Detective Chinatown

Detective Chinatown is a 2015 Chinese action comedy film directed by Chen Kaige, starring Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran as the main characters. The film is a spin-off of the television series "Detective Chinatown," but for the movie, the two main characters are a pair of young men tasked with solving a murder case. Tang Ren (played by Liu Haoran) is the distant relative of Qin Feng (played by Wang Baoqiang), Qin is a high school teacher from Beijing who failed to be accepted into police college due to his polite nature. Ren is a charming, energetic, and quick-witted orphan who Qin had promised to adopt. Ren moves in with Qin in Beijing and they become a makeshift family unit. When a wealthy businessman in Hangzhou is found dead in a hotel room, the police are stumped, and Ren's presence triggers Qin's memory of a promise to take care of him. However, Qin decides to use Ren's amateur skills to help him solve the case and earn enough money to get back into police college. The two set out for Bangkok, where they believe the businessman had many connections, hoping to pick up a valuable lead. Upon arrival, they become entangled in an intricate network of Thai gangs and local police. Ren uses his natural charm and innocence to gain the trust of various suspects and gather information, while Qin uses his own knowledge and resourcefulness to analyze the clues. Throughout their investigation, Ren and Qin encounter their first real challenge - the complexity and diversity of the human experiences, both positive and negative, that they have been exposed to. They are required to develop their skills, understanding of human nature, and collaboration to solve the murder case efficiently. The case takes a sudden turn when they discover that the victim had a large sum of money in his hotel room safe and a mysterious woman is seen walking in the hotel. They manage to follow the mysterious woman, who leads them deeper into Bangkok's underworld. They finally discover that this case involves money laundering, corruption, and deceit, all of which have left a trail that the two amateur detectives need to track down. In the climax of the film, Ren and Qin finally piece together the entire case, revealing the identity of the killer and the mastermind behind the crime. The film wraps up with the conclusion of the case and Ren and Qin's newfound partnership in solving mysteries, a start that marks the beginning of their journey. The two amateur detectives' relationship grows stronger as they share in their experiences and develop trust for each other. Despite their differences, they form a bond that allows them to understand and trust one another to take on challenges that would put the local authorities to shame.