DVD Synopsis: Once upon a time there lived a hard-nosed detective with a gruesome case to solve. A seemingly disturbed man confesses to a brutal murder. After the alleged victim is discovered alive and well, the perpetrator is released. Days later the victim is found dead, with his stomach cut open and stuffed with rocks. This is just the first chapter in a series of sadistic killings inspired by Cinderella, The Red Shoes and Hansel & Gretel. Can the detective solve the Grimm riddles, catch the killer and live happily ever after? (90 Mins)

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Views: Danny Pang's Fairy Tale Killer opens with quite an intriguing scene as we see the mentally challenged Wu handcuffed to a chair in a police station. With his face caked in make-up, Wu is questioned by a number of cops, led by Inspector Wong, who listen to his claims that he has killed a man called Cheung Fai. The team quickly check on his named victim, who they find alive and well at his home. Inspector Wong releases Wu, blaming his illness for the wasting of police time and thinks nothing more of it. That evening, Inspector Wong returns home to his autistic son and estranged wife – a setting that leaves him angry and distant, void of any love for his family in not knowing how to deal with his child's behavioral issues. At the same time, Wu has actually taken Cheung Fai prisoner and murders him in a bizarre fashion that leaves the deceased with rocks in his stomach. After finding the body, Inspector Wong knows exactly who he is looking for and sends his team on a mission to bring Wu back into custody! As the chase begins and the bodies begin to pile up, with each of the deaths relating in some respect to fairy tales, Inspector Wong starts to feel the pressure while stepping even further away from his family. It all leads to a brutal showdown that blends thrillers like Se7en and Saw with tales from the Brothers Grimm, as Wong tries to put a stop to Wu and save those most important to him!

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The Pang brothers have delivered a mix of films both as a team and as single directors. The Eye was a highly enjoyable horror that gained a Hollywood remake, and movies such as Leave Me Alone, The Detective, The Storm Warriors, and Ab-Normal Beauty, definitely had their moments. But there really hasn't been too much more that has stood-out for me and, in-turn, I've never been one to rush out to see anything they have been behind. So I was quite late in getting to see Fairy Tale Killer to be honest, even though it has one of my favourite Hong Kong actors as the lead and offered up an interesting take on the serial killer genre. And while it's far from the worst movie in the Pang's filmography, it's equally as far from their best. As with most of his films, Danny Pang seems to shift a lot of his focus on the visual aspects of his storytelling, while often losing track of the overall direction – something that helps Fairy Tale Killer offer up perhaps just too many yawn inducing moments than one would have hoped for. Written by Pang and 3 other writers, the script doesn't really deliver anything overly exciting and saves anything worth getting excited about, for the last 30 minutes. One of these writers was Szeto Kam Yuen, a Johnnie To preferred scribe who has penned many great titles such as The Longest Nite, A Hero Never Dies, SPL, Exiled, Accident, and much more. Regardless, I have to admit that at the end of the film, I was a left with my mouth hanging open after the reveal of why Wu had became the killer he was and what it all meant. Talk about going around the world for a shortcut!!

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I have to say though, Lau Ching Wan does a great job as Inspector Wong, the troubled family man who will do what he can to gain the next promotion. While he can only work with what he's got, the best of Lau is saved for the finale when he must save his team and family from the clutches of crazed serial killer, Wu – played wonderfully by the fantastic Wang Bao Qiang. It was nice to see Ken Lo play a more subdued role as a cop on Wong's team, rather than another OTT thug or pointless gangster. Fan favourite, Lam Suet, cameos as Wu's first victim Cheung Fai, and Elanne Kong does a great job as the artistic mute who is a major part of the killers logic. Joey Man plays Lau Ching Wan's wife, in what would be her last role to date and the rest of the supporting cast really doesn't leave any kind of an impression at all to be honest. In a nutshell, Fairy Tale Killer should have been much better than it ends-up being, although it still makes for an interesting watch if you run out of options...

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Overall: With nothing overly-new or exciting on offer, Fairy Tale Killer fails to deliver on many levels, but is worthy of one watch at the very least!

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DVD Extras: Making Of Documentary, Interview With Lau Ching Wan, Trailers