The Bullet Vanishes

2012 1h 48m ZH

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 83

ActionMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

One rainy night in an arms factory near Shanghai, a young female worker accused of stealing a box of bullets from the ruthless Boss Ding is violently killed in a game of Russian roulette. Half a month later, a series of inexplicable deaths takes place in the factory, where the victims are shot but no bullets are found. Rumors of a deadly curse begin to spread in the factory, terrorizing the workers there. So, eccentric police inspector Song Donglu and his hot-blooded, gunslinging partner Guo Zhui are sent in to investigate the mystery of the phantom bullets...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Lau Ching-Wan
Inspector Song Donglu
Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung
Captain Guo Zhui
Yang Mi
Little Skylark
Wu Gang
Police Chief Jin
Jing Boran
Xiaowu
Gao Hu
NPA senior officer
Jiang Yiyan
Fu Yuan
Chin Ka-Lok
Wu Zhongguo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lo Chi-Leung
Writers: Lo Chi-Leung, Yeung Sin-Ling
Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin
Countries: China, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 13% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Vanished Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lo Chi-Leung, shot by Chan Chi-Ying. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Teddy Robin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lo Chi-Leung directs. Chan Chi-Ying behind the camera. Teddy Robin scores. Eric Kwong Chi-Leung cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in China, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese, Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 13% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 14 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin.
4International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.
5Part of the "The Vanished Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
7Directed by Lo Chi-Leung, shot by Chan Chi-Ying. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Teddy Robin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Eric Kwong Chi-Leung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Lau Ching-Wan and Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung and Yang Mi carry the top of the cast.
11IMDB entry: tt2106741 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Only 83 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.