“Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame” is a lavish historical whodunit set around the coronation of China’s first empress and focuses on Di Renjie, or Detective Dee (Andy Lau), a real-life Tang Dynasty official who has been popularized in mystery novels and TV series. When the film opens in 689 AD, Dee has been imprisoned for eight years for opposing Wu Zetian (Carina Lau), who is about to take the throne as empress, an event being commemorated by the construction of an enormous Buddha statue that towers over the palace. The soon-to-be empress orders Dee’s release from prison so he can investigate the murders of two high-ranking court officials, both of whom burst into flame upon being exposed to sunlight. While most assume the killings to be the work of divine intervention, Dee, along with Wu’s most trusted servant, Jung’er (Li Bingbing) and judicial officer Pei Donglai (Deng Chao), eventually determine that a specific poison was used. From there, they must get to the bottom of a very elaborate plot.
“Detective Dee” is full of visual splendor and creative imagination. Every scene is packed with ornate detail from beautiful costumes to Wu’s ornate hairstyles to the spooky underground Black City. And Director Tsui Hark enhances his intricate narrative with flamboyant sets, and all-star cast and action director Sammo Hung’s amazing fight choreography. It’s unfortunate that with flying arrows, talking stags and deadly insects, it’s too easy to get lost in the convoluted plot. All of this is entertaining, but after a while, sensory overload sets in. Subtitles. 9/1/11
1 comment:
This subtitled Chinese flick has all the action and intrigue that you want. The problem is that this conveluted plot is too hard to follow with the short bursts of narrative. I, frankly, did not have time to read all the dialogue that shot accross the bottom of the screen. It would help to understand the Chinese dialect if you decide to see this.
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