Shadow

During the Three Kingdoms 1,650 years ago, deception was often employed to survive in the high courts of kings. The war commander of one nation is nothing more than a shadow. His twin brother, the real talent, bides his time in the underworld until he can stage a coup and take revenge upon the king. Yet decoys assume a life of their own, and the shadow twin may take the power and possessions of the one he serves, but only if he is willing to strike and at the right moment. A love interest could provide all the motivation he needs, or perhaps all the distraction to cause him to fail and to be recognized for who he is.

There are many layers to this complex and resplendent film. Every frame is beautiful. Backgrounds are in bold black and white, with human figures providing the color. There is pulse quickening action, seductive romance, the eerily enchanting chords of the Chinese harp and ambient sound of rain and running water, wonderful dialogue, humor, history, yin and yang, intriguing stories, attractive people, fantastic acting and sword play, constant surprises, and more. Deng Shao plays both the shadow and the commander, and he does so brilliantly. North American premiere and the best film I saw at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.

I'm never a big fan of Mr. Zhang Yimou especially in recent two decades. To me his all time best movie is "To Live"(1994). After 2000, since "Hero", his movies seems only focused on creating pretty images but all have very weak stories and most of the characters were too simple and tedious. But this time "Shadow" is not a weak story, it looks like a simple story but in fact is a complicated one which have several storylines and everybody in this movie have multiple character sides, every characters has strong personalities and strong thoughts. Although there are still some symbolic things which are kinda weird but I have to say this is one of his best in recent two decades.

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.

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

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.