PUBLISHED ONJuly 20, 2022 10:19 AMByDrima ChakrabortyWith a fast-paced and clever plot, numerous gun fights and real explosions, and actor Sean Lau executing a thrilling stunt sequence in a storm drain, Detective vs Sleuths brings us back to the heyday of Hong Kong police thrillers.
In the film, Jun (played by Sean) is a brilliant detective whose career goes downhill after he suffers a mental breakdown. Despite this, he begins his own private investigations into a slew of gruesome murders in Hong Kong committed by a group known only as The Sleuth. Jun and a detective from the police task force must race against time to beat the brutal killers at their own game.
Filming an action movie of such epic proportions required much planning and coordination from the production team.
"For instance, the scene shot at the dockyard at the end of the movie. I think the dockyard is as big as an aircraft carrier," said director Wai Ka Fai to AsiaOne in a recent video interview. Making sure it was sufficiently lit up was a challenge.
Another difficult task was shooting on-location at the hectic Temple Street and the key to smooth filming was crowd control.
Because the crew used wide camera angles, it was difficult for them to manage curious onlookers; asking them to relocate from one camera's view would end up with them in the other camera's view.
"The action sequences (filmed at Temple Street) included cars crashing into the stalls. A lot of the actors are rappelling down from the building. And then someone gets thrown out of the window. These were really shot at Temple Street," Ka Fai said.
"The sequences were a huge test to the entire production team. We were like fighting a war every day during filming."
He added: "The onlookers even clapped their hands when they saw actors doing stunts. It was like a carnival for them."
For Sean, flexibility was key as Ka Fai has a habit of changing the script on the spot.
"A lot of times, our two very suave screenwriters would hand me one piece of paper, just one piece and tell me, 'The director wants you to have a look at this. Just to look, don't memorise the lines'. So I would look at the script and guess what would likely happen," he told AsiaOne.
"I was worried initially, because I didn't know how fast I could adapt," added said about the ever-changing scenes. "When your mind gets used to something, and then you have to throw it away, it's a little difficult. But with time, I realised I was able to adapt to it.
"It also created an atmosphere of uncertainty, including for the characters."
With Detective vs Sleuths harkening to the police thrillers of decades past, one naturally wonders if this marks a resurgence in Hong Kong's film industry.
"There's a different style and quality in how Hong Kongers create films," Ka Fai said, with Sean adding: "If audiences watch this movie and have some expectations of us, I'd understand."
The way for the whole industry to perform well, much like in a single production, is by working together.
"The Hong Kong film industry needs everyone to work hard, you cannot just have one movie that is good," Sean said.
Giving audiences choices is what is key, according to Sean.
"You need everyone working hard and as one, so the audience can go, 'I could watch this or I could watch that instead.' When there are many options for them, the industry will prosper," he said.
Detective vs Sleuths, which also stars Charlene Choi, Raymond Lam and Carman Lee, opens in Singapore cinemas on July 21.
Watch our E-Junkies video with Sean and Ka Fai to find out more about Detective vs Sleuths. Be warned that there are spoilers at the end of the interview!
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