Movielogr
Lady Detective Shadow (2018)
Directed by Shi Shubin
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
A kung fu fighting lady detective travels the bad lands of ancient China bringing criminals to justice.
Length 89 minutes
Actors
Shang Rong | Qi Jing-bin | Zhang Pei-yue | Zhang Renbo | Qiu Yun-he
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/04/2021 | Computer | Streaming | Video on Demand | 6 stars |
| (Average) 6 stars |
Viewing Notes
Well this was a surprise. New production that throws back to Shaw Brothers and 90s HK wire-fu films. Has a Detective Dee influence w/o the epic-ness. Very contained focusing on the mystery, which I really enjoyed. Then the third act happens and nearly torpedoes all that good will and fun mystery stuff from the first two acts. This shoulda been an easy 7+ for me until that finale. In fact, if the movie had just ended after the first hour it would be fine.
Really wish they had filmed the action better (more like Shaw or even those 90s period flicks) bc with all the edits and whatnot it’s clear they hiding some of the work to make it look real. But there are some neat moments w/different fight styles and weapons. The score and poor CGI/green-screen elements also knock it down a notch but don’t detract from the excellent lady detective character Sima Feiyan at the center. She has a lot in common with Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes in her ability to analyze crime scenes.
The first half of this movie had me thinking about the movie I want to make set in the same period that draws from many sources kinda like MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS. Anyways, not sure if this has gotten a proper release but I’d own it if so for its small budget charm and old school flavor. I just wouldn’t watch the third act.
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