Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
If you are a fan of Tsui Hark, Sammo Hung fight choreography, or HK martial arts film in general this is a must see film. The film is based on the Detective Dee novels, from what I gathered the original story was written in the 18th century China, Then in the 1950's through the 1960's more stories were written. The stories are fictional accounts of a real historical figure Di Renjie a Judge, i.e. investigator, in the Tang Dynasty.
Think of as a Chinese equivalent of Sherlock Holmes, only in a world of Martial Arts. The film shares a lot of similarities to the Guy Richie Sherlock Holmes movie from last year. But Tsui Hark and Guy Richie know how to craft a good detective story, being able to visual bring the clues from a novel to life on screen.
I can't say much about the story without spoilers, so I will move on to my favorite 4 categories ratings. Each is rated between 0 and 25 adding together they make a rating of 0-100
20 Plot
The story was a well crafted mystery. Clues were given through out the story, most you put together at the same time the characters do. Some that seemed like incidental information at the time turn out to be important clues.
20 Acting
This is always tough when the film is another language to the viewer. I am being conservative here because I liked all the performances, no annoying characters, etc…
25 Directing
Tsui Hark still has it, he is a master director and this movie is no exception. If you have never seen a Tsui Hark movie, it is a great one to start with. If you are a fan of his films like I am you will not be disappointed. Sammo Hung, did a great job with the wire work fights.
25 X Factor
The movie has plenty of X factor to go around, I can hardly go into it without to many spoilers. Again if you are a fan of Martial Arts movies, or Tsui Hark, it is a most see film.
Total 90
Think of as a Chinese equivalent of Sherlock Holmes, only in a world of Martial Arts. The film shares a lot of similarities to the Guy Richie Sherlock Holmes movie from last year. But Tsui Hark and Guy Richie know how to craft a good detective story, being able to visual bring the clues from a novel to life on screen.
I can't say much about the story without spoilers, so I will move on to my favorite 4 categories ratings. Each is rated between 0 and 25 adding together they make a rating of 0-100
20 Plot
The story was a well crafted mystery. Clues were given through out the story, most you put together at the same time the characters do. Some that seemed like incidental information at the time turn out to be important clues.
20 Acting
This is always tough when the film is another language to the viewer. I am being conservative here because I liked all the performances, no annoying characters, etc…
25 Directing
Tsui Hark still has it, he is a master director and this movie is no exception. If you have never seen a Tsui Hark movie, it is a great one to start with. If you are a fan of his films like I am you will not be disappointed. Sammo Hung, did a great job with the wire work fights.
25 X Factor
The movie has plenty of X factor to go around, I can hardly go into it without to many spoilers. Again if you are a fan of Martial Arts movies, or Tsui Hark, it is a most see film.
Total 90