Ying

Beautiful. The photography , the craft of tension, the acting, , at the level of fight scenes- real spectacular, admirable made. And the impression of ink painting is one of its high gifts. Another virtues - the resurrection of memories about Kurasawa universe, few drops of Shakespeare tragedies and the image of "shadow". A beautiful film, a decent- in large measure - tale and the feel to discover the cold water of a familiar lake.

This film will be well remembered, not for its ink paint style of cinematography, but for its characters, dialogue and ensemble performance. Deng Chao, who plays both the Shadow and the Commander at a time and can be often seen in the same frame with the help of marvellous visual effects, deserves all the attention and compliments for his commitment to acting. Didn't expect the adapted-from-historical-events drama turns out to be an action thriller ending with heavy blood stains, and the film almost reminded me of Feng Xiao-Gang's "The Banquet" when the ending credits rolled. But then, when I thought of the body moves of the Shadow, the Commander and his wife among Yin and Yang in the fight-practicing scene, and those tender moments between Shadow and his love, and their passion covered or burned through eye contact and physical distance in the light and the dark, I realised this is a Zhang Yimou film. The craftsmanship is simply for storytelling!

I've always loved foreign cinema, especially the Asian culture; it's so diverse and unique that one could spend years and years studying and still barely scratch the surface. The history is vast and rich, and the films of Asian cinema always bring that to light. There's something about the craftmanship of such films that just feels so much more visceral and rewarding as compared to most American movies. And with Shadow we find director Zhang Yimou ("Hero", "The Great Wall") at his truest form, giving us his most visually satisfying, narratively complex, and action packed movie to date. The film does have a slow start, building the world that we're in and the characters and what their motives are. It's a layered narrative that requires a good bit of attention, each character giving meaning to the scene. Although the pacing is a tad off, it's always an absorbing watch due to the gorgeous cinematography, from the sweeping landscapes to the dense foggy atmosphere this movie just looks phenomenal. I found myself wanting the biggest screen possible to watch such a spectacle. There's a scene when opposing soldiers use their umbrella swords and twirl their way down a cobblestone street all the while firing their crossbows at the enemy, it's bonkers but it's so stylish and inventive. I thought I'd seen it all by now, but Shadow only goes to show there's probably a lot more to see. Overall Shadow is an exceptionally well made martial arts film, one that uses slow burn to a wonderful effect, never distancing itself from the viewer, but still able to build a strong hero and villain organically.

I just watched this movie a few hours ago and i am still dizzy. The lack of background colors and the almost constant rain add to the complex intrigue. Until the end, one does not know where the director will take us. It is beautifully crafted, the action is realistic, the acting is perfect. This is another "Chef d'oeuvre" from Zhang Yimou. It will be one of these few movies which I shall watch again.. and again, with the same pleasure

When I watched "HERO" I just loved it. I fell love with the worldbuilding and the colorful settings and the choreographes were one of a kind. So, "Ying" comes out and it really looks different. I tried to avoid any advertsiment and I went blind. The result... "Ying" is worth watching, although it has its flaws I guess. Let's start with the good news: The cinematography is something you must... experience. I like that the whole film is driven by the ying and yiang symbol and it's a black and white film without being black and white. Both the production and the costume design is impeccable and even the ones who hate such stylish films ought to show a bit of respect for the work done. Almost every shot can be used as a wallpaper and although some shots were bleak or fake, the film's presentation is one of a kind. The souundtrack is also great. The instrument used provokes a lot of emotion and I actually felt that the sound editing and mixing were used in a unique way. The music speaks for itself and creates a weird but interesting tone. The battle sequences and the training were both expertly shot and the choreograhy was great and never felt too pretentious. As for the script... it's good... but not my thing. I actually felt that the script wasn't sure about where it was going. It's like a liitle it of everything and I cannot say I was connected with the story. I still don't know what it wanted to be... What I made about it was that it tried to illustrate how it is quite impossible to have a ying and a yang and find balance and peace. Thing will always be shacky and it also illustrated the games of power and grid and how everone will do anything for power. I loved the action sequences and the script was a nice of writing, but the dynamics and the character arcs were never 10/10 so that I could be fully into it. The acting is overall good, it's just that Chao Deng played both the potagonist, who is a silent force and the old man, who is a crazy maniac and even if he did handle the 2 different roles pretty good I felt that he overacted while playing the old man. It was probably froced, but I just hateit when they are overacting. Overall, this film is good. It is brillliantly shot , the technical aspects are almost perfect and a lot of choices in the story were clever and differed the movie from silly blockbusters or cliches. A good, stylish, Chinese watch with characters always seeking for acceptance and longing for power. Its impressive shots and great visual direction are what making this film a good watch and are the reason why I am giving it an 8/10. It's closer to a seven than to a nine, but an 8 will do.