Behind the Shadows

World-weary private detective Auyeung (Louis Koo in one of his most hard-boiled roles) is dwindling away in the gritty streets of Malaysia. He scrapes by on questionable acts of surveillance, mostly sordid adultery cases where he exposes unfaithful spouses. When a missing-persons assignment takes an unexpectedly gruesome turn, the stakes are suddenly raised to life or death. As this and other investigations start to converge with Auyeung’s own personal travails in a mysterious twist of fate, he is soon embroiled in a desperate game of cat and mouse with what may be evil incarnate. This bold new take on the crime genre updates tried-and-true detective tropes with stark realism and resonant commentary on dysfunctional relationships. The interpersonal drama of its characters takes as much precedence as the deceit and treachery of its story’s myriad puzzles in an evocative Möbius strip of modern foibles.