eddy Ko
    Eddy Ko
    • The Chief
    Jo Koo
    Jo Koo
    • Cunning Woman - Ho's Inner Personality
    Ling-To Yuen
    • Policeman
    • (as Yuen Ling To)
    Jonathan Yat-Sing Lee
    Jonathan Yat-Sing Lee
    • Weak Boy - Ho's Inner Personality
    • (as Jonathan Lee)
    Ronald Yan
    Ronald Yan
    • Ko's Boss
    Wah-Wo Wong
    Wah-Wo Wong
    • Restaurant Manager
    Apple Chow
    • 7-11 Worker
    • (as Apple Chau)
    Jackson Ha
    • Ko's Colleague
    • Directors
      • Johnnie To
      • Ka-Fai Wai
    • Writers
      • Ka-Fai Wai
      • Kin-Yee Au
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews34

    7.18.6K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Mad Detective' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

    Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
    Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
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    Related interests

    In the Mood for Love (2000)
    Cantonese
    Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl (2014)
    Psychological Thriller
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      All entries contain spoilers
    • Goofs
      At the beginning of the movie, when the main character is cutting his ear off, we can clearly see the half of it. (at around 63 mins) when the ear unfolds from the bandage we see a whole piece of it.
    • 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]
    • Crazy credits
      In the part of the end credits sequence before the comprehensive lists of cast and crew begin to scroll, the lines of text of the credits are tilted counter clockwise, forming roughly thirty-degree slope/incline.
    • Alternate versions
      Johnnie To and Ka-Fai Wai approved a new cut of the movie for the international market, with two scenes from the Hong Kong cut removed:
      • A scene after Bun buries himself under the ground visualizing a scenario where Ko Chi-Wai's spirits are planting fake evidence on the Indian as a murder suspect. The scene removed shows Bun "dreaming" and visualizing another scenario of Ho Ka-On's child spirit being chased and overpowered by Chi-Wai's seven spirits. One of Chi-Wai's spirits urges another of his spirits to shoot the child spirit dead, to complicate the police investigation, to which that spirit responds shooting the child spirit. This moment awakes Bun from his "sleep" under the ground.
      • The scene where Ho Ka-On is chasing a mask-wearing suspect through the streets before the two of them bump onto a moving truck separating each other. What follows are two different outcomes for respective cuts. In the Hong Kong cut, Ka-On is about to get up and sees the suspect who looks at Ka-On. The suspect starts to run towards Ka-On, who tries to reach for his gun but realizes that it's missing. The suspect points his gun at Ka-On and proceeds to search him and asks him where Ka-On has his gun. Ka-On responds saying that he lost it, and then the suspect kicks him down and starts hitting him with his gun while repeatedly asking for Ka-On's gun while Ka-On, being on his knees injured, repeats saying that he lost his gun. The suspect is shown pointing his gun at Ka-On again while thinking it's not worth killing him, and starts walking away. An overhead shot of Ka-On lying on the ground is shown afterward.
    • Connections
      References Stray Dog (1949)

    Top picks

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    FAQ4

    • Is this movie based on a novel?
    • Is this movie based on true events?
    • Does the Cantonese word "gwai" mean "inner personality" in English language?

    Details

    • Release date
      • November 29, 2007 (Hong Kong)
    • Country of origin
      • Hong Kong
    • Official sites
      • CTV International (France)
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • Cantonese
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Thám Tử Khùng
    • Filming locations
      • Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
    • Production companies
      • One Hundred Years of Film Company
      • Milky Way Image Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,629
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $2,682
      • Jul 20, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,160,790
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 1h 29m(89 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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