# Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (狄仁杰之通天帝国)
**Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame** (狄仁杰之通天帝国) is a 2010 Chinese-Hong Kong action-mystery film directed by [Tsui Hark](https://www.edgepedia.org/tsui-hark) (徐克), in which the [Tang dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/tang-dynasty) detective [Di Renjie](https://www.edgepedia.org/di-renjie) is released from prison by Empress Wu Zetian to investigate court officials who spontaneously burst into flame before her coronation. It was produced by Huayi Brothers, premiered at the Venice Film Festival on 5 September 2010, opened in mainland China on 29 September 2010, and became the first installment of Tsui's Detective Dee trilogy.[1](https://movie.douban.com/subject/3412830/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / screenwriters | Tsui Hark; screenplay by Chang Chia-lu (张家鲁) and Chen Kuo-fu (陈国富)[1](https://movie.douban.com/subject/3412830/) • [2](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/detective_dee_phantom_flame.html) |
| Cast | Andy Lau as Di Renjie, Carina Lau as Wu Zetian, Li Bingbing as Shangguan Jing'er, Tony Leung Ka-fai as Shatuo, Deng Chao as Pei Donglai[2](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/detective_dee_phantom_flame.html) |
| Release | Venice Film Festival 5 September 2010; mainland China 29 September 2010; 123 minutes; Mandarin and Cantonese[1](https://movie.douban.com/subject/3412830/) |
| Budget | $13 million, low for a period spectacle of its scale[3](https://www.screendaily.com/detective-dee-and-the-mystery-of-phantom-flame-di-renije-zhi-tongtian-diguo/5017786.article) |
| Box office | 280 million RMB in mainland China within three weeks of release; $48.023 million cumulative worldwide as of May 2024[4](https://yule.sohu.com/20101021/n276111521.shtml) • [5](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E7%8B%84%E4%BB%81%E6%9D%B0%E4%B9%8B%E9%80%9A%E5%A4%A9%E5%B8%9D%E5%9B%BD/67233) |
| Awards | Tsui Hark won Best Director at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards; Time magazine named it one of the ten best films of 2011[6](https://omu.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/2001280/files/2024000627.pdf) |
| Douban rating | 6.7 from 295,663 users; rated better than 80% of action films and 82% of mystery films on the platform[1](https://movie.douban.com/subject/3412830/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and setting
The story is set around 690, when [Wu Zetian](https://www.edgepedia.org/wu-zetian) is about to ascend the throne as the first woman to rule China as emperor in her own right. A colossal Buddha statue, the Tongtian Buddha, is being rushed to completion for her coronation when officials connected with the project spontaneously combust upon exposure to sunlight. Wu frees Di Renjie, imprisoned for eight years for opposing her rule, appoints him Chief Judge of the Empire, and orders him to solve the deaths before her coronation day.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/detective_dee_and_the_mystery_of_the_phantom_flame) • [8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/detective-dee-and-the-mystery-of-the-phantom-flame-2011)
Di Renjie's investigation places him between two camps: the empress, who is about to take the throne, and the Li-Tang imperial clan led by Prince Li Xiao, which opposes her. He declares himself neutral and pursues only the truth of the combustions. The culprit proves to be his old friend Shatuo, who plans to use the giant statue to crush Wu Zetian at her enthronement; Di fights to stop the plot and save her.[9](https://www.mplus.org.hk/sc/magazine/on-tsui-harks-detective-dee-trilogy/) The film's supernatural trappings resolve into a rational explanation involving a venomous Western-regions beetle, the "red flame golden beetle," one of the story's more restrained fantasy elements compared with the series' later installments.[10](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_11748087)
The critic Pu Feng, writing for Hong Kong's M+ museum, reads the ending as the film's ideological core: Di protects the seated ruler regardless of her crimes, on the stated logic that a ruler's death would plunge the country into chaos. He notes that the film closes with a title card claiming Wu Zetian abdicated in 705 to honor her promise to Di, an account that contradicts the historical record, in which her abdication followed a coup by the chancellor [Zhang Jianzhi](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhang-jianzhi).[9](https://www.mplus.org.hk/sc/magazine/on-tsui-harks-detective-dee-trilogy/)
## Origins and production
The project began in 2003, when producer Chen Kuo-fu, then working for [Columbia Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-pictures)' Asia operation, was handed the film rights to the Dutch sinologist Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee novels (大唐狄公案), the mystery series that had made the historical Tang official famous in the West as a Chinese counterpart to [Sherlock Holmes](https://www.edgepedia.org/sherlock-holmes). When Columbia closed its Asian production business the next year, the project stalled; in 2006 Chen joined [Huayi Brothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/huayi-brothers) as chief producer, and CEO Wang Zhonglei decided the market could support a large-scale genre film, reviving it.[11](https://ent.sina.com.cn/original/qihua/4datianwang/?from=wap)
Chen was dissatisfied with both the Qing-era novel Di Gong'an, whose detective solves cases through dreams, and van Gulik's gentlemanly, action-free Dee. He described the intended film to Wang Zhonglei as "a mystery thriller, a wuxia action film, possibly also a historical drama and a disaster film, in short a type film that did not exist before."[12](https://www.infzm.com/contents/50767?source=124&source_1=113718) Tsui Hark, whose recent mainland films [Seven Swords](https://www.edgepedia.org/seven-swords) and Missing had underperformed, joined as director, saying the script chose him rather than the reverse.[13](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-08-31/19503071486.shtml)
Filming began on 5 May 2009 at the Hengdian studios in Zhejiang with an investment of over 100 million RMB and a planned four-month shoot; the opening ceremony was held in the cave set standing in for the film's underground "Ghost Market."[14](https://ent.ifeng.com/movie/news/mainland/200905/0507_1845_1143423.shtml) Sammo Hung choreographed the fight scenes, including a fight-seduction sequence between Dee and Jing'er that shifts from sparring to flirtation to a joint defense against assassins.[2](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/detective_dee_phantom_flame.html) • [3](https://www.screendaily.com/detective-dee-and-the-mystery-of-phantom-flame-di-renije-zhi-tongtian-diguo/5017786.article) Huayi added 20 million RMB to the budget for visual effects, with Tsui supervising effects work in South Korea; the spontaneous-combustion shots were singled out by reviewers as the most impressive.[5](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E7%8B%84%E4%BB%81%E6%9D%B0%E4%B9%8B%E9%80%9A%E5%A4%A9%E5%B8%9D%E5%9B%BD/67233) • [15](https://www.cinespot.com/hkmreviews/%E7%8B%84%E4%BB%81%E5%82%91%E4%B9%8B%E9%80%9A%E5%A4%A9%E5%B8%9D%E5%9C%8B) Tsui said he had wanted to shoot in 3D before production started but could not find affordable expertise, and began 3D research immediately after finishing the film, technology he used on the sequel-era film [Flying Swords of Dragon Gate](https://www.edgepedia.org/flying-swords-of-dragon-gate).[12](https://www.infzm.com/contents/50767?source=124&source_1=113718)
## Reception
The film premiered out of competition at the 67th [Venice Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/venice-film-festival) and opened commercially in mainland China on 29 September 2010, the National Day holiday period.[1](https://movie.douban.com/subject/3412830/) It topped the mainland box office for three consecutive weeks, reaching 280 million RMB, second among 2010 Chinese-language films only to [Aftershock](https://www.edgepedia.org/aftershock).[4](https://yule.sohu.com/20101021/n276111521.shtml) By May 2024 its cumulative worldwide gross stood at $48.023 million.[5](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E7%8B%84%E4%BB%81%E6%9D%B0%E4%B9%8B%E9%80%9A%E5%A4%A9%E5%B8%9D%E5%9B%BD/67233)
Critical response was broadly positive. Screen Daily found the abundance of plot threads and effects-driven set pieces at times overwhelming but praised the pacing and the film's half-serious, half-tongue-in-cheek tone.[3](https://www.screendaily.com/detective-dee-and-the-mystery-of-phantom-flame-di-renije-zhi-tongtian-diguo/5017786.article) Roger Ebert called it "a bewitching fantasy" and credited Tsui as a master of action choreography.[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/detective-dee-and-the-mystery-of-the-phantom-flame-2011) Time magazine named it one of the ten best films of 2011, and Tsui won Best Director at the 30th Hong Kong Film Awards.[6](https://omu.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/2001280/files/2024000627.pdf) On Douban it holds 6.7 from nearly 300,000 users, a middling score that nonetheless ranks it above most action and mystery titles on the platform.[1](https://movie.douban.com/subject/3412830/) Domestic critics were more divided: a joint audience poll by The Beijing News gave it 82.36 out of 100, slightly behind the wuxia film [Reign of Assassins](https://www.edgepedia.org/reign-of-assassins) released a day earlier, and one first-party review faulted its creativity, editing, and visual effects while crediting its ambition.[16](https://finance.sina.cn/sa/2010-10-01/detail-ikftpnnx9536797.d.html?from=wap) • [17](https://www.yicai.com/news/413171.html)
## The Detective Dee series
The film launched a trilogy directed by Tsui with the same core creative team of Chen Kuo-fu and Chang Chia-lu: the prequel [Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-detective-dee-rise-of-the-sea-dragon) (2013) and the sequel [Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings](https://www.edgepedia.org/detective-dee-the-four-heavenly-kings) (2018). The trilogy's mainland box office rose from 286 million to 585 million to 606 million RMB, while Douban scores fell across the series, from 6.6 for Phantom Flame as reported in one retrospective survey to 6.1 for The Four Heavenly Kings.[10](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_11748087) The later films pushed progressively further into fantasy, from the giant sea creature of the 2013 prequel to the sorcery-driven spectacle of the 2018 film, moving away from the detective-reasoning core that Phantom Flame retained.[10](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_11748087)
Pu Feng identifies the series as the leading example of the "re-judicialization" (再公案化) of Chinese wuxia cinema after 2010, and marks a shift in Tsui's values: where his earlier wuxia heroes stood with the jianghu (martial-arts world outside official law) against a corrupt court, Detective Dee defends the court and its incumbent ruler as the guarantor of stability.[9](https://www.mplus.org.hk/sc/magazine/on-tsui-harks-detective-dee-trilogy/) Huayi Brothers also extended the property beyond film; a roughly 70-meter replica of the Tongtian Buddha set was built at Yangcheng Lake in Suzhou as part of its location-based entertainment development.[18](https://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2017-09-26/1150820.html)
## References
1. [狄仁杰之通天帝国 (2010), Douban](https://movie.douban.com/subject/3412830/)
2. [Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame review, LoveHKFilm](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/detective_dee_phantom_flame.html)
3. [Detective Dee and the Mystery of Phantom Flame review, Screen Daily (Lee Marshall, 2010)](https://www.screendaily.com/detective-dee-and-the-mystery-of-phantom-flame-di-renije-zhi-tongtian-diguo/5017786.article)
4. [《狄仁杰之通天帝国》持续热映 内地票房2.8亿, Sohu Entertainment (2010)](https://yule.sohu.com/20101021/n276111521.shtml)
5. [狄仁杰之通天帝国, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E7%8B%84%E4%BB%81%E6%9D%B0%E4%B9%8B%E9%80%9A%E5%A4%A9%E5%B8%9D%E5%9B%BD/67233)
6. [都市文化研究 第26号 (2024), Osaka Metropolitan University repository](https://omu.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/2001280/files/2024000627.pdf)
7. [Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/detective_dee_and_the_mystery_of_the_phantom_flame)
8. [Spontaneous human combustion: The perfect crime, review by Roger Ebert (2011)](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/detective-dee-and-the-mystery-of-the-phantom-flame-2011)
9. [从《狄仁杰》系列看徐克武侠片的范式转移, 蒲锋, M+ (2024)](https://www.mplus.org.hk/sc/magazine/on-tsui-harks-detective-dee-trilogy/)
10. [最忙侦探狄仁杰，很久没靠推理破案了, The Paper](https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_11748087)
11. [特别企划：对话徐克张家鲁, Sina Entertainment](https://ent.sina.com.cn/original/qihua/4datianwang/?from=wap)
12. [《狄仁杰之通天帝国》中国文化也能天马行空, Southern Weekly (2010)](https://www.infzm.com/contents/50767?source=124&source_1=113718)
13. [实录：《狄仁杰》主创做客讲述影片幕后故事, Sina Entertainment (2010)](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2010-08-31/19503071486.shtml)
14. [《狄仁杰》开机 徐克携刘德华李冰冰拜神, Phoenix Entertainment (2009)](https://ent.ifeng.com/movie/news/mainland/200905/0507_1845_1143423.shtml)
15. [狄仁傑之通天帝國 review, Cinespot 動映地帶](https://www.cinespot.com/hkmreviews/%E7%8B%84%E4%BB%81%E5%82%91%E4%B9%8B%E9%80%9A%E5%A4%A9%E5%B8%9D%E5%9C%8B)
16. [特技有瑕疵 叙事保水准, 新京报新世纪联合观影 (2010)](https://finance.sina.cn/sa/2010-10-01/detail-ikftpnnx9536797.d.html?from=wap)
17. [《狄仁杰之通天帝国》：不是烂片，也不够惊艳, Yicai](https://www.yicai.com/news/413171.html)
18. [徐克和他的"狄仁杰"IP, 每经网 (2017)](https://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2017-09-26/1150820.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2010–2014 films › Titles symbols to L*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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