An extremely brutal armed robbery case has brought two very unusual young detectives together in Hong Kong. Both men have been known not to follow the usual rules of conduct in solving crimes. Lincoln, the younger brother of the deceased, an ex-policeman in China, has sworn to find the man who has murdered his brother. While he investigates the murder on his own in Hong Kong, he meets Michael, a CID officer on suspension. Michael has often been warned against insubordination and for pulling his own stunts to capture criminals on the run.
All hail the best horror-action film in the history of Singapore!
Stylishly creepy, fast-paced and complex, director Kelvin Tong (The Maid) seems to have combined his instinct for horror pictures with the typically breakneck pace of Hong Kong action cinema. Rule #1 mark the first time a Singapore filmmaker has ventured into Hong Kong to shoot a full-length film with regional stars like Shawn Yue, Ekin Cheng and Fiona Xie. The change of air has certainly done Kelvin good.
Rule #1 centres on an ordinary policeman (Shawn Yue) who is transferred to the Miscellaneous Affairs Department (or MAD). There, he has a curious responsibility of investigating cases relating to the supernatural. Even though his boss (Ekin Cheng) insists on Rule No. 1 which states "There are no such things as ghosts", Shawn thinks otherwise...
Hatched by Kelvin and film critic John Powers, the story is complex and clever — even though a very knowledgeable movie buff can point out plot points borrowed from or inspired by Se7en, The Frighteners, One Missed Call, The Sixth Sense, The Eye and The X-Files. (Then again, which commercial film these days can be said to be truly original?)
The film, at any rate, is a solid technical accomplishment that should reap rewards at the box office. Kelvin, who was formerly a film critic, has gotten mixed reviews since he switched to filmmaking. Past efforts such as The Maid and Eating Air have gotten their share of praises, while his last film Men in White was universally reviled.
His new film, however, should set the record straight: That Kelvin is a talented — if inconsistent — filmmaker who shouldn't be written off. Rookie Sergeant Lee (Shawn Yue) is injured in a shoot-out and is assigned to the dubious-sounding Miscellaneous Affairs Department (MAD). There, he is paired up with Inspector Wong (Ekin Cheng), a jaded and alcoholic veteran who explains that MAD's role is to answer supernatural calls. Wong explains MAD's rule number one - there are no ghosts. For every seemingly inexplicable phenomenon, there is a corresponding scientific and rational explanation. MAD begins investigating a string of bizarre teenage suicides - impossible suicides, unless the victims were possessed. As Lee and Wong follow the clues, they realise something sinister is heading their way.
"Boogeyman 2" centers on a young woman with a long-term phobia of the boogeyman, who voluntarily checks herself into a mental health facility with the hope of conquering her overwhelming fears. However, much to her horror, she discovers that some things are terrifying on purpose, and confronting her demons was not the best course of action.
