henhelena Great concept. It has potential to be a big franchise. A lot of creativity poured here. The action sequences, the setting, the weapons, a lot of creative stuffs can be found here. Detective Dee is such an interesting character. The other characters had their likable traits as well. Conclusion : Creative concept. Awesome universe. Cool settings. Simple, nice story. Good actors. Great characters.

Claudio Carvalho In 689 A.D., the Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau) is building a 66 m high statue of Buddha for her inauguration as the first empress of China under the objections and conspiracy of the other clans. When the engineer responsible for the construction mysteriously dies with a spontaneous combustion of his body, the superstitious workers are afraid since the man removed the good luck charms from the main pillar. There is an investigation of Pei Donglai (Chao Deng) and another investigator that also dies after withdrawing the amulets.Empress Wu assigns her loyal assistant Shangguan Jing'er (Li Bing Bing) to release the exiled Detective Dee (Andy Lau) from his imprisonment to investigate with Donglai and Jing'er the mystery of the deaths. They ride in a mystic and epic adventure to unravel the mystery. "Di Renjie" is a mystic and melodramatic adventure with a magnificent cinematography and wonderful choreography of fights. However, the plot entwines action with moments of soap-opera that might be culturally appreciated by Asian viewers, but absolutely boring and breaking the pace of the first-half of the film. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Detetive D e o Império Celestial" ("Detective D and the Celestial Empire")

Leofwine_draca I'm sorry, but I really don't get on with the films of Tsui Hark. I see them as an example of style over substance, and try as I might to enjoy them, it rarely happens. Hark's style is something I'm not a fan of: he makes superficial, speedy-paced movies that look great but lack depth and substance. DETECTIVE DEE, a film about a detective investigating bizarre cases of spontaneous human combustion in ancient China, is a case in point.The film does have some good points. A Chinese murder mystery/action adventure is a new one on me, and there's a kind of fresh and inventive spin to it that keeps you watching. The visuals, despite being created by some sometimes cheesy CGI, are admittedly impressive, with the Buddhist version of the Statue of Liberty looming large in the story. The cast is also strong.But something's missing, and that's the viewer's involvement in the storyline. I never felt engaged or caught up in what was going on, and the eventual solving of the mystery was nothing but a silly disappointment. Indeed, the film descends into silliness on more than one occasion; don't go looking for realism, whatever you do. Watching this, I'm reminded of why I don't get on with Hong Kong's lavish, wirework-infused costume fantasies of the 1990s. Give me down-to-earth realism any day.Despite headlining the cast, Andy Lau feels missing in action for much of this film. Viewers are led through the mystery by his detective, but we never learn much about him and characterisation is nil. The albino warrior, played by Chao Deng, is a much more interesting character, as is Tony Leung Ka Fei's master builder. The female roles also feel a bit underwritten to me. Sammo's listed as action director, but the action is brief and doesn't make any impact whatsoever. It's certainly not the finest hour for anyone involved.

rigoletto339 The is the first Hark Tsui film I've seen (but not the first Chinese film). It's a great film - with a Harry Potter title.The mix of reality and fantasy is just right. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed, and the special effects are visually stunning.(The story gives a plausible explanation for spontaneous human combustion.) Tony Leung gets first billing in the credits, but he's really the #2 (or #3) character in the story. Detective Dee is masterfully played by Andy Lau. All the actors and actresses give first-rate performances.The story is set around the real-life Empress Wu, just before she ascends the throne. (I have to wonder why anybody would want to be Empress - you have to wear those funny hats.) Despite the name, Carina Lau (Empress Wu) is married to Tony Leung.I hope someone who speaks Cantonese (or is it Mandarin?) can comment on the subtitles. "Chaplain", for instance, doesn't seem right.