Review

Review Date: 16-October-11
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Just OK

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2011)

Besides having the best title of the year, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame offers some of the best enticements to escapism. Based on a series of old stories, which in turn were inspired by a real member of the imperial Chinese court in the seventh century CE, Detective Dee follows the adventures of a master sleuth (Andy Lau) who is recalled from exile after two people spontaneously combust on the eve of a historic coronation. The mythic China in which the detective moves contains the beautiful costumes you would expect as well as an underground world of forgotten souls, a sacred monastery protected by reindeer, and a sky-scraping Buddha statue that puts the Seven Wonders of the West to shame. There's also a colorful cast of characters including the first female ruler of the land, who is one tough broad (Carina Lau); her devoted and beautiful lady-in-waiting who is also her whip-wielding champion (Li Bingbing); a rash young policeman who both clashes with and learns from Dee (Chao Deng); and familiar extras like masked assassins, pompous officials, and wise and cantankerous old men. Add a magic wand of sorts and some lethal bugs and you've got a strong dose of imagination.

What a pity that after Detective Dee lines up the right setting and players for a good story, it doesn't know quite what to do with them. It appears at times as if the plot were being fashioned on the fly, particularly during the rambling middle section. While Dee is admirable for his courage and level head, he doesn't come across as extraordinary, which could also be the result of a loose script. The fight scenes are especially disappointing. Shot as small explosions of movement and facial expression, they play out as muddied blurs that leave the viewer wondering what just happened. Detective Dee ultimately feels like a flight of fancy which, in execution, should have been more down to earth.

Copyright © 2011 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.