An exiled detective is recruited to solve a series of mysterious deaths that threaten to delay the inauguration of Empress Wu.A bizarre murder mystery brings together the most powerful woman in China, the soon-to-be-Empress Wu Zetian and a formerly exiled detective, Dee Renjie at the infamous Imperial Palace. Hoping 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 Tsui Hark (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.
Three decades into his career, Tsui Hark stands as one of the movies' great entertainers, displaying a dancer's sense of rhythm and movement and manipulating physical space with an abandon worthy of Chuck Jones.
– Ben Sachs,
Chicago Reader,
22 Sep 2011
rotten:
"Dee" doesn't shoot for the gravitas of Zhang Yimou's "Hero." It doesn't approach that film's magnificent sensory impact, either, or the artistic romanticism that made "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" such a success here.
– John DeFore,
Washington Post,
23 Sep 2011
fresh:
Detective Dee is the action flick of the year, a two-hour epic that blows the Pirates of the Caribbean to the Bermuda Triangle.
– Stephen Cole,
Globe and Mail,
23 Sep 2011
rotten:
By the end, with the running time pushing past the two-hour mark, it's reasonable to ask: Just who are these people?
– John Hartl,
Seattle Times,
26 Sep 2011
fresh:
It is a peculiar conflation of history -- there really was an Empress Wu -- and pure cinematic fantasy.