Advertisement
Not a member of Pastebin yet?
Sign Up,
it unlocks many cool features!
- ********************
- Detective Dee: Mystery Of The Phantom Flame 720p Movies
- http://urllio.com/r2myr
- (Copy & Paste link)
- ********************
- An exiled detective is recruited to solve a series of mysterious deaths that threaten to delay the inauguration of Empress Wu.
- In 689 A.D., the Empress Wu Zetian is building a 66 m high statue of Buddha for her inauguration as the first empress of China under the objections and conspiracy of the other clans. When the engineer responsible for the construction mysteriously dies by spontaneous combustion, the superstitious workers are afraid since the man removed the good luck charms from the main pillar. There is an investigation of Pei Donglai and another investigator that also dies after withdrawing the amulets. Empress Wu assigns her loyal assistant Shangguan Jing'er to release the exiled Detective Dee from his imprisonment to investigate with Donglai and Jing'er the mystery of the deaths. They ride in a mystic and epic adventure to unravel the mystery.
- It's simply an interest week of big budgeted film releases in Singapore, from India's Endhiran starring Superstar Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, to the Asian martial arts film such as the John Woo produced Reign of Assassins, which is getting a special screening today before its release next week. Also, Tsui Hark joins the fray with his latest film Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, and if you like me, have wondered why Hark has made some astonishing lacklustre films of late, fret not folks, as this film marks the director's return to true class. Like the adage goes, form is temporary while class is permanent, and Detective Dee sounds that trumpet that he's back at his very best with this action adventure.<br/><br/>The scale of the film within its first ten minutes will win you over with its grandeur and ambition, and it sustained its stellar delivery at all fronts right up to the finale, keeping the mystery humming at the background, while constantly topping its action fight sequences from the previous. Set in the Tang Dynasty just before the coronation of Chinese history's legendary Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau), the mystery involves the self-immolation of court officials with whispers that the supernatural might be involved. All these strange happenings seem to point to a greater conspiracy that to skeptics go back to the Empress in waiting having a hand in them.<br/><br/>To show the masses that there is transparency in her governance, she releases on the advice of a wise sage, the Chinese Sherlock Holmes of her time, Detective Dee (Andy Lau) who she had imprisoned for challenging her rule to the throne some eight years ago. Reinstating his stature, she sets him about investigating these deaths, which spells an investigative adventure in a race against time to nab the culprits as well as to discover all hidden agendas that will go against the crowning of the very first female Emperor in China.<br/><br/>Tsui Hark, responsible for classics such as Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain in the 80s, the Once Upon a Time in China series in the 90s, have yet to convince me that he had kept up with the times and I was afraid that he may have lost a lot of his clout with the naysayers abhorring his previous offerings like All About Women (seriously) and Missing. Detective Dee will now shut these fellas up (and I will admit, myself included), as we celebrate the helmer's vision and offering for a new audience to acquaint themselves with. The engaging and fantastical storyline by Chen Kuo-fu (also responsible for The Message) got brought to live by a number of Korean special effects teams, that your jaw will literally be wide open when marvelling at the intricate details from miniatures employed, to the money special effects shots.<br/><br/>Even then, there's no mistaking that it's also loaded with enough fight action to entertain, thanks to the action direction of Sammo Hung, of late hugely responsible for many action/martial arts flicks that bear his signature, creating unique fighting styles and stances for the characters, utilizing weapons seldom seen in Chinese cinema of late such as the whip, a throwable war-axe and Dee's mace, which comes with a tuning fork of a device that can exploit weakness in metal and lead to the demolition of opposition weapons. You'll have to see it to believe, and that iconic mace forms a sort of Truth object as well, one of the tools Dee utilizes that actually strike fear into the hearts of his enemies.<br/><br/>Even with big sets and awesome choreography, the cast was an eclectic mix of veterans and up and coming actors. Carina Lau marks that rare appearance as the ruthless and cold Empress Wu, while Andy Lau shows commanding his presence is thanks to that charisma of his as the titular detective, and you'll probably welcome the small cameo appearances by Teddy Robin and Richard Ng. Deng Chao shines in his role as the pale faced investigator Pei Donglai who starts off a really nasty cop with a nasty attitude, while Li Bingbing's Shangguan Jing'er is that loyal, dutiful servant of the Empress assigned to keep an eye on and report on Dee's investigations, and together they sort of form the Watsons to Dee's Sherlock, even though the trust levels between them aren't chummy, and takes quite a while for rapport to be built.<br/><br/>Sure it doesn't take rocket science to figure out who the chief culprit is in the story, but it's never always about the destination, but the experience in getting there. Detective Dee scores at all fronts with its excellent production values that you'd only experience in a Hollywood production, but Tsui Hark has through this one film demonstrated that Asian filmmakers can reach the same heights, or even surpass it, in terms of storyline, character development, and to top it all off with some eye popping and astoundingly detailed special effects used to create worlds that are of a bygone era. Highly recommended, and a contender to go into my shortlist of the best this year!
- The general consensus is that director Tsui Hak, after several attempts of dubious success, is back in his usual form. Whether it is top form is subject to debate.<br/><br/>Few, if any, would disagree that this movie is an entertainment package that provides you with top-notch cinematic entertainment for two solid hours. Putting the cast aside for a minute, the central set piece is a stunning, towering structure of a Buddha statue overlooking the sprawling imperial city in China more than a thousand years ago. The plot line starts when the construction of this monstrous structure is close to completion, with a mysterious death at the observation terrace (a platform at its eyes), a spontaneous combustion of a senior government official that turns him instantly into a piled of charred bones.<br/><br/>While the detective work (not unlike Sherlock Holmes) is the main plot, there is political intrigue in the highest order, the deadly struggle to stop the coronation of the first ever empress in China. For wire-fu action fans, this movie is also completely satisfying. Of particular interest is the protagonist's weapon, given to him by the late emperor, a mace that can detect the weak point in an opponent's weapon, allowing him to break it with a single blow. Photography and special effects (CGI or otherwise) are also world class. Set design and costumes are dazzling.<br/><br/>Additional spoiler warning on the material below.<br/><br/>Andy Lau is the best choice for Detective Dee, released after 8 years of imprisonment for opposing the rule of a woman, Wu Zetain, who would eventually become emperor. Lau is completely comfortable in projecting the easy, somewhat stoic confidence as well as passionate patriotism of the protagonist.<br/><br/>Carina Lau has just matured to a point where she imposes a convincing screen presence that is expected from Empress Wu. What she adds, from her own persona, is a touch of feminine sensitivity that you may not find in many portrayals of Wu that came before, in both cinema and TV.<br/><br/>Tony Leung Ka-fai proves again my theory of "No wasted budget on big names": when there is a big name in the cast, unless it's an obvious cameo, you know that the apparently non-essential character he plays must have more to it. (Think Ben Kingsley in the recent "Prince of Persia" as you know what I mean). Leung's portrayal of the contrast between his character at the beginning and at the end is masterful.<br/><br/>Li Bingbing has become the hottest screen icon in China. "I am not one of those people who simply exploded into fame. I got there slowly," she intimates in a recent interview. "I've never thought about becoming a star. I don't want to be seen and followed with interest", she adds. She attributes everything to destiny, in which she deeply believes. In this movie, with icy coolness, she plays Wu's protégée, body guard, top aid, plus perhaps more.<br/><br/>While the main focus of this movie is entertainment, it does have a historical perspective as Wu, the first empress of China, is among the most controversial historical figures. One thought-provoking question would be that if a depot is capable and the people general benefit, does it really matter if he or she is fiendishly cruel and ruthless? The movie misses a good opportunity to underscore this theme for the audience to ponder over. In the final scene when Dee pleads with the villain not to assassin Wu, the reason he gives is that the method of assassination employed would mean killing a lot of innocent people in the process. The movie would have gone up a notch if, instead, Dee points out that despite Wu's short-comings (including, sigh, being a woman), she is the best ruler they had at the time, and killing her would be doing the entire empire a disservice.
- As the Sherlock Holmes of the second Zhou Dynasty, Lau is so effortlessly appealing that he manages to anchor the fatigue-heavy proceedings, even when his character has to outrun both the rays of the sun - don't ask - and a collapsing statue while crawling over and under a pack of stampeding horses. Now that's star power.
- a5c7b9f00b
Advertisement
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment
Advertisement
