San Taam (2007)
Genre: Crime
Duration: 89 minuten
Alternative titles: Mad Detective / Sun Taam
Country:
Hong-Kong
Directed by: Johnnie To
Stars: Andy On
IMDb score:
7,1 (8.580)
Releasedate: 29 November 2007
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
San Taam plot
"I can see a person's inner personality."
The title refers to Inspector Bun who uses rather unorthodox investigative methods: he reconstructs the crimes as accurately as possible at the crime scene, allowing him to look inside the minds of the perpetrators. Bun is a local legend due to his high effectiveness, but is fired after he violates a commander. Five years later, Detective Ho investigates a series of brutal robberies and, in a desperate attempt, re-engages Bun.
Actors and actresses
Inspector Chan Kwai Bun
Inspector Ho Ka-on
Ko Chi Wai
May Cheung
Wong Kwok Chu
Gigi
May Cheung in Bun's Eyes
Violent Man - Ko's Inner Personality
Fatso - Ko's Inner Personality
Calculating Woman - Ko's Inner Personality
Reviews & comments
Bottleneck
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- 8233 messages
- 2117 votes
A slightly wacky mixture of crime, drama and mystery, the latter of which occasionally provides atypical humor (wanting to eat the same thing seven times 
. Although mystery is a big word; what matters more (and what makes the film different from others at the same time) is the shift in focus from someone suffering from MPS to someone who sees it in others.
On a visual level, you can enjoy the touch of To at times, such as the scenes in the toilet, the mirrors, etc., but it doesn't match, say, Fuk Sau or Fong Juk, and I don't find the film catchy or memorable. Maybe a little too (v) airy. Although not memorable, I miss the strong scene in which the four of them sit at the restaurant.
PS in the very last seconds I lost track; did Ho switch all the guns twice with the corpses (which I couldn't tell apart anymore)?
Translated from Dutch · View original
DVD-T
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- 15565 messages
- 3122 votes
How steady is To. Another wonderful movie. It's also nice how he always comes up with something completely different.
Mad Detective is really one of those films that you don't need to know too much about in advance. It's best to let yourself be surprised. It's a very quirky movie. The story is very good and Bun's gift is used well. Still makes for some really fun moments. The film has a wonderful dose of humor and as I often notice in To's films, his style often goes a bit in the spaghetti western direction. This is also the case here at times, which can also be heard in the wonderful music from time to time. The film has enough to keep you interested throughout the entire running time and has a very strong ending.
Lau plays very well here. A role that is made for him. On stands well next to him. Lamb is also doing very well. Interesting role.
Visually it is also very nice. Especially the last scene with those mirrors looks very nice. The same goes for the rain scene.
Other than that, you just have to let yourself be surprised. This is how you can enjoy the best of Mad Detective.
Translated from Dutch · View original
frolunda
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- 1115 messages
- 4599 votes
Mad Detective / Sun Taam from 2007 is generally regarded as one of the highlights in the oeuvre of Hong Kong director Johnnie To. Finally saw the film yesterday and, although I've only seen a dozen of To's, I can (so far) go along with it a long way.
The story about Bun (Lau Ching-Wan), a brilliant police inspector who has mental problems that eventually lead to his dismissal, and is then called back into a case years later by the leader of a murder investigation (Andy On), excels in originality and very well put together. Bun has some kind of supernatural gift that he can see the inner and true personality of a human being. When the camera rotates from Bun's point of view, the viewer also witnesses this, while from another character's point of view, he sees the normal appearance again. That may cause some confusion in the beginning, but once you get into the story it turns out not to be that complicated.
In addition to originality, the screenplay by co-director Wai Ka-fai and Au Kin-yee (more or less To's permanent team) also excels in compactness. Mad Detective lasts (just) less than an hour and a half. Furthermore, the very beautiful and atmospheric images and the excellent role of Lau Ching-Wan (whom I actually always, having now seen about ten films with him, find great) add great value to the film. Incidentally, Andy On also delivers an excellent performance.
All these ingredients together provide an extremely fascinating viewing experience, which may only be fully appreciated after several viewings, but then you will eventually have a beautiful film that really distinguishes itself in the genre.
Translated from Dutch · View originalLatest News
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