Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Starring: Lau, Andy and Li, Bingbing

Product Description

A period epic from genre master Tsui Hark (Seven Swords), DETECTIVE DEE is an action-packed, visually breathtaking Sherlock Holmes-style mystery starring some of China's top acting talent: Andy Lau, Bingbing Li, Carina Lau, and Tony Leung Ka-fai. Nominated for Best Special Effects at the 2011 Asian Film Awards and stunningly choreographed by master Sammo Hung, this intricately plotted whodunit is set in an exquisitely realized steampunk version of ancient China. On the eve of her coronation as Empress (Carina Lau, 2046), China's most powerful woman is haunted by a chilling murder mystery: seven men under her command have burst into flames, leaving behind only black ash and skeletal bones. Recognizing this threat to her power, she turns to the infamous Dee Renjie (Andy Lau, Infernal Affairs, House Of Flying Daggers): a man whose unparalleled wisdom is matched only by his martial arts skills. As he battles a series of bizarre dangers, he unveils a chilling truth that places his life, and the future of an entire dynasty, in peril.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• UPC: 883476061399
• Release Date: February 2016
• Rating: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
• Publisher: Studio Distribution Servi
• Director: Hark, Tsui
• Starring: Lau, Andy, Li, Bingbing
• Runtime: 1 hour, 59 minutes
• Number of Disks: 1
• Other Video Info: DVD
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.5" x 5.4"

Customer Reviews

No relationship to the Judge Dee Chinese Detective Stories by Robert van Gulik.

This is a cheap knockoff of Crouching Tiger-type films. Lots of jumping around and corny dialogue. We see ridiculous weapons barely missing ridiculous actors due to gravity rule distortions. Sometimes that can be fun, but in this case, it was still just ridiculous. After her husband’s mysterious demise, soon-to-be Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau) is confronted with the problem. Her top men seem to be “flaming” idiots. Things cannot go on this way; so, she releases one of her largest detractors, Detective Dee (Andy Lau), to track down and “quelch” the problem. Can Detective Dee detect the problem before he gets his fingers burned? N-o-b-o-d-y seems to be who they claim they are. And as usual, it is probably the last person you would suspect. The Blu-ray version has a thrown-together “making of,” “creating characters,” weapons, and stunts. After watching it, it adds nothing to the film. By the way, the film was directed by Peggy Lee.