A lot of respect has to go towards Tsui Hark, the director of DETECTIVE DEE. A quasi-historical film rooted in absolute craziness, there's still some control over the wealth of ideas at play. In the film, Detective Dee is brought out of prison to help the empress solve a series of spontaneous combustions. Originally jailed for having spoken out against the empress, Dee's freedom is ensured by the high priest who is also a bad-ass samurai. The high priest is also a deer. So begins the creativity, but, really, every set piece is a work of great imagination: a towering buddha tower that overlooks the vast city: complete with old-age pirate ships, odd bearded elders, and a lush palace. Spurring itself with the fires that combust the victims of the Dee's case, and populated with transfigurations of the face, the deer samurai, poison darts, exiles, morality, and a great idea in every single scene, DETECTIVE DEE is a melting pot of colorful cinematic vegetables. It's weird, but it grows on you from being just weird to being pretty poignant. The end scene is moving, but its sentimentality doesn't come out of nowhere. A good film.
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame: ★★★
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