Review of Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010) by Tyler E — 06 Jan 2014

Quite good special effects and action. Carina Lau is the female emperor. The old guards secretly plan a coup against her. A giant Guanyin statue is been build and must be complete before her coronation.

Tony Leung is the architect. He warn about removing the protection amulet pasted on the support pole. The visiting official burst into flame and die after exposure to sun. Deng Chao says the body is burn from inside.

Tony Leung says its his punishment for removing the amulet. The chief coroner remove the amulet and don't believe in such thing. Every worker is brought back. Reporting to Carina, the coroner also burst into flames.

Li Bingbing is Carina bodyguard. After hearing the deer god talking about Di Renjie (Andy Lau), Carina free him. He was imprison for opposing to her years ago. Some rebels want to kill Andy and Li and army came.

They all rather die than get caught. Carina want Andy to investigate the case and to solve before coronation. Li is task to serve Andy and she don't see eye to eye with him. She want to sex him and assassin shoot arrows into the house.

The troop commander old guard want Andy to join him. Deng is to assist Andy in the case. He want Deng to speak from his heart who he think is responsible. The bird evidence also burn up. He quickly go to the kitchen and pour the poison from the arrow shot at him onto a plate of chicken blood, expose under the sun and it burst to flames.

Andy & Tony are old friends. Tony tell Andy he suspect it is some kind of bug that can burst to flame and it is hard to obtain. They go to the black market to find a guy who has it (Richard Ng). A giant bell drop and Richard escape.

A killer tries to kill him and fight the 3. Deng fight a breakaway part and find out it is puppet control by people above. Li follow the killer but Andy stay and protect Richard. Deng go back to help Li but lost the trail.

Richard real face is actually Teddy Robin who is expert in face transformation. It remind him of Li whom he nearly touch the important facial part. He was the imperial doctor and wanted to use the bug for medicine but discover its useless and dangerous instead.

Before he escape he throw the remaining bug under the sun. He kept them at the imperial adviser palace. Li is angry he is accusing the adviser. The troop commander return Andy weapon gifted by the dead emperor.

He say the emperor is kill by the adviser instructed by Carina. He was kill by an arrow to the head and also burst into flames. Carina stop Li to help Andy. Deng investigate the home of the commander and found an important note.

He was capture along the way. Andy sneak into the adviser palace and know he is Li using transformation. He tell her Carina will kill adviser after coronation and she know so many of her secret, she will likely be dead too.

Andy fight her and he block her broken sword and is hurt. When she is carrying him across the forest, she broke a trap string and spear killed her. Its done by the same gang that caught Deng. Li want Andy to solve the case.

Andy saw Deng horse and open the door. The cloth that cover him unveil and he burst into flames. Andy find the note Deng hide in the saddle. Tony is the mastermind behind all this. He kill the official because during inspection, he found the support beam with holes.

The height of the statue will fall and crush the palace during coronation. Tony is in charge of fixing buildings so he have access to the thrown bugs by Teddy back then. He vow revenge for the hand he lost.

Andy is spill with the bug water. Tony pour molten to the beam so it will fall and crush the palace. Andy destroy one of the flow to change the direction of fall. Tony run away with some water and Andy chase, risking exposure to sun.

He kick Tony off the horse and the water spill onto him and he burst to flames. The statue start to rock and everyone panic. Andy save Carina from the falling statue. She want him to stay by her side to help.

He decline and acknowledge her as emperor, return the weapon back and hide in the underground city with Teddy to cure his bug poison.