Action-packed detective flick "The Bullet Vanishes," directed by Law Chi-Leung, hits Chinese screens on August 14, paying tribute to the world famous "Sherlock Holmes" movies.

Produced by Yee Tung-Shing and starring Hong Kong megastar Nicholas Tse as well as veteran actor Lau Ching Wan, the film wastes no time telling the thrilling mystery of the so-called cursed "ghost bullets" legend. The story takes place during the Republic of China (1911-1949) and sees a serial killer going crazy inside a weapon factory.

The delicately designed plot filled with horror, suspense and tension, will keep audiences on their toes and wondering what is really going on right until the end. The unique and cold-tone cinematographic style creates several dream-like but cool scenes and the clattering sound of bullets plus the background music form a brilliant addition to the movie's scary factor. However, the autopsies and corpses in the film are sometimes a little too much for young children. China doesn't have film rating system yet, so now you have been warned.

From poster design to music score, the movie's style is very similar to that of Guy Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" series, even though director Law denied mimicking anybody since this story had been in his head for more than 5 years, even before Ritchie's first "Sherlock Holmes" movie hit cinema screens in 2009.

The story starts with the desperate suicide of a female employee, which is a murder and not a self-inflicted death. Consequently, all the key people connected to the suicide, get killed off one by one. Two police detectives (played by Nicholas Tse and Lau Ching Wan) try to crack the case, but discover this is not some mysterious ghost story, but a swamp involving corrupt officials, evil bosses, henchmen and more.

The overall fine editing at times confuses audiences, loses pace and even becomes sluggish every now and then. Tse gives an unconvincing performance and that of his lover (played by rising star Yang Mi) is a complete disaster without showing any real emotional dedication to the role. However, Lau Ching Wan does a decent job, while Boss Ding (played by Kai Chi Liu) makes an excellent and horrifying addition to the movie.

Whilst Tse's performance may only please his fans and pose a challenge to his ex-wife, Cecilia Cheung, whose new film "The Lion Roars 2" will enter Chinese cinemas on August 17, "The Bullet Vanishes" is good enough for a hungry market which is waiting for more great blockbusters like "The Dark Knight Rises." The wittedly weaved thriller does carry some depth and even touches on some social issues such as how a hero can become villain and whether or not one should seek justice through unjust ways.

"The Bullet Vanishes" is 108 minutes long. Other cast members include Jing Boran, Cheng Hei-Yi, Jiang Yiyan and Wu Gang.

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