This could be a first. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a film that picked a new genre with each change of scene. It’s like director Sicheng Chen had a big dartboard or spin wheel and entered each morning of the shoot by selecting one, “ok, fellas, what kind of film do we want today?” “C’mon, action! C’mon, action!” “And the winner is … romance!” “Hmmm, gotta film chase and gun battle today … romance it is!”
Technically speaking, I think Detective Chinatown is a mystery. There’s a locked room murder which would suggest such. Ok, mystery. Then there’s the whiz kid Qin (Liu Haoran), flunking the Academy test and sent to live in Bangkok (yes, Chinatowns exist outside the United States) with his superlative gumshoe uncle Tang (Wang Baoqiang) – buddy pic- except that Tang is a screw up –comedy- and is immediately implicated as the chief suspect in a murder case—drama- and rival cops (Xiao Yang and Chen He) who literally fight –action- over the jurisdiction of the case. Of course, there are the local hoodlums –crime- and a girl or two –romance- involved. And wouldn’t you know it? Detective Chinatown even has a spooky horror element before this thing is finished.
This film is mostly a slapstick comedy with moments like Qin and Tang escaping from the mob when the latter picks the lock on Qin’s handcuffs using a wire and his grubby feet. I might opt for the mob rather than get those nasty things in my face. Tang has been playing up his detective skillz to overcome a tragic backstory. Oh, I didn’t mention – everybody in this film has a tragic backstory. Seriously), but Tang is actually a loser and runs errands to afford the cheap jewelry he gives his girlfriend (Tong Liya). Taking a call to move a box from a warehouse, he ends up with his prints all over the murder weapon and is the only suspect when the man who called for the pickup is found dead … and the box was a gold smuggling operation, so the mob wants him, too. It’s up to Academy reject Qin to save the day.
So, if you were scoring at home … Qin, stuttering kid, and Tang, grimy loser uncle, are wanted by two sets of cops and the
mob, but they have to solve the murder Tang is accused of and the gold theft Tang is also accused of without getting caught and all before Qin has to return back to China because he’s really just on spring break or something.
If you don’t mind whiplash from the constant change of direction, there’s a lot to like in Detective Chinatown. And even if you’re not a fan of the roulette wheel mood swings, the direction is good enough to appreciate the smaller amount of whatever genre you prefer.
A washout at detective school,
Qin sent to Thailand, not cool
A murder ensues
Time to follow the clues
Either that, or just act like a fool
Not Rated, 136 Minutes
D: Sicheng Chen
W: Cheng Jiake, Liu Kai and Bai He
Genre: Pick ‘em
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Budding detectives
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: “FOCUS! FOCUS!”
