Synopsis: Di Renjie is an investigator looking into a seemingly dull murder case. But when his superiors start opposing his tactics, he starts to believe there must be a larger conspiracy at play. (79 Mins)

Views: Tsui Hark's blockbuster film Detective Dee & The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame starring Andy Lau as the titular character, inspired a new thirst for the historical name that led to a host of web-movies (TV movies) from production studios in mainland China and a couple of prequels from the man himself. The Story Of Renjie Di's Rebirth is one of those web-movies, and while it may have been made for a fraction of the budget that it's big screen peers would have benefited from, it still proves to be a decently made and watchable film. As usual, Di (or Dee) gets himself so wrapped up in his investigations that he lands himself in prison. But even from his cell, the detective continues to work on the case – this time, a seemingly simple murder – where he soon figures out the connection between the murderer and the legendary Samsara paintings. Unfortunately, in comparison with the Tsui Hark movies, there just isn't the same amount of excitement on offer with the solving of the case – instead offering up a little more melodrama than I had hoped for, with a few scenes and edits making it look like it was cut together from a television show (which there's a good chance of). There is a bizarre little moment of homo-erotism when Di escapes prison with the help of a young fan called Chen Tian You. After they return to Chen's home, they start to exchange flirty glances while Di insists that the young man sleeps beside him. Although he refuses and opts to sleep on the floor, Tian You rolls over to position himself so that he can watch the detective sleep. Of course, it never amounts to anything, but manages to bring Di to tears later in the story when he loses his young muse in a deadly ninja attack. As expected (and without spoiling too much) there is a final twist to their story that kind of explains why...

This time, Detective Dee is played by Ocean Wang Hai Xiang; a television movie actor who has also appeared in films such as Jackie Chan's Little Big Soldier and Police Story 2013, as well as the Jackie Chan produced 2015 remake of Who Am I? alongside Ken Lo and Yu Rong Guang. As the titular character, it's clear that Wang is certainly no Andy Lau and even lacks the charm and fun persona of Mark Chao in the prequels – but he still delivers a decent performance, offering up a much more serious version of the Dee we have seen in his big screen outings. The cute Sang Xun Hua stars as Chen Tian You, with Huang Yan – from Painted Skin: The Resurrection – joining the cast along with a host of young Chinese actors such as Gao Yang, Zhang Ye, Lu Yan, and Ding Jian Jun; all of whom would share the screen again in the fantasy web-movie Demon World later that year. This was also made by directors Chen Huai Fu and Xu Jing Wen, with action-director Qian Zheng Zhong on-hand for the fight sequences once again. While Hark's aforementioned films delivered a wide range of exciting and amazing fights, The Story Of Renjie Di's Rebirth is somewhat lacking in the action department – offering two major battles with the ninja attack on Di and Tian You, and the lackluster finale between Di and the main villain of the piece. While both have a few good moments, there's certainly nothing overly memorable about them and actually reminded me more of the fight scenes seen in Hong Kong television shows from late 1990's. It's worth noting that this was the directorial debut of directors Chen and Xu, with both going on to deliver a few movie web-movies since – so I can see past a few of the flaws in knowing that.

All-in-all, The Story Of Renjie Di's Rebirth did manage to hold my attention for the most part – although probably because I was waiting for something a bit more exciting to happen – and while I'd never need to see it again, it actually wasn't the worst thing in the world I've ever watched. It's just not the greatest Detective Dee story ever told!

Overall: While I wanted to like it more, The Story Of Renjie Di's Rebirth just doesn't really go anywhere exciting, although it didn't feel like a complete waste of time!

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