Detective Dee and The Mystery of the Phantom Flame is a Hong Kong movie, based on Lin Qianyu`s original story and directed by the Chinese director and producer Tsui Hark. It is a mystery crime detective movie with a lot of phantasmagorical plot elements that confuse the spectator whether the movie is, at least partially, based on a real historical moment or is it complete fiction. Even though the film fails to be absolutely transparent with its constant plot turns and characters with “invisible” presence, the narrative could still be classified as a Hollywood one.
The sole scene setting in the beginning of Detective Dee is an indicator that the narration throughout will be a mainstream one. As most Hong Kong movies the director has heavily used Computer Graphic Imaging system which creates a more sensationalistic feeling that most blog busters have. Special effects are what make the characters interesting in the film. Everything from the Buddha statue to the kung fu moves and the talking chaplain are built in an over exaggerated manner that is supposed to impress the viewers and create a “super human” feeling when it comes to the main characters. Special abilities like that have always been an inseparable part of the mainstream narratives and Detective Dee is no exception.
Dee The Detective
Mr. Dee you are mainstream
The movie has a typical active character that is a bit controversial. Since entertainment is the main goal of most Hollywood style narratives, the detective has been given qualities like overwhelming wit and martial arts skills, fun personality, and strong sense of justice. These characteristics are enough to set the hero concept.
Most mainstream narrative movies place a captivating hero in the center of the plot as it creates a sensationalistic feeling to it. The reason for it is because movies like that strive to create protagonists who are fun to watch and at the same time are not obtrusive and keep the audience absorbed in the action. This, however, does not mean that the plot or narratives are overly simplistic, but…viewer-friendly. They generally have a fixed structure that they follow just like Detective Deeand the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.
Plot Hollywoodization
In general the film does have a lot of plot twists to keep the attention of the audience but in terms on narrative it follows the Hollywood structure from beginning till the end. In the middle of the plot there is, as already mentioned, an outstanding hero who has been recognized only after his exile by the Empress.
Very typically, the hero has a set goal—to find the serial murderer, save his comrades and the inauguration ceremony of the Empress. It goes without saying that during the journey of doing so Detective Dee is constantly fighting his inner demons of what is justice and who to trust. Hollywood style narratives very often add an innermost drama to the main characters like impossible love or death of a loved one. This purpose for that is because when the story reaches its end the protagonist`s action would be that more touching to the spectators.
The Cause and Effect Structure
Another typical mainstream narrative feature of Detective Dee is the cause and effect structure. After placing the “defined goal” of Dee to protect Empress Wu, he is to drive the story ahead, showing his heroism, overcoming all obstacles until he reaches the goal. Death of a comrade and a friend turning out to be the villain are also vastly used plot turns, also present in the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. These, of course, are to become the emotional trigger which has to motivate Dee to set his resolve and win against the evil. The final self-sacrifice of the detective for the Empress, he is not sure he trusts, could also be regarded as a traditional mainstream narrative feature.
In the end Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame could be classified as an action mystery movie with a fictional Chinese historical plot but with a typical Hollywood narrative. It tells the story of a political serial murders who are riddled out by a powerful hero who loses something in order to bestow justice. However, if that confuses you in any way, check out the trailer for the movie. It neatly summarizes at least the beginning of the plot, as for the ending…you’d have to watch and see for yourselves.
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