Dragon Hidden in a Mysterious Hole 狄仁杰之龙隐迷窟

All posters ¹

Screenplay: 6.0

Acting: 7.0

Visual side: 7.0

Music: 6.0

Overall rating: 5.0

The story unfolds during the Tang Dynasty. Di Renjie already serves at the court of Empress Wu Zetian – a cunning and ruthless woman, yet exceptionally gifted when it comes to governing the country; under her rule China prospers and the dynasty's influence grows ever stronger. Her latest project is a river canal between the two capitals, whose grand opening is only days away. But a monster attacks the flagship of the imperial fleet, and behind it an army of assassins boards the vessel, leaving no witnesses alive. Di Renjie must get to the bottom of what happened before the canal's opening ceremony – for it is obvious that a conspiracy against Wu Zetian is brewing deep within the imperial court.

In Chinese culture, Detective Di Renjie is the equivalent of Sherlock Holmes—a brilliant, educated investigator who cracks the most baffling cases. Di Renjie was a real historical figure who lived during the Tang Dynasty, but on screen his adventures have taken on a distinctly fantastical flavor—though they never descend into outright paranormal territory, there is always something that defies reality, even if it is explained away, however clumsily, by science. Every year, Chinese streaming platforms release at least five films about Detective Di's adventures, and Dragon Hidden in a Mysterious Hole was the first release of 2023.

Director Guo Yu-Long has helmed a Detective Di film before—in 2018 he made Di Ren Jie Zhi Wu Tou Shen Jiang, though the title role was played by a different actor. Chinese filmmakers have an unspoken rule of casting different actors as Di Renjie, and Chinese actor and singer Peer Zhu, who delivers an excellent performance as the famous detective, is a newcomer to the role. Shi Xuan-Ru, who plays a stern female investigator named Leng assisting Di in unraveling the conspiracy, is also a seasoned actress, and the remaining roles are filled entirely with veterans, including model Daniella Wang as Empress Wu Zetian. On the acting front, Dragon Hidden in a Mysterious Hole leaves nothing to be desired, but on the technical side there is plenty to find fault with.

By some accounts, the film was supposed to come out two years earlier but got held up in post-production—apparently because it was worked on with whatever resources were left over, and the producers were looking for ways to cut costs. The special effects and CGI are fairly mediocre, the sets and props are the standard fare offered by Chinese film studios, so the only saving grace is the infrequent but decent action, plus a very modest 63-minute runtime including credits. The plot the writers came up with is exactly as much as is needed to maintain good momentum without any lulls, so during the hour the film runs, you simply don't have time to get tired of it. But then again, you don't get drawn into it either—what you end up with is an appetizer that your brain stubbornly refuses to accept as a main course. Like—is that it? Fine, fair enough, you've worked up an appetite, now you can go watch some real cinema.