Still from director Tsui Hark’s Detective Dee and the case of the Phantom FlameSeeing this movie’s trailer and reading about it after the Tribeca film festival in May, many of us who are fans of Robert van Gulik’s Judge Dee stories as well as awesome martial arts movies, were more-than-eager to see it, but with no clear prospect as to when we’d get the chance. Here’s a new U.S. trailer that’s even more spectacular, and it’s due to release in the U.S. this fall, likely straight to DVD for most of us, but previously it’s only been available in foreign standards and lamentable, execrable bootlegs. This film won a raft of awards in China, and even this snip of a trailer hints why. From Indomnia Films:
A bizarre murder mystery brings together the most powerful woman in China, the soon-to-be-Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau, Curiosity Kills the Cat), and a formerly exiled detective, Dee Renjie (Andy Lau, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon), at the infamous Imperial Palace. Hoping that he will solve the crime before her coronation, Wu appoints Dee Chief Judge of the Empire and implores him to combine his indisputable wisdom with his unparalleled martial arts skills to save the future of her dynasty. Director Hark Tsui (Seven Swords) teams with stunt director Sammo Hung in this heart-pounding, epic thriller inspired by the incredible true story of one of the Tang Dynasty’s most celebrated officials.
