Detective Chinatown 2

At two-plus hours, the joke goes on for way too long. But Detective Chinatown 2 is a case worth taking.

Though less of a brainteaser than the original film, director-writer Chen Sicheng infuses Chinese color into a plot that solves crimes by using feng shui as clues, making things accessible and intriguing to local and international audiences alike.

This loud, goofy, comic-book-bright sequel to Chen Sicheng's 2015 buddy comedy works as a loose riff on Sherlock Holmes.

I can't give the film my most immediate recommendation, but for anyone concerned about the case of the missing modern buddy cop comedy, Detective Chinatown 2 is a noteworthy placeholder.

What better way to celebrate Chinese new year than with this film? Erm ... actually, there are a number of activities that might be better.

Here's hoping the third outing, which will take the main characters to Tokyo, returns to the amiable, artful high jinks of the first.

Chen Sicheng's Detective Chinatown 2 is a colourful feast of bizarre antics, old school buddy cop discord and creative amateur detective adventures.

Detective Chinatown 2 paints a wildly reductive picture of contemporary America, which it populates entirely with gun-toting gang bangers, Trump lookalikes and closeted bikers.

And now for something completely daft. Detective Chinatown 2 is a boisterous sequel to the 2015 Bangkok-set hit.

Michael Pitt also makes a special guest cameo appearance, except his line delivery is so forced and awkward it feels as if he doesn't even want to be there, and truthfully, I can't blame him