Film Review: Detective Chinatown 1900 (唐探1900) (2025) - China
Rating 7/10
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critic Circle of Australia)
2025 Review Count - 59
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Tagline: A messy yet big-hearted caper that leans on star power and historical curiosity. Chow Yun-fat simply carries the film, proving even in 1900, coolness is timeless.
The “Detective Chinatown” franchise returns with a spirited, if occasionally clumsy, pivot to the past in “Detective Chinatown 1900”. Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown at the dawn of the 20th century, this fourth installment swaps skyscrapers for opium dens and modern quips for period-piece slapstick, all while grappling with the weight of anti-Chinese racism. Directors Chen Sicheng and Wei Junzi craft a zippy whodunit that’s equal parts farce and historical commentary, though its ambitions occasionally trip over its own shoelaces.
The film follows the franchise’s recurring odd-couple duo: the bookish Qin Fu (Liu Haoran, exuding Sherlockian precocity) and the bumbling Ah Gui (Wang Baoqiang, whose comic timing remains a national treasure). This time, they’re thrust into a murder mystery involving a congressman’s daughter, a framed Chinese-American heir (Zhang Xincheng), and a shadowy plot to escalate the Chinese Exclusion Act. The stakes? Nothing less than the expulsion of Chinatown’s entire population.
What elevates the film above its convoluted plot is Chow Yun-fat, who strides through the frame like a mythic godfather as Bai Xuanling, leader of the Hip Sing Tong. Chow’s performance—alternately wry, paternal, and thunderous—anchors the chaos. Whether delivering a sardonic jab about American hypocrisy or a mournful monologue on diaspora struggles, he reminds us why he’s a legend. A scene where he negotiates with Manchu officials while casually sipping tea is a masterclass in charisma.
The film’s East-meets-West collisions yield mixed results. Liu and Wang’s banter remains the series’ backbone, with Wang’s Ah Gui donning faux-Indigenous garb (a questionable brownface subplot involving actor Yin Zheng) for absurdist sleuthing. Meanwhile, American characters like John Cusack’s congressman feel like cardboard cutouts, their stilted Mandarin and stiff delivery undercutting tension. The script’s bilingual ping-pong—Chinese detectives debating in English, white antagonists snarling in Mandarin—is a clever nod to cultural clash, though it often plays like a gimmick.
Historically, the film tiptoes between authenticity and sanitization. The script rightly highlights the era’s venomous racism (“yellow peril” slurs, exclusionary laws), yet San Francisco’s cramped, vice-riddled Chinatown is rendered as a suspiciously clean soundstage. While the plot references real horrors (the Scott Act, anti-miscegenation laws), it fudges details—such as blaming the Exclusion Act for interracial marriage bans, when California’s own laws were the culprit.
Still, the film’s heart lies in its farcical energy. A subplot involving bumbling Qing dynasty envoys steals every scene, their slapstick antics slyly mocking imperial decline. The central mystery, while predictable, barrels forward with enough red herrings and chase sequences to satisfy genre fans.
“Detective Chinatown 1900” isn’t a masterpiece. Its pacing wobbles, its non-Chinese cast falters, and its brownface misstep warrants critique. Yet Chow Yun-fat’s gravitas and the leads’ chemistry make it a rollicking ride. As the credits roll, you’ll forgive its flaws—not because it’s profound, but because it’s “fun”. (Neo 2025)