In Seventh Century China preparations are being made for the coronation of Wu Zetian, who will be China's first Empress. These preparations include the construction of a huge Buddha. As the construction is being examined the man leading the inspection suddenly bursts into flames. An investigation starts immediately and not long afterwards the lead investigator dies in the same manner. His deputy, Pei Donglai, initially takes over the investigation but soon the Empress puts Di Renjie (Detective Dee) in charge on the recommendation of the Imperial Abbot despite the fact that Di is in prison for taking part in a revolt. To ensure his loyalty she sends her attendant, an attractive woman named Shangguan Jing'er, to work with him. Soon Di, Jing'er and Pei are working together to figure out how the killings were committed and find the killer before the coronation takes place.
This Chinese film features a good central mystery and plenty of great action. Of course to enjoy the action you have to accept its fantastical nature as characters do amazing leaps and spins during fights. There is also fantasy elements involving the use of mythical 'fire beetles' and acupuncture techniques to change characters' appearances. There are some good twists along the way and the identity of the killer is far from obvious without being unbelievable when finally revealed. There are also surprising character deaths. As one would expect from a big budget Chinese film the sets and costumes are sumptuous and the action is stylish. The cast does a fine job; notably Andy Lau, as Di; Bingbing Li, as Jing'er and Chao Deng as Pei. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of Chinese historical action films even though it is a bit confused at times it is a lot of fun.
This Chinese film features a good central mystery and plenty of great action. Of course to enjoy the action you have to accept its fantastical nature as characters do amazing leaps and spins during fights. There is also fantasy elements involving the use of mythical 'fire beetles' and acupuncture techniques to change characters' appearances. There are some good twists along the way and the identity of the killer is far from obvious without being unbelievable when finally revealed. There are also surprising character deaths. As one would expect from a big budget Chinese film the sets and costumes are sumptuous and the action is stylish. The cast does a fine job; notably Andy Lau, as Di; Bingbing Li, as Jing'er and Chao Deng as Pei. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of Chinese historical action films even though it is a bit confused at times it is a lot of fun.