This is what I’m talkin’ about.
Detective Dee and the
Mystery of the Phantom Flame is audacious medieval Chinese fun. When Detective Dee (a kind of ancient
Chinese Sherlock Holmes, but with wire-fu) is brought out of prison to
investigate the spontaneous combustion of several imperial court officials, the
trail will wend through mysterious underground caverns, mystic temples, giant
monuments, and even the coronation ceremony for the next (and only, historically)
Empress of China. Along the way,
he’ll meet seductive shape-shifters, vampiric magistrates, talking elk, and
more assassins than he can shake a mace at.
So what? Not your
bag? Well, Tsui Hark directed
it. He’s made roughly a million
wire-fu movies over the years, and he’s an absolute master of the form. Sammo Hung choreographed the fights and
served as the action director, and Hung (a Chinese Opera School classmate of
Jackie Chan’s) is a legend of the genre.
The cast includes luminaries such as Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs, House of
Flying Daggers, The Legend of Drunken
Master), Carina Lau (2046, Days of Being Wild), and Tony Leung Ka
Fai (Election, The Lover, Three … Extremes). Not only are these folks fine actors,
they’re accomplished gymnasts, martial artists, and stuntmen who will impress
and delight you with their ability to wow you time and again.
So what I’m talking about here is big-budget, big-fun
imperial adventure. Lots of stuff
gets blown up real good; lots of bad guys get kicked in the face; lots of money
gets spent on lavish costumes, sets, and CG environments; and it’s all wrapped
around a mystery that’s actually mysterious and interesting.
I enjoyed the heck out of this movie. Even if you don’t think Chinese movies
are your bag, give this one a shot: I just don’t see how anyone could not love
it.
