I came upon this movie after watching a better than average bollywood movie (somewhat) based on it (Talaash, 2012) and was pleasantly surprised.
Right from the opening scene of a scavenger who starts to scream incredulously and the weirdly funny credit song the movie sets the tone for the unusual and gets your attention. Aaron Kwak as a somewhat dodgy, self assured and often less than brilliant private eye gives an engaging performance. His attire of silk or polyester printed shirts a handy digital camera and unreliable demeanour makes the character funny and believable at the same time. The setting in the Chinese society in Thailand feels very unique and authentic.
The story progresses slowly without big revelations or suspense, but then the idea is not the end but the journey itself. The ending is somewhat unsatisfying but gives a new angle to the whole story.
An excellent movie if you want to enjoy something unusual but worthwhile.
Review of The Detective
