DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME
I had not heard word one about this Chinese film from director Tsui Hark, but I started seeing it’s unmissable title sprinkled amongst Best of 2011 lists on the web. I’m glad I added it to the queue, because it really is a delight. Dee is based on a beloved Chinese hero, Di Renjie, from the 7th century Tang Dynasty. What we have here is a nice blend of straight-forward detective story within a Crouching Tiger… sort of martial arts vibe.
With China’s first female emperor about to take the thrown, certain officials start to die mysteriously: by bursting into flame from within. It’s a sight to see. The Empress imprisoned Dee for rebelling against her years before, but she soon realizes he’s the only one who can solve this case. Dee, along with the Empress’ right-hand lady and a stubborn blonde “cop”, follow the clues into all kinds of fantastic situations. Really, the film looks simply stunning. Yes, you can tell it’s CG, but it feels like they embraced that fakery, giving it a fairy tale tone. The characters, the settings, the costumes, all wonderfully original and fun to explore. Another thing Hark does well is realize what his story is, concentrating on telling it as it needs to be told. While there’s plenty of that unique style of fantastical, soaring martial artistry, it’s mainly a detective story. It’s only the setting that requires the magical fighting; were this to take place in Chicago 1925, it’s be tommy guns and firebombs. The fighting is just part of what they need to do when they encounter baddies throughout the case. It’s easy to see how this could have just turned into another cookie cutter martial arts flick; so glad it didn’t.
It was a blessing, I think, not knowing a thing about the film (though, having now watched the trailer, it doesn’t spoil a thing). It’s good, smart, vivid fun, with just the right balance of all the things you’ve come to expect from one of these films. A high recommend for a lazy weekend viewing.
