Thu, Sep 30, 2010
Slick wuxia epic impresses
By Yong Shu Hoong
DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME
(PG) Action/123 minutes
SEEING Tsui Hark's name attached to Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame immediately evokes pleasant memories of the heyday of Hong Kong cinema during the 1980s and early 1990s.
As a visionary director and producer, Tsui has been involved with fantasy and wuxia (martial-arts genre set in ancient China) classics like Zu Warriors From The Magic Mountain (1983), A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) and Swordsman (1990).
He is well-known for combining humour with aesthetically pleasing action sequences, impressive sets and costumes and, sometimes, dazzling visual effects.
So, after lacklustre collaborations with Jean-Claude Van Damme on Double Team (1997) and Knock Off (1998), as well as less-than-impressive recent films like Seven Swords (2005), can his latest directorial effort be hailed as a return to form? Partially, I would answer. At the very least, this film has enjoyed some hype competing for the Golden Lion Award at this year's Venice Film Festival.
Also, you'll once again find awe-inspiring sets (check out the CGI reconstruction of the ancient capital of Luoyang) and period costumes (for example, the elaborate headgear worn by Empress Wu Zetian).
After a string of mysterious deaths, where the victims are reduced to charred remains by spontaneous combustion, the Empress (Carina Lau) decides to seek the assistance of Detective Dee (Andy Lau) in investigations.
Summoned back from exile, where he is serving time for opposing the Empress eight years ago, Dee is appointed Chief Judge to uncover what she assumes to be a conspiracy to sabotage her official ascension to the throne.
To carry out his tasks, he is assigned two subordinates - the Empress's trusted maid, Jing (Li Bingbing), and an albino judicial officer, Bei (Deng Chao).
Together, they try to piece together the clues and get to the truth behind the case.
The concept of a Tang-dynasty detective, who is not only skilled in martial arts but who also uses scientific knowledge to explain fantastical happenings, is an interesting one.
The fact that Dee is based on a historical figure makes him all the more intriguing. And I can already see him fronting a movie franchise that charts his further adventures - just as how Guy Ritchie revitalises Sherlock Holmes with a 2009 film and a planned sequel.
While the character design here is memorable - from Dee's suave image to Empress Wu's imposing demeanour - and the dialogue is witty and regularly laced with humour, the exploration of the characters' relationships and inner conflicts is less successful.
For example, it's harder for the audience to empathise with the feelings that inevitably develop between Dee and Jing, than to be engrossed in the complexities of the investigation, as well as the well-choreographed action and visual effects.
It's all slick, entertaining and technically competent. But this would have been a more-rounded wuxia epic, if Tsui had emphasised the story's emotional core by dwelling more on the themes of romance, friendship and loyalty.