Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010)

Original title

狄仁傑之通天帝國

Directed by

Tsui Hark

Genre

fantasy film, action film, martial arts film, medieval film

Country

Hong Kong, People's Republic of China

Runtime

2h 02m

Rated

PG-13

Rating

6.6 of 10 from 434 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A Tang dynasty detective investigates a series of strange deaths where victims spontaneously combust. He faces dangerous clues and political scheming as he uncovers a conspiracy behind the mysterious flames.

episodicmysteriousaction-packedsuspensefulmythicatmosphericfast-pacedintriguing

What happens

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (Chinese: 狄仁傑之通天帝國) is a 2010 action-adventure gong'an film directed and produced by Tsui Hark. A Chinese-Hong Kong co-production, the film stars Andy Lau, Carina Lau, Li Bingbing, Deng Chao and Tony Leung. Hong Kong movie-star Sammo Hung takes the role as the action director for the film. The film tells the story of Di Renjie (Andy Lau), one of the most celebrated officials of the Tang dynasty, who is tasked by the Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau) to solve a series of inexplicable murders in which victims suddenly burst into flames. Principal photography for Detective Dee began in May 2009; the film was shot at Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang, China. Detective Dee was released in China on 29 September 2010 and in Hong Kong on 30 September; in North American, it premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. The film grossed US$51.7 million and won six awards at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards, more than any other film, including Best Director and Best Actress for Lau; it was also nominated for the Golden Lion at the 2010 Venice Film Festival. It was followed by two prequels, Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013) and The Four Heavenly Kings (2018), also directed by Tsui and starring Carina Lau, and with Mark Chao as a young Detective Di. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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