Shakespearian intrigue, murder, and betrayal beautifully filmed and choreographed – Zhang Yi Mou’s Shadow has been called a return to form for the legendary director.
The film brings us two warring families the Pei and the Yang and their ongoing battles for the city Jingzhou. The city was lost by Pei when one of its most loyal and respected warriors, Ziyu, lost a duel to Yang Cang, the undefeatable master of the Yang family. The film follows Ziyu’s attempts to regain the city by fighting another duel and the intricacies of the Pei court.
There are a number of twists both obvious and unexpected and the conclusion is not fully resolved. The dancing plotlines like the shadow of the film’s title who we learn is a body double of the mortally wounded Ziyu.
For fans of Wuxia or martial arts films and of Zhang Yi Mou this is a good watch. There are strong performances throughout and a mix of both bloody realism and whispy magic.
The dark cinematography and set design with greys, blacks and whites predominant match the ying yang theme and give the film a unique and arresting visual impact.
Shadow builds slowly but when the action comes it is brutal. An incredibly violent final battle scene involving most of the characters has blood aplenty. Toward the end the twists and reveals come thick and fast giving the film a good tempo.
Director: Zhang Yi Mou
Starring: Deng Chao, Sun Li, Zheng Kai, Wang Qian Yuan, Hu Jun
Cinematography: Zhao Xiao Ding
Producers: Jun Liu, Catherine Pang, Wang Xiao Zhu
Screenplay: Wei Li, Zhang Yi Mou
Released: 2018
Running time: 116 minutes
Production Company: Village Roadshow Pictures Asia, Le Vision Pictures
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