Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

"The Fate of an Empire Is in His Hands."

2010 2h 3m ZH

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 450

ActionAdventureDramaMystery

Synopsis

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When the future empress Wu Zetian's two courtiers die in a mysterious fire, she gets Di Renjie, a former detective and rebel, released from prison to solve the mystery of the fire.

“The Fate of an Empire Is in His Hands.”

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Cast

Andy Lau
Detective Dee
Li Bingbing
Shangguan Jing'er
Deng Chao
Pei Donglai
Tony Leung Ka-fai
Shatuo Zhong
Carina Lau
Wu Zetian
Richard Ng Yiu-Hon
Wang Lu (before face-lift)
Teddy Robin
Wang Lu (after face-lift)
Liu Jinshan
Xue Yong

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tsui Hark
Writers: Chen Kuofu, Zhang Jialu
Languages: Mandarin, Spanish
Countries: China, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Mandarin, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Detective Dee Collection (Tsui Hark)" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tsui Hark, shot by Pakie Chan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Peter Kam Pau-Tat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yau Chi-Wai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tsui Hark directs. Pakie Chan behind the camera. Peter Kam Pau-Tat scores. Yau Chi-Wai cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in China, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Mandarin, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.
2Released 16 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Mandarin, Spanish.
4International production across 2 countries: China, Hong Kong.
5Part of the "Detective Dee Collection (Tsui Hark)" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Tsui Hark, shot by Pakie Chan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Peter Kam Pau-Tat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Yau Chi-Wai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Andy Lau and Li Bingbing and Deng Chao carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "The Fate of an Empire Is in His Hands.".
11IMDB entry: tt1123373 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Released under 18 different titles around the world.