Dick D

A Chinese movie big of action martial arts pieces and a political plot... could be any of them really.

Back in 689 AD there's a problem when two men associated with building a big ass statue to the regrent (who would be crowned Empress) are killed. Detective Dee is retrieved from prison, and proceeds to detect things by conveniently asking the right people the right things, and then beating up loads of other people. Just like detectives do.

This feels like a sequel to a previous Detective Dee movie, but this is the first I've heard of one. (It is based on a series of novels.) But we do get the big set pieces like other big martial arts movies set in history. I don't want to know what that budget is for building. Let alone they always seems to have several hundred extras dressed up in costume about the place. Nice looking, but stylised.

Andy Lau does a great job as Dee, and Bingbing Li gets some great moments too (although while watching her I did suddenly wonder whatever became of Ziyi Zhang). Chao Deng does let his side down either. Although I do wonder if Carina Lau was ever sure of her own character workings, as the regent doesn't come across clear in what her motivations are.

This movie, while nice, makes me more want to find out the source than continue the franchise in this form.

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