Apathetic, craven police officer Chan (Eason Chan) is given a rude awakening one morning when he is assigned a new partner. This newcomer, Man (Yung) is absurdly enthusiastic and charmingly naive, a young country girl who is desperate to make a difference in the big city. Chan is perturbed by his exuberant new partner and quickly tries to dampen her idealistic goals with his own supposed words of wisdom. As the partners patrol the district of Wan Chai, they encounter Shing (Ng), a former architect who has sadly suffered a severe mental breakdown and now spends his time prying into other people's business. Chan is very familiar with Shing and his sad story, but the over eager Man decides to investigate him further to understand his plight. As Man begins to learn about Shing and the other numerous realities of her daily beat, the apathy that Chan is infused with begins to rub off on her. However, events conspire to teach both Chan and Man about the value of their work and their respective importance to the inhabitants of Wan Chai.

'Crazy N' The City' was a modest release in Hong Kong, but proved to be a relatively big hit, thanks largely to the excellent reviews it received. Indeed while recent films like 'New Police Story' and 'Kung Fu Hustle' are a fine reminder that no-one really makes action films like Hong Kong, 'Crazy N' The City' is further proof that there's much more to the industry besides. Western critics may be fawning over the current crop of arthouse swordplay films, but a production like 'Crazy N' The City' is every bit as deserving of a wider distribution. It is a production that is proud to wear its Hong Kong heart on its sleeve.

I've often found myself criticising films for trying to juggle too many moods and tempos, but when such ambitions are as superlatively realised as they are in 'Crazy N' The City' then it's a joy to behold. The film combines a tender character study of Man's gradual redemption, his friendship with Man, her desire to be an important member of the community, the tragic story of Shing and even his tenuous friendship with his new neighbour Pheobe. Yuen even throws a 'killer-on-the-loose' ending into the mix and yet never once lets any of the other components suffer. To have a film with such endearingly written characters and such a well plotted storyline is an achievement worth trumpeting.

The main skeleton of 'Crazy N' The City' is the way that Chan and Man change each others' lives. This central narrative is allowed to develop at its own pace and benefits from two sympathetic characters for the audience to care about. Chan is passive and indifferent to his job, but the director fleshes out these character flaws throughout the film and we therefore understand why our anti-hero is the way he is. There are no histrionics or pointless emotional episodes, just well written flashbacks to his own change from vivacious rookie to disillusioned officer. James Yuen also distances the characters away from any Hollywood style romance, choosing instead to develop a tentative friendship between the two. Chan's final redemption is therefore a glorious denoument and not just a pointless exercise in sentimentality.

By accident or by design, Yuen has also created a powerful examination of mental illness. Such a challenging and often badly handled subject requires a sympathetic director who can avoid the stereotypes of the illness and concentrate on the lives it touches. Yuen is masterful in his handling of Shing and his battle against the past. The introduction of such a character is seemlessly integrated into the storyline and never feels as is if its appearing just to fill up time. Shing's story is by turns touching, amusing and encouraging, traversing the inherent problems in its subject matter to create a wonderful thread in the overall success of this gem.

A director who can call on performers at the height of their powers is always in with a chance of forming something special. James Yuen is presented with a main cast who handle their characters superbly, while there is also a plethora of excellent supporting turns by some very familiar faces. Eason Chan has never been better than he is here; Chan has often shown what good work he can produce with a solid script and with the character of Chan he is given an especially inspiring part. Chan is faced with a number of emotions that test his range throughout the film and he triumphs each and every time. Joey Yung banishes memories of 'The Attractive One' and proves that she can be much more than just another wannabe Sammi Cheng clone. These two young performers produce their very best for 'Crazy N' The City' and are given exceptional support by Francis Ng. Ng has long been acknowledged as one of the finest actors in Asia and, playing the complex Shing, he cements that reputation. It would be a crime if his work here isn't given recognition by some award or other.

'Crazy N' The City' is the first must see film of 2005 and a unique Hong Kong feature. Full of humanity and interest, it remarkably manages to takes three or four strong sub-plots and amalgamate them together without lettting any of them suffer. James Yuen realises the potential that he showed earlier in his career and had since squandered, now thankfully utilising all of the strengths he had shown. While I doubt he will ever read this review, I'd still like to use it to implore him to identify the great work he's done with 'Crazy N' The City' and consign the 'Driving Miss Wealthy' school of films to the distant past. To the non-James Yuen readers, I would eagerly encourage you all to see this wonderful production as soon as possible.

James Yuen is a veteran of screenwriter for UFO and also deservedly was part of the acclaim for Lost In Time, a fine work with focus on the ordinary men and women that was directed by Derek Yee who is now producing Yuen's latest foray into directing. A thriller/comedy/drama (again, Hong Kong cinema does as many moods as it can) definitely aimed at Hong Kong that Yuen brings an assured handling to, if not a little simplistic however.

The Wan Chai setting holds many types but seemingly no actual hard crime (aside from petty theft and the occasional flashing) and the police force has somewhat gotten over their initial full on duty over all-attitude and adopted a rather valid approach to the tedious and everyday goingons that they have to oversee. With that, the cynicism takes over and the lack of heart. Enter a fresh voice, an enthusiastic rookie. Presto, a realization of who you really are, who you want to be and who you should be takes place. It's heavy handed sentiments and not in any way complex or difficult.

But Crazy N' The City holds a definite charm as well as challenges. Eason Chan's plight still remains far too clichéd to stand out as fresh but Eason Chan in more serious acting mode is very beneficial for this production. A fitting aspect to the character of Chris who's fallen into the everyday motions but possesses a wise mind about the handling of the Wan Chai streets. James Yuen's introduction of a serial killer plot that, just like the blueprint 1A says, is the final stepping stone for Chan's journey, leading to albeit slightly rousing but also a side of the film that may be hard to reconcile with depending on the viewer.

While Yuen makes fun of thriller staples initially such as that there's action and rain wherever you go, he also falls prey to those clichés himself later! However the choice is a valid one for the movie to further but it's not without the proceedings being unexpectedly unsettling as well. Although Yuen does deserve kudos for not being exploitive and still achieving tension. The fine pairing of Eason and Joey wouldn't have been enough to take Crazy N' The City into unremarkable but affecting and solid territory however.

It's the subplot involving Francis Ng's Shing that shines mostly and shows as almost always that with Ng putting in effort, a movie can be elevated to greater heights. The portrait here of mental illness does go the same routes as the introduction of the thriller elements as it becomes tension filled because the mind of a mad man can go in all sorts of directions. As harmless and caring as Shing is, there's always the sense of a boiling point that MAY generate unpleasantness. When it's not that, the pain in Shing as he is still living in his past memories when interacting with the world is very memorably handled by Francis. It calls for the entire acting range of subtle to over the top and does not seem demeaning either. Which is a plus because Hong Kong cinema usually aren't the best at avoiding negative portrayals of the quote unquote odd characters in society.

Aside from some unnecessary spicing up of style, Yuen's direction remains suitably hands off and more of a polished point- and shoot affair which is benefiting when full concentration on acting is what the movie lives and breathes on. Joey Yung is far from a developed actress but does fit the naive, determined and at times, wise rookie while Mainland actress Meng Zhang also is a sweet presence and the sane counterpart to Ng's Shing. Their bonding is questionably underdeveloped but also leans equally towards subtle while in the end also being classically affecting. Sadly she's underused but Kara Hui is also a welcome addition to the supporting cast, playing the sister of Shing. In cameos we also see Liu Kai-Chi, Waise Lee, Chin Ka-Lok, Daichi Harashima, Henry Fong, Alex Fong and Lam Suet.

With a proper message, assured direction and good to winning performances from the cast (guess who logged the winning performance?), James Yuen's Crazy N' The City is a solid mood filled work that thankfully goes for more realism and provides a genuine Hong Kong atmosphere. While not as adept at portraying the ordinary man like Derek Yee is and being rather over the top with his end sentiments and darkness, Yuen still creates a solid movie for Hong Kong cinema. That's very much is valid and counts in a currently struggling industry.