So you think Americans have issues with stereotyping Native Americans? Just wait until you see China do it. Seriously, it was kind of disturbing, like I was watching some weird John Wayne film, but reshot with modern techniques. Luckily, the grotesque Native American stereotypes were only a small part of this larger-than-life period murder mystery. Detective Chinatown 1900 had a great deal to offer … and some of it was even good.
It is indeed 1900 and the Qing dynasty is locked and loaded in China. Meanwhile, there’s a story in San Francisco, where the dynasty has dispatched minions to capture revolutionaries. That’s all irrelevant crap and one of the reasons the runtime is mysteriously over two hours. The real story involves MURDER in Chinatown. The first victim is Alice, the daughter of a bigoted US Congressman (John Cusack). The second is an elderly Native American. The accused in both cases is the son of local Chinatown wheeler-dealer Bai Xuanling (Chow Yun-Fat). [Apparently, it’s “turn back the clock day” in Chinese cinema.]
To defy the prejudice of the San Francisco authorities, Xuanling summons “reasoning master” Qin Fu (Liu Haoran) to become Detective Chinatown 1900. Ah, but Qin Fu can’t do it alone and, quite frankly, nobody -including the audience- thinks this unseasoned stringbean can do anything alone, so it’s fortunate that Qin Fu (literally) lands on his eventual partner while trying to escape a fortress.
Why was he trying to escape a fortress? Not sure. Felt intimidated, I guess. How was we he trying to escape the fortress? By tying his clothes into a makeshift rope and dropping out a bathroom window three floors above street level. And who did he land on? I’m glad you asked. Introducing comic relief #2, Ah Gui (Wang Baoqiang), a middle-aged eccentric with both Chinese and Native American backgrounds. He presents as one might have presented as Native American in a film where Native Americans speak Spanish as their “native language.” (This is historically true, btw. Film producers used to have so little feel for any of the hundreds of languages spoken by Native Americans that they made them speak Spanish from time-to-time. Feel free to look it up.)
Can these two morons solve the Chinatown murders? Well, I sure hope so, because nobody else is going to.
Detective Chinatown 1900 had a little bit of everything. A little drama, a little thriller, a little comedy, a little romance, a little buddy pic, a little horror. Eventually
, the film settles on being a heavy, pounding us with the oppression of the Chinese exclusion act and giving us a taste of xenophobia and bigotry. The film correctly points out that Chinese people -by and large west of the Rockies- built the first intercontinental railroad and many, many, many died in the process. Their contributions have gone almost completely ignored by white historians as Chinese people were even excluded from congratulatory photos. This is all important historical notation, but it completely negates a tone in which a Native American nobody stabs himself with porcupine quills or some shit to give his biceps super-human brawling energy. It’s very awkward. How shall I put this? Imagine you’re watching Dog Man, a cartoon about a policeman with the head of a dog, and suddenly the narrative delves into the minutiae of George Floyd. That would be awkward, right?
I’m finding more reasons to dislike Detective Chinatown 1900 than to like it – but I sure enjoyed seeing John Cusack and Chow Yun-Fat again. I wonder where they went to.
There was once a detective named Qin
Overseas, this sleuth was shipped in
To deal with yokels
And murder by locals
For love of Sherlock, this comedrama wears thin
Not Rated, 138 Minutes
Director: Sicheng Chen, Mo Dai
Writer: Sicheng Chen
Genre: Period-based comedy
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Do you like a line-up of eight consecutive professionals, each threatening the one ahead of him?
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Do you like a line-up of eight consecutive professionals, each threatening the one ahead of him?
