Shadow

Director - Zhang Yimou

Cast -  Deng Chao, Sun Li

Country of Origin - China

Distributor - Well Go

Number of discs –  2

Reviewed by - Tyler Miller

Date- 08/20/2019

Director Zhang Yimou is known as one of the great visual stylists of The Fifth generation of Chinese filmmakers. He gained international recognition with HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and HERO, two films that are boiling over with arthouse mood while still being mainstream genre stories. Yimou fills all of his films with a bold color palette showcasing all a vivid rainbow. After the disappointment of the Chinese US co-production THE GREAT WALL (2016), Yimou returns to purely Chinese filmmaking with SHADOW (2018). But this time he experimented with a nearly black and white film that is bathed in grey areas.

SHADOW is set during the Three Kingdoms period, Where the brave Commander Ziyu (Deng Chao) is finally ready to  the infamous Yang (Hu Jun) who guards the city of Jingzhou. This upsets the king (Zheng Kai) who is scared of a full blown war if the two warriors fight. But little does the kingdom know that the Ziyu is actually a double (or Shadow) of the real Commander (also Chao), who was kidnapped at a young age due to his likeness to Ziyu. The real Commander not only wants revenge on Yang but wants the kingdom of Pei to fall.

SHADOW is a huge spectacle in every sense of a true widescreen epic. The whole film is moved by the huge vistas and the use of scope. Just like the larger than life action scenes and settings of HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and HERO, Every scene is full of wonder and packed with detail. Some shots even recalling the pulpy villain hideouts in old film serials or Bela Lugosi’s THE DEVIL BAT. Yimou cleverly uses the monochrome look of the story to show in detail all the layers of mistrust and melodrama.

I was reminded of the menace and spooky atmosphere of Akira Kurosawa’s THRONE OF BLOOD. But instead of smoke and forests, we see rain and mist. Also like the Kurosawa movie, SHADOW is a fine mix of the arthouse with plenty of surreal action. The rain theme is taken to outrageous heights with the use of umbrella swords, bamboo scuba gear and some ridiculous CGI blood. Which is one of the few times color splashes on screen. The violence is operatic and messy with some truly nasty bits of stabbing in the neck and slices on the stomach.

The acting is top notch with a great duel role for Deng Chao (Stephen Chow’s THE MERMAID).

The meatier of the two is the real commander who hides in his cave and gets to over actor every scene. Hu Jun (the Chinese LGBT classic EAST PALACE WEST PALACE) makes a great noble warrior as Yang. Sun Li (FEARLESS) and Guan Xiaotong (THE FOUNDING OF AN ARMY) both steal the film as The wife and the princess. It’s a shame their roles felt cut down for the final cut of the movie.

SHADOW is a surprisingly fun arthouse swordplay epic. It plays with themes of identity and doubles, something that is proudly pointed out in the making of featurettes. But none of this is too deep. This film works best as a visual tour de force, which Zhang Yimou delivers ten fold.

Well Go USA brings SHADOW to Blu-ray and DVD (also  4k ULTRA HD) in a stunning release. The 5.1 DTS-HD MA Mandrain track is smooth with hiss or pops. The effects sound bold and the action scenes played out nicely on my home sound system. There is also a English dub included. There are English, traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese subtitles. The 1080p HD picture is likewise stunning with sharp black levels and no digital noise. Nothing is lost in the deep greys.

The main extra is a series of featurettes on the making of the film. There all listed as chapters or you can watch them as one long piece. Sadly it’s your basic promotional set of interviews, with not much said about the finished film. There is also a trailer gallery with spots for SHADOW, and other Well Go USA releases.

SHADOW is a visual treat for arthouse and swordplay fans alike. Zhang Yimou continues to impress with his eye for detail and his universal stories. If you enjoy some good action set pieces and well crafted period design, give this film a go. Highly recommended.