Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame Directed by: Tsui Hark Written by: Kuo-fu Chen, Lin Qianyu (story), Jialu Zhang (screenplay) Starring: Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Li Bingbing, Chao Deng, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Jean-Michel Casanova If you thought Guy Ritchie was the only one capable of taking a well-known detective and turning him into an over-the-top action hero, well, then you haven't seen Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. Directed by Hong Kong veteran Tsui Hark, the movie is inspired by a real-life historical figure from the Zhou Dynasty named Di Renjie, who served as chancellor to Wu Zetian, the first and only female Emperor of China. Prior to that he had been a magistrate and judge, which was the basis for the 18th century novel The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. This new big budget wuxia film re-imagines him as not only a crime-solving super sleuth,...
- 12/15/2011
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Director: Tsui Hark.
Writers: Kuo-fu Chen, Lin Qianyu (original story) and Jialu Zhang (screenplay).
When Chinese producer, director and writer Tsui Hark is heavily involved in a production, he often leaves a huge cinematic stamp on it and the international world pays attention. The last film he directly worked on was Seven Swords (2005), which borrowed on some ideas from Akira Kurosawa's Shichinin no Samurai (Seven Samurai). But these days, his most recent work that’s getting noticed is Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.
Although Hark is not involved in the writing of this detective mystery thriller, his trademark for phantasmagorical storytelling and gorgeously framed visuals is certainly consistent throughout. The only shame is the larger dependence on CGI in modern Hong Kong Cinema to recreate the sprawling cityscape around Daming Palace, which is the backdrop for most of this film. Also, not all of the...
Writers: Kuo-fu Chen, Lin Qianyu (original story) and Jialu Zhang (screenplay).
When Chinese producer, director and writer Tsui Hark is heavily involved in a production, he often leaves a huge cinematic stamp on it and the international world pays attention. The last film he directly worked on was Seven Swords (2005), which borrowed on some ideas from Akira Kurosawa's Shichinin no Samurai (Seven Samurai). But these days, his most recent work that’s getting noticed is Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.
Although Hark is not involved in the writing of this detective mystery thriller, his trademark for phantasmagorical storytelling and gorgeously framed visuals is certainly consistent throughout. The only shame is the larger dependence on CGI in modern Hong Kong Cinema to recreate the sprawling cityscape around Daming Palace, which is the backdrop for most of this film. Also, not all of the...
- 10/31/2011
- by noreply@blogger.com (Ed Sum)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Chinese director Tsui Hark finally got back in good shape. His latest film Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame is by no definition Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Nevertheless, his film provides a somehow solid and entertaining story.
In 690 Ad, Wu Zetian (Carina Lau) is about to be the first woman to wear the Chinese crown. However, when many highly placed officials die in the palace, her coronation might be threatened. The future Empress believes that because she's a woman, someone wants her away from the throne.
This is why she gets Di Renji (Andy Lau), a former dissident who opposed Wu Zetian's regency eight years earlier, out of his exile in order to investigate. With the help of Pei Donglai (Chao Deng), another official, and Shangguan Jing'er (Bingbing Li), the Empress's right-hand "woman", Di Renji will discover that someone is actually preparing a conspiracy against the Empress.
In 690 Ad, Wu Zetian (Carina Lau) is about to be the first woman to wear the Chinese crown. However, when many highly placed officials die in the palace, her coronation might be threatened. The future Empress believes that because she's a woman, someone wants her away from the throne.
This is why she gets Di Renji (Andy Lau), a former dissident who opposed Wu Zetian's regency eight years earlier, out of his exile in order to investigate. With the help of Pei Donglai (Chao Deng), another official, and Shangguan Jing'er (Bingbing Li), the Empress's right-hand "woman", Di Renji will discover that someone is actually preparing a conspiracy against the Empress.
- 7/15/2011
- by anhkhoido@gmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
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