To me, Zhang Yimou's HERO was a watershed moment: a masterful film, which features CGI. Since then, films in the "swordsman" genre, made by many of the masters of Hong Kong and Mainland cinema (Zhang, Chen Kaige, John Woo, and Tsui Hark) have increasingly, and detrimentally, relied on CGI. The ensuing films have been visually spectacular (HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER, THE PROMISE, RED CLIFF, THE PROMISE, and ZU WARRIORS, to name a few), but as films they were all somewhat lacking. It began to be my fervent wish that all of these estimable directors be given drastically reduced budgets and blue screens, and get back to the business of making great movies.
DETECTIVE DEE etc has much going for it. Andy Lau Tak-Wah and Tony Leung Ka Fai are given able support from Li Bingbing, Carina Lau, and Chao Deng; Sammo Hung's fight choreography was stellar; the plot was convoluted; the anachronisms are what Giants' closer Brain Wilson would call "delicious"; and the CGI didn't get too much in the way;. All very well. It just seemed to go on for a very long time, and lacked the frenetic pacing of the "swordsman" films of the '90's.
DETECTIVE DEE etc has much going for it. Andy Lau Tak-Wah and Tony Leung Ka Fai are given able support from Li Bingbing, Carina Lau, and Chao Deng; Sammo Hung's fight choreography was stellar; the plot was convoluted; the anachronisms are what Giants' closer Brain Wilson would call "delicious"; and the CGI didn't get too much in the way;. All very well. It just seemed to go on for a very long time, and lacked the frenetic pacing of the "swordsman" films of the '90's.