Overrated

Fantastic!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I just finished watching this and I was quite impressed. Do yourself a favour and ignore the jaded, critical comments in the 1 or 2 other reviews which are completely unfounded.I DO though fully agree with all the other 'GOOD' reviews here and their strong praise for this beautiful looking and engaging film! And, when I say 'Beautiful', I mean frigg'n BEAUTIFUL! The Blu-ray that I saw had a picture quality that was so stunning, it virtually leapt off the screen and was VERY 3 dimensional.And YES it does very much bring to mind Guy Ritchie's recent 'SHERLOCK HOLMES' in the look and with the soundtrack. But, it is NOT as hyper stylized. The Mystery is very involving; the writing, direction, and acting is excellent. YES, the final twist at the end may or may not be completely necessary, but I personally do not think it detracts that much from the story and overall impact of the film.So, if you DO happen to like Asian Action / Crime films that are sharply executed and very entertaining, not to mention beautiful looking, then you will indeed very much enjoy this movie!

The first we see Lau Ching Wan's superintendent Song Donglu, he straps a noose around his neck and kicks off the chair – all for the sake of seeing firsthand the physical signs of someone who commits suicide from hanging. It is a bold introduction no less, especially since it immediately recalls one of Lau's best films – Johnnie To's 'Mad Detective' – in which he played an equally eccentric investigative persona. Aside from the similarities in personality and detail-oriented deductive skills however, the setting is entirely different – but one that this thriller is all the better for.Taking place in the Tiancheng prefecture during China's warlord era (similar to that of producer Derek Yee's earlier 'The Great Magician'), co-writer and director Lo Chi Leung spins an impressive whodunit around the heady elements of industrial unrest and bureaucratic corruption. Any direct exploration of the social subtext might trigger attention from the Chinese censors, so Chi-Leung and his other screenwriter Yeung Sin- Ling focus their attention on the mystery at hand, allowing what references that may be drawn to the industrial unrest plaguing the country today to emerge subtly.The title refers to a string of puzzling murders at a bullet factory where the bullets seem to have disappeared after the acts. While many of the workers immediately attribute the deaths to the vengeful spirit of a female employee who had been accused of stealing and thereafter forced into a game of Russian roulette with the boss (Liu Kai-Chi), Song is not so sure – and together with another young detective Guo Zhui (Nicholas Tse) dubbed the fastest sharpshooter in the precinct, attempt to unravel the mystery before it claims its next victim.Those who think that the answer might be rather straightforward will be sorely mistaken, for Lo demonstrates ambition by assembling a host of supporting characters who may or may not be connected to the murders. With the deftness of Agatha Christie or even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lo takes turns casting doubts on each of these characters and their possible motivations, leaving his audience guessing till the final reveal. That means too that it does take a while before the mastermind finally comes to light, but what overplotting Lo and Yeung might be guilty of along the way is ultimately overcome by Lo's tight control over the unfolding narrative.Not content to be just another Christie suspense novel, the movie also delves into the psychology of criminal behaviour through the mind of Song, who believes that there is no such thing as a bad person. Illustrating this point is a completely unrelated subplot that shows the demure Fu Yuan (Jiang Yiyan) plotting "the perfect crime" of her husband's (Chin Kar Lok) murder – depicted in a humorous Chaplin-esque way – the former of whom in prison becomes somewhat like a muse to Song to better understand the criminal mind. Song's belief that there are just "good people turned bad" is increasingly challenged as he comes up along greed and corruption, and kudos to Lo for adding an additional layer of intellect into the twisty proceedings.Besides the mystery at the heart of the tale, the movie also rests on the chemistry between Song and Guo, their pairing of which has been compared to that of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Nonetheless, this isn't the Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law equivalent that you might be expecting, but a more traditional one in the spirit of the books – so really while Song is largely the brains of investigation, Guo assumes the role of the brawn. This might be the first time that Lau and Tse are cast opposite each other, but the two heavyweight actors complement each other with finely nuanced performances that do not draw too much attention to their respective character's idiosyncrasies.Both also look like they fit right into the opulent period setting, brought vividly to life by gorgeous costumes and elaborate sets that project both the stylish and the seedy side of 1930s Shanghai. They are also joined by stellar supporting performances – both Liu and Wu Gang as the factory boss and shady police chief respectively delightfully smarmy in their villainous roles; as well as Yang Mi looking suitably sexy as a fortuneteller and Guo's love interest. Of course it is ultimately Lau and Tse who own the movie, and both are consistently engaging from start to finish.So too is the entire film, even though it might not unfold at a breakneck pace like Guy Ritchie's 'Sherlock Holmes'. Rather, Lo prefers a low-key expositional approach that is more in line with the deductive methodologies of the investigation and simultaneously affords space for his audience to get to know the characters – though rest assured that he still packs enough shootouts to keep the adrenaline going. Like a good ol fashioned detective story, this one packs wit, suspense and then some impressive visual pizazz – we guarantee you'll be as intrigued as we were.

Co-written and directed by Law Chi Leung, whom some of us may know from his debut directorial feature Double Tap, The Bullet Vanishes may probably be his most polished and accomplished film to date, with remarkable production values blending beautiful sets and costumes, with CG to recreate the Old Tiancheng, which is terrorized by what could be the double whammy of corruption in high office, and a phantom linked with the city's superstition, with inexplicable messages inked in blood popping up, and mysterious deaths occurring to workers in a sweatshop operation of a ammunitions factory. This calls for not one but two detective sleuths to step in, and plough through threats, coercion and obstruction to justice as they engage in rudimentary science and crime scene investigation to get to the truth.Both Law and co-writer Yeung Sin Ling managed to craft a top notch detective whodunnit that's heightened with mystery, chock full of supporting characters, and blended with set action pieces that made The Bullet Vanishes possess a little something for everyone. The title, which may sound chunky in both English and Mandarin, explains the bulk of the mystery, because bodies are turning up, but each without the remnants of a round that should usually be found within the victims, or in the surroundings where they turn up. A little bit of CSI through autopsies, hypotheses that requiring tests, and an all round good use of science, will make you work as hard as the detectives in trying to stay a step ahead of them.Lau's Song Donglu is yet another cop character that the veteran actor has tackled in his career, and is as unorthodox as can be, preferring to be his own little guinea pig to run experiments on, in order to study forensics, and his methods also involve getting into the criminal psyche, engaging with inmates, and through conversation, learn techniques, and is able to appeal for those innocent to be let off the hook. To varying levels of success of course, but these efforts don't go unnoticed, and he gets sent to Tiancheng to deploy his skills. Song's introduction with detective Guo Zhui (Tse) didn't turn up all too chummy at first, but both men quickly share a common ground in investigations, with Guo having a keen eye and observation skills, which serve him well since he's arguably one of the fastest marksmen in town. Just in case you'd think one of them takes on the Sherlock mold, and the other as Watson, well, think again, as there's no clear cut division between the two in such fashion, with both main leads being quite apt for the job, except for Song's preference to not be packing a pistol.And you can sense that the writers got into a love affair with the leading characters, taking time off the main event to tell some of their back stories, or letting romance get in the way as well, such as Guo's relationship with a young fortune teller played by Yang Mi, and Song's exchange of letters with an inmate (Karena Lam) which form the narrative background for the movie, and become the moral compass as well by the time the story runs into its thrilling double climax. It examines the nature and plausibility of the "perfect crime", while also deals with the perennial nature versus nurture issue on how criminals get made, since it is believed that no human being is born evil, and some may turn to crime or twisted justice as a means out of an unbearable environment they live in.Other supporting actors who stand out include Liu Kai Chi, who is running a risk of getting stereotyped with his devilish, over the top portrayal as the unscrupulous factory owner, while Boran Jing's role as a rookie cop almost makes it a triumvirate for the heroes if not for his character's lack of experience in the field, and becomes the slight comic relief in this film that's suspiciously seeped with a social commentary about exploitation and corruption in pursuit of monetary goals, and how the corrupt always make strange bedfellows. Nicholas Tse and Yang Mi may sizzle on screen for their love scene, but all eyes are definitely on Tse-Lau as their excellent chemistry par none here will probably pave the way for more future films together, I hope.If there's a little bit of a letdown, it's that the censors here decided to snip off those little impact moments where bullets make contact with the skull. Save for the scene near the beginning of the film that allowed one to sink into the moment of an unnecessary, cruel killing that set the stage, the rest got unceremoniously truncated, which is a pity since there's a subplot involving the fastest and most accurate gun in town put into the story for a reason. It's too bad that we only get to see the outcome, and not that I'm bloodlusting, but I'm never for butchering a movie in this day and age.Still, The Bullet Vanishes is Chinese Cinema's answer to a detective story that's worthy of some of the best that Western cinema has to offer. There's definite room for a franchise because it's a pity to stop what this film has started, and hopefully it'll be able to find a more unique voice than to look too Holmes-ish. I'm giving this my vote of recommendation, and it's an automatic shoo in for those who have been starved of a good detective flick. It's period setting is great, as the filmmakers are forced to be creative with techniques since they cannot use modern day ones, and this means plenty of innovation on their part in crafting such a tale. Who knows, I may just sneak this in as one of the best of this year as well.

THE production design of The Bullet Vanishes is gorgeous, the actors are commendable, with a little bit of eye candy thrown in, but, unfortunately, the storyline is tedious and has been rehashed a million times.Detective stories are nothing new and viewers would have seen two Sherlock Holmes movies and thousands of episodes of CSI over the past few years. Even the Russian roulette idea comes from The Deer Hunter.Also, the pairing of an elderly, more experienced detective with a young handsome hotshot is blasé.The movie's social critique, about the working class being under the thumb of a tyrannical rich guy, while praiseworthy, is also nothing new.Two detectives, Song (Lau Ching Wan) and Guo (Nicholas Tse), probe a series of mysterious shooting deaths in a bullet factory in Shanghai in the 1930s. The workers blame this on the ghost of a young female worker wrongly accused of stealing and then killed while being forced to play Russian roulette.The explanation is too complicated too reveal, but viewers get to visit a morgue headed by a pretty doctor and listen to vague theories on bone and ice bullets.What about the eye candy, you ask. That comes in the form of China's Yang Mi, 25, who plays Guo's informant girlfriend called Little Lark. Viewers, be prepared for her languorous figure and stunning beauty.As I said earlier, the sets and lighting are excellent, and credit goes to production designer Silver Cheung. The Silent War, starring Tony Leung and set in post-war China, also boasts terrific production sets and lighting.As the movie winds down, viewers get to view a Russian roulette face off between the two detectives. I don't know the reason for director Lo Chi-leung using this method for both of them to extract the truth from each other, but it's uncalled for and contrived.Finally, the flick is about good people doing bad things. Does this include the filmmaker and producers of The Bullet Vanishes?www.jeffleemovies.com