With Shadow, one of world’s greatest filmmakers, Zhang Yimou (Red Sorgum, Raise the Red Lantern), whose House of Flying Daggers raised the bar for martial arts films, returns to that genre and once again pushes its boundaries. He masterfully paints a canvas of inky blacks and greys punctuated with bursts of color from the blood of the defeated. In a kingdom ruled by a young and unpredictable king, the military commander has a secret weapon: a “shadow” look-alike who can fool both his enemies and the king himself. Now he must use this weapon in an intricate plan that will lead his people to victory in a war that the king does not want.
“A martial-arts movie landmark, as strong in its performances as it is spectacularly novel in its violence.” — Glenn Kenny, New York Times
“Zhang Yimou’s Shadow has barely begun before two things become immediately apparent: this is an extravagant and exquisite visual tour de force with a plot that will take some time to sort out.” — Kenneth Turan, L.A. Times
“Mr. Zhang’s film is elegant fun.” — Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
directed by
Yimou Zhang
Yimou Zhang
written by
Wei Li (screenplay), Yimou Zhang (screenplay)
Wei Li (screenplay), Yimou Zhang (screenplay)
with
Chao Deng, Li Sun, Ryan Zheng, Qianyuan Wang
Chao Deng, Li Sun, Ryan Zheng, Qianyuan Wang
language
Mandarin
Mandarin
country
China, Hong Kong
China, Hong Kong
production company
Well Go USA Entertainment
Well Go USA Entertainment