Detective Chinatown 1900 Image

Detective Chinatown 1900

By Alan Ng | January 30, 2025

I’ll be upfront in saying that my interest in Sicheng Chen and Mo Dai’s action/comedy Detective Chinatown 1900 is a bit personal. The events portrayed occurred during my great-grandfather’s journey to America from China. Though I don’t have much concrete history of his exploits, Detective Chinatown 1900 gives a taste of what his world was like…sort of. Let’s get into it.

Serving as a prequel of sorts to the Detective Chinatown series, our tale takes place in 1900 San Francisco. Bolstered by the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, the fate of San Francisco Chinatown and the independence of its Chinese residents was in the hands of politicians. At the height of the turmoil, the bodies of Alice (Anastasia Shestakova), the daughter of Republican Congressman Grant (John Cusak), and an Indian chief are found murdered in the center of town. The suspect is Jack the Ripper, whom the police believe is Bai Zhenbang (Steven Zhang), son of Chinatown Godfather Bai Xuanling (Chow Yun-Fat).

Meanwhile, arriving by train is junior detective Qin Fu (Haoran Liu), the apprentice of Sherlock Holmes (Andrew Charles Stokes). Bai Xuanling commissions Qin to clear his son’s name before the police capture him. Just as Qin begins his investigation, he bumps into Gui (Baoqiang Wang), the Chinese-Indian (like Native-American) son of the murdered chief. Gui possesses almost superhuman skills, and with Qin’s pseudo-Chinese herbal tea approach to deduction, the pair sets out to solve the crime and save Chinatown.

This wouldn’t be a Chinese film without an over-bloated cast and sub-plots. First, we have the political dealings between Bai Xuanling and Senator Bruce, who appears to be an ally. Then, there’s the revelation that Bai Zhenbang and Alice were lovers. Out of left field is the arrival of three Chinese officials from the Empress who are looking to apprehend two traitors to China (Bai Zhenbang being one of them). This leads to Bai Zhenbang trying to smuggle guns into the Chinese Revolution. Now add another subplot with unions that hate cheap Chinese labor and a Chinese magician starting a tour of Europe.

“The suspect is Jack the Ripper, whom the police believe is Bai Zhenbang…”

I wanted to recommend this movie so badly. My issue is that it’s a slapstick comedy with insufficient action sequences and feels more like a soap opera than anything else. Strip it down, and it’s a buddy comedy between Qin and Gui. Of course, the film leaves room for a sequel. To cover the over two-hour runtime, we are jerked around from one plot to the other, and the ending trial of Bai Zhenbang was written for dramatics over reality.

Another annoyance is its constant reference to the Chinese Exclusion Act. Look, my mere existence in the U.S. is due to the legal loopholes of the Chinese Exclusion Act. In hindsight, it was clearly racist and discriminatory. But I’m not sure the Chinese living in San Francisco in 1900 referenced the act as often as this film. I’m not saying it wasn’t true, but the feigned outrage feels odd coming from a fully Chinese production not shot in America. I don’t believe the Chinese Exclusion Act directly affected any of the film’s actors.

Though I can’t recommend Detective Chinatown 1900, some elements might be worth spending your hard-earned dollars on. The San Francisco Chinatown set is incredible and feels like San Francisco in detail. The little action the film has is enjoyable and includes blood and dismemberment—comedic dismemberment. The murders are gruesome.

As a Chinese production, I love that they couldn’t find enough Americans to play Americans, so almost everyone has accents from around the world. The mere fact that John Cusack plays a racist politician might be reason enough to watch the film. For those who know, Cusack appeared in an epic Chinese film called Dragon Blade, which is about the Silk Road and co-starred Jackie Chan and Adrien Brody. It’s simply awful.

Detective Chinatown 1900 tries to be a high-energy action comedy but gets tangled in a web of subplots, leaving little room for the buddy-cop fun it teases. While the production design nails the look of 1900s Chinatown, and the gruesome murders add some excitement, the film ultimately stumbles. Unless you’re in it purely for John Cusack playing a racist congressman or enjoy the chaos of too many plotlines, this one is a tough sell.

Detective Chinatown 1900 (2025)

Directed: Sicheng Chen, Mo Dai

Written: Sicheng Chen

Starring: Baoqiang Wang, Haoran Liu, Chow Yun-Fat, John Cusack, etc.

Movie score: 5/10

Detective Chinatown 1900 Image

"…John Cusack plays a racist politician—might be reason enough to watch the film."

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