Commander
Yu of the Pei Kingdom is a bit like Field Marshal “Monty” Montgomery (and
Saddam Hussein). He uses a double. “Use” really is the right word. The Machiavellian
Yu will exploit his other self while openly defying his king in Zhang Yimou’s
masterwork Shadow, which opens tomorrow
in New York.
The
Kingdoms of Pei and Yang have struck an uneasy alliance, but the latter enjoys
the stronger position, because they hold the strategically important city of
Jingzhou. That does not sit well with a fervent Pei nationalist like Yu, but
the cruel and cowardly king has dug in his heels. Rather than challenge Yang’s
claim to the city, he will instead sacrifice his beloved sister as a marriage
offering. However, Yu upsets his plans by having his “shadow,” the peasant-born
Jing, challenge Yang’s legendary commander, Yang Cang, to a mano-a-mano
for-all-the-marbles duel.
Of
course, this enrages the Pei King, who is all too willing to rule as a de facto
vassal of Yang, as long as his authority is obsequiously respected. Meanwhile,
Jing develops free-agent inclinations of his own. The only ally Yu can fully
count on is his wife (only referred to as “Madam”), whose loyalty is
unconditional, even though her romantic affections are starting to shift to
Jing.
Shadow was relatively
unheralded before its Western festival debut, but it ranks up there with Zhang’s
finest wuxia epics, which is saying something. Without question, it is one of
his most visually stunning films, clearly inspired by Chinese ink-wash and
charcoal drawings. Technically, this is still a color film, but Zhang largely utilizes
an austere but striking color palette of blacks, whites, and grays.
The
big martial arts set pieces are equally amazing to behold, if not more so. The
umbrella fighting techniques practiced by Yu (played by Jing) might sound
eccentric, but they are lethally cinematic. The same is true of the epic-worthy
set design, including the awe-inspiring Ying-Yang battle platform.
Deng
Cao truly covers the waterfront in the dual role of Jing and Yu. He chews plenty of scenery as both hero and
villain, but he also shows off his tremendous action chops. Zheng Kai is spectacularly
slimy and downright odious as the King, while Hu Jun is gruff but dignified as
General Yang. However, it is Sun Li who truly grounds the film as the noble,
long-suffering Madam Yu.
The
imagery is arresting, the fight scenes are super-charged, and the drama is the
stuff of classic high tragedy. Taken altogether, Shadow makes the case for Wuxia as the ultimate artistic flowering
of action cinema. It is a great film from a master filmmaker. Very highly
recommended, Shadow opens tomorrow (5/3)
in New York, at the IFC Center and the Landmark 57.
