"Detective vs Sleuths" or "Cold Detective" is a movie with big names, like Sean Lau Ching Wan, Raymond Lam Fung, Carman Lee and Charlene Choi. This line-up attracted me to watch this movie.

Unfortunately, this movie is a let-down. It's not unwatchable, but you just can't help but think it could have been better.

The beginning of the movie was not bad. Despite a slow start, the main characters are being introduced to us. As newer victims were killed, we begin to wonder who is the serial killer. Is it the Mad Detective? Is it someone from the police? Or would there be no answer, like Bong Joon-Ho's "Memories of Murder"? The suspense was kept relatively well until the final part.

Sean Lau is an amazing actor. He brought the character of Li Jun, the Mad Detective to life. The split-personality scenes were commendable. Raymond Lam Fung was not bad, but his role could have been more interesting with better writing. Carman Lee was under-utilised, what a waste. Charlene Choi was okay in this movie.

However, even Sean Lau couldn't save this movie's quality. One criteria of a quality movie to me is storyline and originality. The final part of this movie, is simply too rushed and everything is supposed to make sense when the serial killer's identity is revealed. I think some ideas were inspired from TVN's "Mouse", like how serial killers are emotionless psychopaths that go near their victims pretending to care for them.

Apart from the blazing Michael Bay-style, plausibility is also in question. When you have a woman who just gave birth leaping into the waters and coming back to fire a machine gun, wow, that is unacceptable. Besides, you have 2 cops who were of the same syndicate being placed in the same department. I also couldn't get the ending, which is the mirror scene. To me, that is just overzealous.