Detective vs Sleuths

Detective vs Sleuths is a 2022 Hong Kong action thriller film directed by Wai Ka-fai and starring Sean Lau, Charlene Choi and Raymond Lam. [1] The film follows a former police with mentally disorder (Lau), who allied with elite inspector (Choi), involves into a series of murders which connected to their past cases they've once inspected, which they have to race against time to find out the truth and the mastermind behind the murders.

Detective vs Sleuths
Film poster
Traditional Chinese神探大戰
Simplified Chinese神探大战
Directed byWai Ka-fai
Written byWai Ka-fai
Ray Chan
Mak Tin-shu
Produced byWai Ka-fai
Jason Siu
Elaine Chu
StarringSean Lau
Charlene Choi
Raymond Lam
CinematographyCheng Siu-Keung
Edited byAllen Leung
Music byChung Chu-wing
Ben Cheung
Production
company
Release dates
  • 8 July 2022 (2022-07-08) (China)
  • 21 July 2022 (2022-07-21) (Hong Kong)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguageCantonese
Box officeUS$107.4 million[lower-alpha 1]

Originally announced in 2018, the film marks Wai's return to direct since the 2009 film Written By, and reunion with frequent collaborator/actor Lau. The film was released in Hong Kong on 21 July 2022, after a postponed period due to COVID closure of Hong Kong and China theatres. The film has received mixed reviews.

Premise

Jun Lee (Lau), a former police inspector and elite detective in OCTB who has been expelled from the police force, after his serious mental breakdown and ensured a chaos happened in police headquarters due to a wrongly conviction of the Butcher case and the Devil Cop case.

Years later, a series of high profile murders happens, and a group of culprits who called themselves "The Sleuths" leaving the sneak peeks of their next murders, which connected to the cases which Jun has investigated into. Yee Chan (Choi), a fellow lieutenant inspector in OCTB, who also the only survivor in the Butcher case 17 years ago, believes Jun is the only hope to crack the Sleuths, requests his help. The deeper they investigate of the Sleuths' motive of crime, they discover the secrets of the past cases beyond their imagination.

Cast
  • Sean Lau as Jun Lee, a former police inspector and detective in OCTB who was expelled after experiencing hallucinations.[2]
  • Charlene Choi as Yee Chan, an lieutenant inspector in OCTB who is also the only survivor in the Butcher case.[2]
  • Raymond Lam as Fong Lai Shun, a lieutenant inspector in OCTB, but he is actually a corrupted cop and the head of "The Sleuths" organisation. The real murderer of the Butcher Case and the Devil Cop Case. He was shot dead by Yee Chan at the coming end of the movie
  • Carman Lee as Yan Wong, Jun Lee's old colleague, Yee Chan, Fong Lai Shun and AuYeung Kim superior
  • Tan Kai as AuYeung Kim, a senior superintendent in OCTB, was caught and threatened by "The Sleuths" organisation to admit he is the real murderer of the Butcher Case and the Devil Cop Case
  • Carlos Chan as Tsai Ka Chu, an OCTB inspector, but actually is a member of "The Sleuths" organisation. Chun Chi To's son. Yeung Lai's boyfriend. At last he was shot dead by Fong Lai Shun
  • Kathy Yuen as Yeung Lai, an OCTB inspector, but actually is a member of "The Sleuths" organisation. Keung's daughter. TSai ka Chu's girlfriend. At last she was shot dead by Fong Lai Shun
  • Jeana Ho as Lynn Cheung, Jun Lee's rebellious daughter, action commander of "The Sleuths" organisation. At last she was shot dead by Fong Lai Shun
  • Deep Ng as Chun Chi To, a deceased from the Devil Cop Case
  • Timmy Hung as Keung, a deceased from the Butcher Case
  • Stephanie Che as Fishmonger, one of the murderers of the Corpse Cooking Case, she was at last murdered by "The Chosen Sleuths" organisation

Reception

Box office

Detective vs Sleuths has grossed a total of US$107.4 million worldwide combining its box office gross from Hong Kong (US$1,906,153),[3] and China (US$105.5 million).[4]

In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$5,224,908 (US$645,603) during its first four days of release, debuting at No. 2.[5] The film remained at No. 2 in its second weekend, grossing HK$5,318,944 and accumulating a total gross of HK$10,543,852 (US$1,343,166) by then.[6] During its third weekend, the film grossed HK$2,999,499, moving down to No. 4, and have grossed a total of HK$13,543,351 (US$1,725,290) by then.[7] On its fourth weekend, the film grossed HK$1,396,127, coming in at No. 7, accumulating a total gross of HK$14,939,478 (US$1,906,153) so far.[8] Announced on August 15, 2022, the box office exceeded HK$15,000,000.[9]

Critical reception

Edmund Lee of South China Morning Post gave the film three stars out of five, and writes "its relentless parade of shoot-outs and explosions also make this quite an exhausting watch".[2]

Notes
  1. See Box office

References
  1. 許育民 (3 March 2022). "《神探大戰》海報藏韋家輝青雲作品 《大時代》《嚦咕嚦咕》上榜". 香港01. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  2. "Detective vs Sleuths movie review: Sean Lau in wildly chaotic police thriller with urgent moral messages at its core". AsiaOne. 21 July 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  3. "Detective vs Sleuths". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  4. "China Daily Box Office (09/07/2022)".
  5. "Hong Kong 2022 Weekend 29 July 21-24, 2022".
  6. "Hong Kong 2022 Weekend 30 July 28-31, 2022".
  7. "Hong Kong 2022 Weekend 31 August 4-7, 2022".
  8. "Hong Kong 2022 Weekend 32 August 11-14, 2022".
  9. "《神探大戰》票房勁破1500萬💥多謝大家支持！👏🏼👏🏼". facebook (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 神探大戰 Detective VS. Sleuths. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
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