Shadow (2019)
88%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Beautifully filmed and inventively choreographed, Shadow is a thrilling and visually sumptuous wuxia epic that finds director Zhang Yimou near peak form
If you’re looking for a movie that will leave you in awe, Shadow is the one for you. With stunning visuals and fight choreography that will make your jaw drop, this movie is a masterpiece. The story is full of twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. And let’s not forget about the monochrome colors splattered with blood – it’s like watching a beautiful painting come to life. Trust me, you won’t regret seeing this one in theaters.
Production Company(ies)
Castle Rock Entertainment,
Distributor
Well Go USA
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-14
Year of Release
2019
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:2.20 : 1
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Runtime:1h 56m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:China
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 3, 2019 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 13, 2019
Genre(s)
Action/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Chao Deng, Betty Sun, Ryan Zheng, Qianyuan Wang, Jingchun Wang, Jun Hu, directed by Yimou Zhang, written by Yimou Zhang, Wei Li, Action, Adventure, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Chris Stuckmann, Sara Michelle Fetters, Randy Myers, Richard Whittaker, Barry Hertz, Tom Keogh, Brian Eggert, Carolyn Hinds, Dennis Harvey, Andrew Heskins, Andrew Gaudion, produced by Jun Liu, Catherine Pang, Xiaozhu Wang, MPAA rating, Chinese, Well Go USA, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, DTS, Scope (2.35:1), Commander, Jing, The King of Pei, Captain Tian, Minister Lu, General Yang, doppelgangers, zither duets, double-crosses, monochrome colors, blood, revenge drama, umbrella weapons
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Betty Sun – Madam
Ryan Zheng – The King of Pei
Qianyuan Wang – Captain Tian
Jingchun Wang – Minister Lu
Jun Hu – General Yang
Director(s)
Yimou Zhang
Writer(s)
Yimou Zhang, Wei Li
Producer(s)
Jun Liu, Catherine Pang, Xiaozhu Wang
Film Festivals
Venice, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (104) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (98) | Rotten (6)
A masterpiece, one of the best martial arts films I’ve ever seen. See it in theaters, it will not be the same at home.
June 15, 2019 | Rating: A-
Chris Stuckmann
ChrisStuckmann.com
TOP CRITIC
Shadow is a masterful spectacle of human frailty and intellectual dishonesty that only grows in resonance as it goes along.
May 22, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
You’ve gotta see it to believe it.
May 21, 2019
Randy Myers
San Jose Mercury News
TOP CRITIC
Through these tiny, textured components, and with an unblinking eye on power and corruption, Shadow is a burning light on the souls of its questionable heroes.
May 16, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Whittaker
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
If The Great Wall felt like Yimou was turning his greatest hits into something dispassionately bland, then Shadow takes the familiar and makes it feel startlingly new.
May 9, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
Barry Hertz
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
It’s always good to see this side of Zhang’s work. “Shadow” will not soon be forgotten.
May 9, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Tom Keogh
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Palace intrigue and ornate martial arts duels are just the surface of Shadow, Zhang Yimou’s stunning 2018 period epic of doppelgangers, zither duets, double-crosses, and monochrome colors splattered with blood.
February 12, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
The fight choreography in the third act is unique and beautiful.
July 30, 2021
Carolyn Hinds
Atom Insider
Building rather slowly towards climactic action, this is a corpse-strewn sort of Jacobean revenge drama, its violence staged with considerable panache.
October 15, 2020
Dennis Harvey
48 Hills
With the colour palette of an ink wash painting, Zhang Yimou creates one of the most memorable wuxias in years…
September 23, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Andrew Heskins
easternKicks.com
A politically driven, exceptionally lavish historical drama that represents Zhang at his most visually poetic.
August 28, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Andrew Gaudion
VultureHound
Yimou Zhang once again reminds us of his trademark beauty, and Shadow is a significant return to form.
August 27, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Kelechi Ehenulo
Confessions From A Geek Mind…
Plot
To achieve victory over a rival kingdom, a general devises an intricate plan involving his wife, a look-alike, and two kings in the visually stunning and thrilling wuxia epic, Shadow.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for Shadow.
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