In
the 1930’s, forensic science had not really caught on yet with the Shanghai
police force. However, Song Donglu is no
ordinary copper. As an assistant prison
warden, his interest in criminal psychology spurred him to challenge many
convictions. To be proactive, or to
spare themselves further embarrassment, his superiors have transferred him into
the field to help the Shanghai police get it right the first time. He will be initiated with a particularly
sinister case in Lo Chi-leung’s The
Bullet Vanishes (trailer
here), which
opens this Friday in New York.
There
has been a shooting at the local bullet factory—several actually. It might be a testament to their
craftsmanship, except the bullets in question seem to disappear upon
entry. Many of the workers believe it is
really the curse of a worker unjustly accused of stealing product. The autonomous factory owner dealt with the
case per their traditional method: a friendly game of Russian roulette. When those who wronged the woman start
turning up dead, the other workers get a bit spooked, setting production even
further behind.
Song
does not believe in ghosts. He is a man
of science. Still, he has some rather
mysterious circumstances on his hands, like corpses with gunshot wounds but no discernible
bullets to analyze. Before long, he will
also have to wrap his head around a classic locked room murder. At least his new partner Guo Zhui has his
back. They can’t say the same for their
superior officers.
Though
there are a lot of familiar Holmsian elements in Bullet, Lo and co-writer Yeung Sin-ling consistently give them with
a fresh spin. Perhaps most intriguing is
Song’s ambiguous relationship with a convicted black widow murderess (played by
a glammed down but terrific Jiang Yiyan), who could either be his Irene Adler
or Hannibal Lecter. Determining which could
be fertile ground for a sequel.
In
fact, Bullet is pretty unusual for a
big screen murder mystery, because it values atmosphere and procedural process
(as antiquated as it might be by our standards) over formulaic chases and phony
suspense. Viewers might have a general
sense where it is headed, but at least the film makes an effort to hold onto
its secrets. There are still several
well mounted period action sequences sprinkled throughout the film, but the
overall vibe of Bullet is
refreshingly cerebral.
With
Song, Lau Ching-wan brings to life a great character. Yes, he is a bit socially awkward at times,
but the detective is his own man, far more compassionate than Holmes ever was,
particularly in his scenes with the mariticidal inmate. As the more action-oriented Gui, Nicholas Tse
is in his element, also developing some nice romantic chemistry with Mi Yang’s
Little Lark, the fortune teller. Together as cops with contrasting styles, Lau
and Tse have an appealing give-and-take rapport going on. As for Boss Ding, the primary villain and
focus of viewer scorn, Liu Kai-chi certainly is not shy chewing the scenery,
vaguely suggesting elements of both the psycho and comedic Joe Pesci. That is not a bad thing.
