Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 11, 2011

Screened at the Venice Film Festival, Tsui Hark's "Di Renjie" a.k.a. "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Vicol Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include original theatrical trailer; teaser; standard making of featurette; slideshow; and promotional materials. In Cantonese, with optional English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Too many secrets, too little time

Earlier this year various reports from the Venice Film Festival insisted that Tsui Hark might have directed his best film yet, but I was skeptical. I remained skeptical even after his film was nominated for the prestigious Lion d’Or Award. But not anymore. Having just finished watching it, I wholeheartedly agree - Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame is a triumphant return to top form for the director, and arguably his best film.

The story takes place shortly before the inauguration of Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau, Days of Being Wild). A series of very strange murders – various court officials burst into flames and turn into ashes for no apparent reason - fuel rumors that a supernatural force might be opposing the shift of powers the kingdom. To prove that the rumors are unfounded, Empress Wu Zetian summons the only man who could solve the mystery, Detective Dee (Andy Lau, Infernal Affairs Trilogy), who has spent the last eight years of his life in prison for questioning her right to the throne.

Detective Dee gets two partners - Empress Wu Zetian’s sexy protégé, Shangguan Jinge (Li Bingbing, A World Without Thieves, The Message), and a cocky albino officer, Pei Donglai (Deng Chao, Assembly), who has no problem killing anyone who disagrees with him - and immediately heads to Phantom Bazaar, a massive underground city populated with all sorts of shady characters. One of them points Detective Dee in the right direction.

Infused with subtle moral, political and philosophical overtones, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame has enough substance to balance its outrageous style. It is a bold film by a bold director whose wild imagination has come alive in it.

To try and understand everything that takes place in the film (which would mean everything that took place in Hark’s head while he was shooting it), however, would be an exercise in futility. Everything moves at such an incredible pace that even well seasoned and familiar with Hark’s tricks viewers will have a difficult time figuring out the various characters and their motives.

On the surface the film may look outlandish, but underneath the flashy visuals there are more than a few interesting observations about modern China’s ongoing economic and political transformation, as well as its leaders and their moral authority.

Choreographed by Hong Kong legend Sammo Hung, the action sequences are fast and stylish, most also defying the laws of gravity. The final third of the film in particular has some stunning wire fu pieces.

The cast, comprised mostly of veteran Hong Kong actors, is solid. Lau is brilliant as the knowledgeable Detective Dee who has to succeed where others before him have failed. Chao and especially Bingbing deliver nuanced performances that are very effective in gluing together the various subplots in the film. Lau is also striking as the unwavering Empress Wu Zetian.

Lastly, the film features a strong music score courtesy of award-winning composer Peter Kam (Perhaps Love, Reign Of Assassins).

Note: Last year, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Sitges Film Festival.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tsui Hark's Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Vicol Entertainment.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame looks gorgeous on Blu-ray. I had it projected on a large screen, and there were scenes that looked breathtakingly beautiful. Generally speaking, fine object detail is excellent, clarity pleasing, and contrast levels consistent. The many close-ups look crisp and fantastically detailed, while the large panoramic vistas, but not the ones with the heavy CGI effects, literally look like moving pictures (see the official ceremony from the final third of the film). There are a couple of scenes, however, where the CGI effects should have been toned down a bit. I noticed some mild edge-enhancement creeping in early on, but its presence was certainly not distracting. Heavy banding and artifacting are not an issue of concern. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either. All in all, the technical presentation is indeed very strong. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you mist have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, and Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (with portions of Spanish). For the record, Vicol Entertainment have provided optional English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese subtitles for the main feature. When Turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track enhances the viewing experience exceptionally well. It has a fantastic range of dynamics, which have been utilized wonderfully. The numerous action scenes, and especially the ones from the final third of the film, truly are quite impressive. On the other hand, the dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. There are no balance issues with award-winning composer Peter Kam's music score either. Lastly, I did not detect any annoying pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts to report in this review. (Note: Generally speaking, the English translation is good, but there are a few grammatical errors here and there that should have been avoided).

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. In Cantonese, with optional English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese subtitles. (3 min, 1080p).

• Teaser - the original theatrical trailer for Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. In Cantonese, with optional English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• Making of - a standard featurette, broken into four short segments, containing raw footage from the shooting of the film and comments from various cast and crew members. In Cantonese and Mandarin, with partial Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese subtitles. (19 min, 480/60i).

• Slideshow - a collection of stills from the shooting of the film. (3 min, 1080p).

• Posters & Lobby Stills - a collection of various theatrical posters and lobby stills. (2 min, 1080p).

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tsui Hark's latest film, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, is a visual extravaganza that lives up to its hype. It is fast, colorful, and surprisingly smart film. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Vicol Entertainment, looks and sounds terrific. Absolutely, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND it.