Schemes in Antiques

A good old antiques adventure. Hong Kong has always loved these art-centered Sherlock Holmes-like mysteries, so it's no surprise China is following in their footsteps. The premise is simple, what follows is an endless loop of tricky puzzles, farfetched revelations and a good portion of backstabbing.

Xu Yuan is the son of a defamed antique seller. When the head of an old Buddha statue is found, Yuan is summoned to examine it. After close examination he discovers the head is a fake, and so he is ordered to find the real one. It takes him on a hazardous adventure where he'll need all his wits and knowledge to complete it.

The Chinese blockbuster slickness keeps this film from ever becoming truly great, but the puzzles are pretty neat and the polished cinematography and skilled cast certainly don't hurt. This is a nice piece of entertainment, fun filler, but it lacks the flair and identity to be a true masterpiece.