A Good Dynasty Era Detective Story
First, I would say the casting in this one is top-notch, especially Liu Yong Xi, Zhao Ran and Yang Xing. The specific ally / enemy colleague-hood between Liu Yong Xi's Detective Tang and Yang Xing's Detective Sai is something rare: two female characters of similar martial disciplines who aren't 'catty' with each other but also aren't 'allies' in the common feminist western movie sense. Just two masters whose priorities in life diverged with one being the younger version of the other. I also like how the movie never feels the need to 'soften' Detective Sai.On the CGI of shadow and light mirror play, I feel like people who are raised on the lexicon that CGI must be 'photoreal' (but it never is anyway) will receive this one awkwardly because the whole point is that the illusory entities should both be lethal AND look artificial, not creatures that look like they exist with solidity in the real world. Since I'm not in the 'CGI must always be photoreal in live-action' camp, I pretty much got what they were going for here.
Lastly, without any spoilers, I would say the action sequences are well-choreographed and elegant but also quite brutal and raw, and of course, bloody. It gives the feeling of a hybrid detective / wuxia underground story that I really find interesting.
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