Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (Di Renjie)

2010 | China, Hong Kong | PG-13 | 122 min

Cast:Andy Lau Carina Lau Tony Leung Ka Fai Chao Deng Bing bing LiJean-Michel Casanova

Director:Tsui Hark

Produced by:Peggy LeeShi NansunTsui Hark

Screenwriter:Chen Kuofu

Cinematography:Chi Ying ChanChor Keung Chan

Editing By:Chi Wai Yau

Music By:Peter Kam

This film is a detective story set in ancient China and is filled with characters with powers Voltamort  would envy and with a level of action that by contrast makes Indiana Jones seem like a slow-paced soap-opera.

The film is in Mandarin with subtitles which in the opening moments tell us that China is on the verge of the coronation On the eve of it’s first female ruler. We are lead, via the spectacular Cinematography of Chi Ying Chan and Chor Keung Chan, on a tour of the mamoth Buddha statue, built on a scale of that Donald Trump would admire . During our tour we are told that completion of the statue is set to tie to Wu Zetian’s (the Empress) assumption to rule.

When a number of hi-ranking officials connected toWu Zetian and her statue meet untimely deaths by bursting into flames. The would be ruler, is now so desperate to solve the mystery that she calls for the legendary detective Dee, who had been in prison for prior acts against the ruler.

Detective Dee is joined by Jing’er whose beauty is matched by her deadly skills in martial arts and the similarly skilled albino guard Pei as they set out to solve the mystery. The fight scenes, which are nearly non-stop, are filled with people who are not bound by such trivial things as gavity The film deals with the themes of honor, love and trust; but most of all it is a film filled with beautifully filmed and choreographed fantasy fight scenes.

[Watch Trailer]