Double Vision

Tony Leung Kar-Fai plays miserable Taipei detective Huang Huo-Tu who is ostracized by his colleagues after he exposed corruption on the force. His role as Foreign Liaison Officer places him in the hot seat after a prominent American cleric is found murdered. No prizes for guessing, the FBI gets hauled into the investigation.

FBI agent Kevin Richter (David Morse, Proof of Life), an expert in criminal profiling, teams up with Huang during the probe. The duo discovers the ingenious murder weapon, a fungus which generates hallucinations

Using a fungus that attaches itself to heat seeking mites and when placed in an enclosed air-conditioned room, the mites will enter the human body through the nose and implant themselves onto the brain. The victims' hallucinations are caused by the sudden massive increase in seratonin and dopamine. Sounds pretty ingenious, no?

Playing on the minds of carefully selected victims, the serial killer is on a prowl to kill in order to attain immortality. The movie plays on Taiwan's social psyche with regards to Taoism.

His most recent film, The Personals, was invited to the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, as well as festivals in Toronto, Calcutta, Rotterdam and other. Critically acclaimed producer and director Chen Kuo-Fu is known for films that focus on intimate character study, and hence this effects-filled police story is surely a breath of fresh air.

Playing Officer Huang's wife is Taiwanese top-notch actress Rene Liu who fails to impress.

Chen and cinematographer Arthur Wong has brought on screen a discolored Taiwan, in hues of greens and blues. Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), one of Asia's most sought after designers for stage and cinema, was brought in as the film's production, costume, hair and make-up designer.

Perchance the movie buff in you might find the storyline a tad unbelievable. But, like a friend cleverly sums up, Double Vision is, every cinematographer's wet dreams.

Stills Gallery!!