All hail the best horror-action film in the history of Singapore!

Stylishly creepy, fast-paced and complex, director Kelvin Tong (The Maid) seems to have combined his instinct for horror pictures with the typically breakneck pace of Hong Kong action cinema. Rule #1 mark the first time a Singapore filmmaker has ventured into Hong Kong to shoot a full-length film with regional stars like Shawn Yue, Ekin Cheng and Fiona Xie. The change of air has certainly done Kelvin good.

Rule #1 centres on an ordinary policeman (Shawn Yue) who is transferred to the Miscellaneous Affairs Department (or MAD). There, he has a curious responsibility of investigating cases relating to the supernatural. Even though his boss (Ekin Cheng) insists on Rule No. 1 which states "There are no such things as ghosts", Shawn thinks otherwise...

Hatched by Kelvin and film critic John Powers, the story is complex and clever � even though a very knowledgeable movie buff can point out plot points borrowed from or inspired by Se7en, The Frighteners, One Missed Call, The Sixth Sense, The Eye and The X-Files. (Then again, which commercial film these days can be said to be truly original?)

The film, at any rate, is a solid technical accomplishment that should reap rewards at the box office. Kelvin, who was formerly a film critic, has gotten mixed reviews since he switched to filmmaking. Past efforts such as The Maid and Eating Air have gotten their share of praises, while his last film Men in White was universally reviled.

His new film, however, should set the record straight: That Kelvin is a talented � if inconsistent � filmmaker who shouldn't be written off.