Despite its visual quality, the film has some major flaws, notably its heavy-handedness. On the one hand it tries to explain a mystery, while on the other it deals with protagonist Huang's inner fears and depression. It also wants to depict cultural differences between the two investigators. Unfortunately, these elements fail to connect. The film spends too much time indulging in Taoist fantasy and making the hi-tech crimes look complicated rather than telling its story. On the other hand, the film manages to strike a good balance between introducing Chinese culture to the West without over-simplifying the mystery.
This is achieved at the expense of Richter and Huang's character development.
The audience will find it difficult to identify or emotionally connect with the hero played by Tony Leung. His guilt over the past accident and the failure of his marriage don't quite explain his later suffering. Director Chen said he intended to show more humanity in the story, but in this he fails to be convincing.
In its own way, Double Vision gives enough shocks and mystery, but it ultimately fails to be a totally satisfying movie.
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