Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Starring: Andy Lau, Li Bingbing, Carina Lau, Tony Leung Kar Fai

Synopsis:

On the eve of the Empress’ inauguration, a series of mysterious murders take place – the victims spontaneously combusting. Taking advice from her high priest, the Empress commissions the renowned Detective Dee to investigate – though he has been languishing in prison for the past 5 years for being outspoken about the Empress usurping the throne. Dee is assigned two assistants and begins his investigation in earnest, one that embroils him in a deadly world of politics and assassins.

Review:

Detective Dee is something of a return to form for Tsui Hark, who’d seen his recent previous films, such as Missing, take a battering from both the box office and the critics. Detective Dee, although not perfect, reminds us of the fantastical visionary who made such films as Zu Warriors and Once Upon a Time in China.

The visuals are fantastic – the view of the harbour with the giant statue of the Empress being erected to overlook it, the design of the black market are unlike most settings for a period movie. The statue in particular is most impressive, not just on the outside, but the set designs inside showing how the structure holds together. And the mystery is very enticing also – how are these people being assassinated? Why are they suddenly bursting into flames?

The action is very good too –as you’d expect from Sammo Hung, who acts as fight co-ordinator here. Both Li Bingbing and Deng Chao, the albino officer , get their moments to shine, but the spotlight is on Andy Lau and he doesn’t disappoint. An attack on Dee while he is still incarcerated is a good taster of what is to come.

Andy Lau is one of the first actors I’d encountered when immersing myself into HK cinema back in the early 90’s. His performances in such films as A Time for Killing and Romance and Saviour of the Soul showed a versatile actor who could cover action, drama and fantasy with aplomb. Here he has to cover all tropes as Detective Dee, convincing as a renowned investigator, negotiating the slippery slopes of courtly politics and being a serious badass.

Tsui Hark always manages to come up with ideas which are just so off-kilter and fairytale – like. For Detective Dee, that manifests when he and his companions are attacked in the underground caverns which lead to the Black Market. Their assailants have an ethereal quality and seem capable of superhuman feats – and then it’s revealed why: they’re string puppets, being manipulated from hidden locations!

I was reminded somewhat of Woochi , while watching Detective Dee. Like the Korean blockbuster, Detective Dee has a very wordy script, allowing the cast to joust verbally as well as physically. The culprit and their motive were, for me at least, well hidden until late into the film. The script does a good job of posing suspects for the audience to ponder before Dee finally figures things out.

Are there any niggles? Well the film does feel a little too long, that things are drawn out longer than they should be, and there are some silly CGI moments such as a transmorphing process. But these are small beer compared to the film’s delights.

Verdict:

Welcome back Tsui Hark, we’ve missed you. Detective Dee is a throwback to the Hark of old – a bold, visual treat and packed full of action. If you enjoyed Woochi, then you must check this out.

Flash-Bang's interview with Andy Lau can be found here.