Ping an ye

The opening murder in Night Caller could have come straight out of an Argento movie: the killer wears leather gloves, a hat and a black coat and brutally kills their victim, a fashion model, with a carving knife. The only witness to the murder is the woman's young daughter Edith, who hides in her closet with her dolly (which proves to be a vital to the plot).

Giallo fans shouldn't get too excited, however, as writer/director/star Philip Chan - a Royal Hong Kong police inspector before entering the movie business- quickly dispenses with the giallo-esque style of the first scene, concentrating on tedious police procedure instead, following three detectives- tough guy Steve (Philip Chan), married cop James (Melvin Wong), and rookie Porky (Patricia Ha) - as they investigate the case. There's a couple more murders to break up the boredom, but they're not nearly as stylish or as vicious as the first one.

Chan also reveals the identity of his killer way too early, as they abduct James and proceed to torture him in order to find out what he has learnt. Fortunately, the ending is rather fun, as Steve and Porky find out who the murderer is and attempt to rescue James.

4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.

N. B. I never did understand who Mickey was in relation to the killer, but I liked the fact that he is drowned in a mud bath.