Ying / Shadow (2018) - The greatest wu xia movie in many years - 10/10 (04/06/19)

Many reviewers say that this film is Zhang Yimou's best since House of Flying Daggers. Others claim it might be his best since Hero. Some people even try to convince you it's his greatest effort since To Live released twenty-four years earlier. I believe all these estimations are understatements. Let's stop glorifying nostalgia. Shadow is Zhang Yimou's very best film to date.

The dark and greyish cinematography inspired by Chinese paintings adds atmosphere, beauty and depth. The sinister yet majestic locations bring traditional China to life in a realistic way. The costumes look beautiful without being glamorously exaggerated. The numerous characters have depth and manage to be more fleshed out in only two hours than some television series that spend eight seasons developing characters. The plot revolves around betrayal, dignity, megalomania, nostalgia and revenge and comes around with numerous unexpected twists and turns from start to finish. Shadow is a gripping drama but also features both elegant and eviscerating martial arts elements. The last third of the film in particular can be seen as a balanced highlight in that regard. The longer the movie lasts, the greater it gets and once this roller coaster ride is over, you just feel like taking it all over again.

Without revealing any twists and turns, a short introduction to the story might help you imagine and understand this film better. The kingdoms of Pei and Yan have been at war and after the loss of the city of Ying, Pei's king has managed to negotiate a peace treaty. His Commander has been injured in battle and despises his king as he wants to declare war again and win the city of Ying back. He challenges the king of Yan to a duel but as soon as Pei's king hears about this, he downgrades his vengeful Commander to a commoner and proposes to marry his rebellious sister to Yan's prince to calm the situation. The kingdom of Yan has already planned on marrying the prince to another woman and offers to accept the sister as a concubine. After this offensive counter-offer, a new conflict between both kingdoms seems to be inevitable but the different lead figures all have their very own interests at stake.

In the end, Shadow is one of the greatest wu xia movies ever made and the greatest martial arts epic since Miike Takashi's Blade of the Immortal. This movie finds the perfect balance between drama and martial arts elements. The characters, cinematography, costumes, settings and story are excellent from start to finish. I haven't been so impressed with a movie in a very long time.