Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flames - DVD

Movie: China in the year 690: In the Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian (Carina Lau) is about to ascend the throne as the first empress of the empire. Not all of her future subjects like the idea, however, and so there is a movement that would very much like to see her dead. When the construction of a 220-meter Buddha statue results in the mysterious deaths of Luoyang City's police minister and construction supervisor, Detective Dee (Andy Lau), who is called in to help, believes they are directly related to the empress' imminent coronation, even though foreman Shatuo (Tony Leung Ka Fai) is all over the place spreading the word that there was a demon at work. With the help of Jing (Bingbing Li), Wu Zetian's confidante, Dee is now tasked with solving the strange deaths before the ceremonies begin. In the process, the two of them enter abysses that can hardly be explained with common sense.

Director Tsui Kark has delivered a first-class adventure film with Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flames, which can keep the viewer entertained with well-matched elements of fantasy, martial arts and thriller from the first to the last minute. The special effects are just as impressive as the spectacular fight sequences, where especially martial arts fans will get their money's worth - even though some trick techniques have been used here as well. Whether the sequences in and on the Budda statue or the journey down into the world of shadows, the adventures of Detective Dee have a very high show and entertainment value in almost every moment.

Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs) breathes life into the eccentric investigator in an engaging way. His investigative methods fall somewhere between Indiana Jones, Sherlock Holmes and CSI, using brains as effectively as he uses his fists. It's just fun to watch Dee do his work, whether it's more realistic in feel or set in mythical fantasy worlds. Immersed in sometimes really great pictures, not only lovers of Asian cinema, but everyone who likes great adventure films with a fantasy touch, should find great pleasure in this entertaining genre mix. Absolutely recommendable!

Picture + Sound: The technical implementation is on a good level. The picture shows some weak points in terms of contrast and detail sharpness in the many darker scenes, but overall a fairly positive overall impression remains. In terms of sound, the very front-heavy mixed dialogue is noticeable, but in the action sequences the action gets a pleasant spatiality thanks to some good surround effects. Good!

Extras: The DVD has over an hour of bonus material to offer. It starts off with just under 40 minutes of interviews with the creators and cast. Even if the whole thing has a strong advertising character, so are just the information that the author and the director give to the best, quite interesting. The film continues with a 20-minute look behind the scenes, which consists of uncommented - and not subtitled - B-roll footage. Also not uninteresting, but far less informative than a standard making of.

An image gallery, the trailer for the film, and other programming tips from the provider round out the bonus package. Good!

Conclusion: Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flames is an entertaining mix of fantasy, adventure and martial arts. Good special effects and an exciting story make this home cinema premiere a must for all lovers of Asian entertainment cinema. The DVD presents the film in very good technical quality and also has a few nice extras on board. Absolutely recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp