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Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
狄仁傑之通天帝國
2010 123 min China, Hong Kong PG-13 18+
★7.1
Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery
Director: Hark Tsui
Trailers
Description
When the future empress Wu Zetian's two courtiers die in a mysterious fire, she gets Di Renjie, a former detective and rebel, released from prison to solve the mystery of the fire.
Budget:
$13M
US Gross:
$459,836
Worldwide:
$51.72M
Starring
Tony Ka Fai Leung
Actor
Chao Deng
Actor
Carina Lau
Actor
Awards
Venice Film Festival 2010
— Golden Lion
Asian Film Academy 2011
— Best Costume Design
Asian Film Academy 2011
— Best Visual Effects
Asian Film Academy 2011
— Best Production Design
Key opinion
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame is widely praised as a visually stunning and original entry in the Chinese period epic genre. While the film excels as a spectacle with imaginative set design and action, critics are divided over its narrative weight and adherence to traditional detective tropes.
| Production | The production design delivers immense visual splendor, utilizing elaborate sets and costuming to create a high-budget aesthetic on a modest production cost. | |
| Originality | The film offers a highly original blend of detective mystery, political intrigue, and wuxia fantasy that distinguishes it from Western genre conventions. | |
| Direction | The action choreography is stylish and inventive, though viewers hold conflicting opinions on whether it matches the high bar set by legendary martial arts icons or leans too heavily into physics-defying fantasy. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is praised by some for its intricate plot twists and historical flavor, while others find the narrative depth and eventual resolution to be thin and unsatisfying. |