appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

James Mottram

2/5 stars
Premiering out of competition at this year’s Venice International Film Festival, this latest effort from Japanese writer-director Sabu, in which a Taipei detective battles amnesia, is an underwhelming twist on the police procedural that never truly feels like it knows, or even cares, what it wants to be.
Taiwanese actor Ethan Ruan Ching-tien (The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon) stars as Detective Lee, a formidable policeman who oversees a loyal crew of men with nicknames like “Wolf”, “Bear” and “Smallfry”. After a sting operation goes disastrously wrong due to his brain fog, Lee realises something is drastically amiss.
“Stress-induced amnesia,” suggests the doctor, but it is not enough to see Lee take some time off. Instead, hiding his memory issues and clad in a stylish white suit and black shirt, he barrels headlong into the next case: the kidnapping of a five-year-old boy whose abductors seek a fortune for his safe return.


The boy is the son of Hatta (Shinichi Tsutsumi), the Japanese head of a furniture company, who lives in luxury and certainly doesn’t suffer fools. Lee’s erratic actions don’t help, with the intolerant Hatta soon believing the officer has gone on the run with the ransom, as an increasingly muddled plot descends into a mass of shouting and shoot-outs.
Since his 1996 debut, Dangan Runner, Sabu has developed a trademark mix of black comedy and thrills, and it is not hard to see him straining to do that with Arrested Memory. Only here he presents a real head-spinning hodgepodge, from full-on dance routines to a meth addict, Mad Dog Luke (Akira Huang Guan-zhi), who is something akin to the fool in King Lear.
True, some moments of physical humour work well, not least the effortlessly executed stunt when Ruan kicks one fellow out of a hotel room window. Yet as Lee’s attempts to foil the kidnap plot become more chaotic, the film’s tone sways violently and the comedy rarely gels with the action.
One such occasion sees Lee speak on his mobile phone in an attempt to arrange a drop-off for the ransom. The joke, if that is what you call it, is that he is standing right next to the kidnappers, who are blissfully unaware he is in the vicinity.


At least the cinematography, by Hong Kong’s Jai Ip Siu-ching, lends the film some lived-in authenticity, and there is something appealing about the burnished red and gold interiors, conjured by production designer Chen Po-jen, where much of the later action takes place.
For the most part, though, you probably will not want to strain your brain and remember Arrested Memory.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


How Jet Li’s trainer Wu Bin, 89, ages well and still nurtures martial arts talent

Famous Chinese women in folklore, from Hua Mulan to a consort who brought down a dynasty

How Cantopop lyricist Wyman Wong pushed Hong Kong’s LGBTQ, style and emotional boundaries

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East movie review: Shen Teng leads bombastic anti-war drama

Asian cinema: Chinese films

Venice 2026: Arrested Memory movie review – Ethan Ruan leads Sabu’s muddled crime thriller

Ethan Ruan in a still from Arrested Memory.

Ethan Ruan plays a detective with amnesia in a still from Arrested Memory, directed by Sabu. Shinichi Tsutsumi co-stars.

(From left) Reika Kirishima, Hsieh Ying-xuan and Shinichi Tsutsumi in a still from Arrested Memory.

Ethan Ruan (left) and Moon Lee in a still from Arrested Memory.

Venice 2026: Look Back movie review – Hirokazu Koreeda explores childhood manga dreams

Natsuki Deguchi as the grown-up Fujino in a still from Look Back (category I, Japanese), directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. Aju Makita, Furi Nanase and Rokka Okada co-star.


Furi Nanase (left) and Rokka Okada in a still from Look Back.

Aju Makita as the grown-up Kyomoto in a still from Look Back.

Venice 2026: Primetime movie review – Robert Pattinson catches predators in blunted satire

Robert Pattinson plays a fictional version of TV predator hunter Chris Hansen in a still from Primetime, directed by Lance Oppenheim. Merritt Wever and Skyler Gisondo co-star. Photo: Sinna Nasseri

Skyler Gisondo in a still from Primetime. Photo: A24

Tony Revolori (left) and Robert Pattinson in a still from Primetime. Photo: A24

Venice 2026: Possible Love movie review – Lee Chang-dong explores class in masterful drama

Jeon Do-yeon as Mi-ok in a still from Possible Love. Photo: Netflix.

Sul Kyung-gu (left) as Ho-seok and Jeon Do-yeon (right) as Mi-ok in a still from Possible Love. Directed by Lee Chang-dong and co-starring Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong. Photo: Netflix

Cho Yeo-jeong as Ye-ji in a still from Possible Love. Photo: Netflix

Jeon Do-yeon (left) as Mi-ok and Zo In-sung as Sang-woo in a still from Possible Love. Photo: Netflix

Venice 2026: Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? is a haunting Vietnam war drama

Rodney Hicks in a still from Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?, directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. Geoffrey Rush, Mark Merphy and Tatyana Ali co-star.

Rodney Hicks (left) and Geoffrey Rush in a still from Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?

(From left) Tatyana Ali, Lathan Ava and Rodney Hicks in a still from Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Ethan Ruan plays a detective with memory issues investigating a kidnapping case in this action-packed if confused police procedural


Ethan Ruan plays a detective with memory issues investigating a kidnapping case in this action-packed if confused police procedural.


Chinese language cinema

Asian cinema: Japanese films

Asian cinema

Film reviews

Cinema

Fame and celebrity

Venice Film Festival

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Ethan Ruan plays a detective with memory issues investigating a kidnapping case in this action-packed if confused police procedural

Ethan Ruan plays a detective with memory issues investigating a kidnapping case in this action-packed if confused police procedural