Man tam

It seems that Johnnie To is making a comeback, not only in terms of form, as he established in the non-stop thriller Drug War, but also in terms of career milestones. After nine years, Blind Detective marks the return of To’s greatest concept with respect to box-office success, namely the casting of Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng. First appearing together in Needing You (2000), the two became the Hong Kong equivalent of legendary Hollywood duos and one of the pillars that financially underpinned To’s company, Milkyway Production. The decision to bring these famous faces together again is thus primarily a commercially safe bet on giving To a hit movie, which he hasn’t had for a long time. The project’s revenues cannot be called into question, but the rule about stepping twice into the same river still applies. Though Lau and Cheng act out quarrelsome situations with visibly parchment faces, this time the film relies more on the narrative escapades of To’s leading screenwriters. The overwrought screenplay is appealing mainly due to the fact that the crackpot narrative about a blind yet genial detective manages to incorporate the current trend of the glossy aesthetics of lifestyle ads that have captivated the Chinese and Hong Kong mainstream in recent years. Nevertheless, it is necessary to mention that, in comparison with the lifelessness of other recent films that are only an excuse for advertising a luxurious lifestyle, To manages to bring at least some energy and hype into this surreal world. (04/07/2013)