Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame: Directed by the prolific Tsui Hark, this is a period mystery/fantasy based on the real 7th century Chinese courtier Di Renjie. When several men die under the same extreme circumstances (they spontaneously combust) on the eve of the coronation of the first (and only) Empress of China, Wu Zetian, Detective Dee (Andy Lau), sort of a medieval Sherlock Holmes, is freed from prison to find the culprits. Working with a member of the justice ministry and the Zetian’s handmaid (Li Bingbing), he is drawn into a web of conspiracy and betrayal. The martial arts shenanigans here are fine without being exceptional, the plot is fairly convoluted, and some of the cultural elements just have to be accepted on face value (such as the talking deer…yeah, you’re just going to have to take my word on that one). Some have labeled this film a historical epic. I disagree - while it doesn’t lack for spectacle, it is missing the appropriate gravitas of a “Red Cliffs” or “Hero”. “Detective Dee” also has an over-reliance on computer animation and rendering, some of which looks very fake. I would recommend either listening to the over-dub OR reading the subtitles, but not both at the same time as they don’t sync up correctly. I often think that some films have potential to be more than what ends up on the reels, but frankly, I don’t know if this film could have. It is thoroughly mediocre in almost every way. Woodchuck sez, “Okay. Just okay.”
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