In a Chinese royal court, an army commander secretly trains a "shadow" to retake a city against the wishes of the king.In a Chinese royal court, an army commander secretly trains a "shadow" to retake a city against the wishes of the king.In a Chinese royal court, an army commander secretly trains a "shadow" to retake a city against the wishes of the king.
- Awards
- 38 wins & 60 nominations
Li Sun
- Madam (Wife of Commander Yu)
- (as Sun Li)
Ryan Zheng
- The King of Pei
- (as Zheng Kai)
Qianyuan Wang
- Captain Tian
- (as Wang Qianyuan)
Jingchun Wang
- Minister Lu
- (as Wang Jingchun)
Jun Hu
- General Yang
- (as Hu Jun)
Xiaotong Guan
- The Princess (The King's Sister)
- (as Guan Xiaotong)
Lei Wu
- Ping (General Yang's Son)
- (as Leo Wu)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film is shot in color with all the sets and costumes designed in the tones of black and white, to illustrate the interplay between light and dark and to follow the style of Chinese ink wash paintings.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Chris Stuckmann Movie Reviews: The Best Movies of 2019 (2019)
Featured review
During the Three Kingdoms 1,650 years ago, deception was often employed to survive in the high courts of kings. The war commander of one nation is nothing more than a shadow. His twin brother, the real talent, bides his time in the underworld until he can stage a coup and take revenge upon the king. Yet decoys assume a life of their own, and the shadow twin may take the power and possessions of the one he serves, but only if he is willing to strike and at the right moment. A love interest could provide all the motivation he needs, or perhaps all the distraction to cause him to fail and to be recognized for who he is.
There are many layers to this complex and resplendent film. Every frame is beautiful. Backgrounds are in bold black and white, with human figures providing the color. There is pulse quickening action, seductive romance, the eerily enchanting chords of the Chinese harp and ambient sound of rain and running water, wonderful dialogue, humor, history, yin and yang, intriguing stories, attractive people, fantastic acting and sword play, constant surprises, and more. Deng Shao plays both the shadow and the commander, and he does so brilliantly. North American premiere and the best film I saw at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.
There are many layers to this complex and resplendent film. Every frame is beautiful. Backgrounds are in bold black and white, with human figures providing the color. There is pulse quickening action, seductive romance, the eerily enchanting chords of the Chinese harp and ambient sound of rain and running water, wonderful dialogue, humor, history, yin and yang, intriguing stories, attractive people, fantastic acting and sword play, constant surprises, and more. Deng Shao plays both the shadow and the commander, and he does so brilliantly. North American premiere and the best film I saw at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.
- Blue-Grotto
- Sep 25, 2018
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Vô Ảnh
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- CN¥300,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $521,396
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $27,474
- May 5, 2019
- Gross worldwide
- $91,708,374
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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