Master filmmaker Zhang Yimou's (RAISE THE RED LANTERN, HERO) latest, SHADOW, is a personalized epic set during the Three Kingdoms in China. The first half of the picture revolves around a wayward King (Zheng Kai), his sister Qing Ping (Xiaotong Guan), his Commander Yu (Deng Chao) and Yu's wife Xiao Ai (Li Sun). There's a considerate amount of palace intrigue bandied about, and it includes a look-alike (a "Shadow") of one of the characters. While not scintillating, Yimou and his co-writer Wei Li have structured the movie so that this dialogue heavy section sets up the action centerpieces to follow.
And, they do follow. Yimou, cinematographer Xiaoding Zhao and his stunt team concoct quite the thrilling spectacle. And, you can actually clearly see and follow it's flow (which isn't always the case with battle scenes). One on one combat is juxtaposed expertly with the battle lines. The weapon of choice are Metal Umbrellas that aren't made up of cloth sections - but, spinning blades! Spectacle aside, what gives the battle scene an extra wallop are some unexpected twists and turns.
In contrast to his colorful Wuxia films HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, Yimou and Production Designer Horace Ma here employ a metallic black and chrome look that is equally stunning in its own way (there is also much use of ying & yang symbolism). While Yimou never lets his pictorial sense overwhelm his story, it's worth remarking upon. The cast is solid and the relatively sparse score by Loudboy is effective (although a sequence cutting back and forth between the Commander and his wife exuberantly playing traditional instruments and a battle scene is a bit much). The screenplay is a bit muddled and repetitive. Still, it's a relief to see an action movie where character development isn't reduced to exchanging a few quips while whizzing through a CGI chase sequence.
SHADOW may not be at the peak level of Yimou's work, but, it's a visually exciting picture, which, appropriately, ends not with combat, but, a singular focus on a character's eyes.
