Underplayed Gems

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

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame poster
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
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like thisWatch the trailer

or watch the trailer on YouTube

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)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.