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

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
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 December 20, 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 Indomina/Vivendi Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's international theatrical trailer, four featurettes, and galleries. In Mandarin, with optional English and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

I can see through you

Note: The film review below was initially published for the Hong Kong Blu-ray release of Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, courtesy of Vicol Entertainment.

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 VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Tsui Hark's Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indomina Media/Vivendi Entertainment.

The high-definition transfer Indomina Media have used for their Blu-ray release of Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame is not identical to the one British distributors Showbox Media/Cine Asia used for their Blu-ray release - Indomina Media's transfer is encoded with VC-1 while Showbox Media/Cine Asia's transfer is encoded with MPEG-4 AVC. This being said, the two high-definition transfers share similar technical characteristics, and both are superior to the one used by Vicol Entertainment for the Hong Kong Blu-ray release of the film.

Detail and clarity are outstanding. Contrast levels are consistent and color reproduction very good. During the reception where the first murder takes place, the variety of reds and blacks are very impressive. Brightness levels, however, have been toned down a bit - compare screencapture #9 with screencapture #1 from our review of the UK release - though while viewing the film it is next to impossible to tell. Later on, there are a couple of sequences from inside the palace (see screencapture #4) where the blues appear a shade darker as well, but again, the depth and fluidity are outstanding. There are no traces of post-production sharpening. The high-definition transfer is also free of serious aliasing or banding patterns. Lastly, there are absolutely no stability issue to report in this review whatsoever. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

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

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Indomina Media have provided optional English and French subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear almost entirely inside the image frame (the bottom text-line touches the black bar).

The Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very aggressive. It boasts a wide range of nuanced dynamics that add an extra dose of exotic flavor to an already very unusual film. For example, after Detective Dee enters the Phantom Bazaar, there are all sorts of very interesting sound effects. Award-winning composer Peter Kam's music score is also intelligently used to further enhance the unusual atmosphere. The dialog is crisp, stable, and easy to follow. Also, if you notice some extremely small lip-sync issues, keep in mind that not all of the actors spoke their lines in Mandarin. A few actors spoke their lines in Cantonese, and these lines were later on dubbed in Mandarin. In other words, everything is as it should be.

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

• Trailer - the international theatrical trailer for Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. In Mandarin, with imposed Traditional Mandarin and English subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Featurettes - four short featurettes with raw footage from the shooting of the film, each also containing various short comments by director Tsui Hark, producer Zhonglei Wang, action director Sammo Hung, executive producer Chen Kuofu, producer Jinwen Li, production designer James Chiu, Andy Lau, and others. In Cantonese and Mandarin, with imposed English subtitles.
  
  -- The Making of Detective Dee (5 min, 1080p).
  -- Creating the Characters (6 min, 1080p).
  -- Weapons, Stunts and Action (4 min, 1080p).
  -- The World of Dee (6 min, 1080p).

• Galleries -
  
  -- Cast (1080p).
  -- Behind the Scenes (1080p).
  -- Posters (1080p).

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

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame is the second Blu-ray release from Indomina Media to reach my desk (the first was True Legend), and I have to say that I am quite impressed with what I have seen thus far. The film looks fantastic in high-definition and there are some meaningful though short supplemental features on the disc. I hope to see more from Indomina Media in 2012. Buy with confidence, folks. RECOMMENDED.