Shadow

Shadow (影, 2018) is Zhang Yimou's historical action epic, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Set during China's Three Kingdoms era, it turns palace intrigue into a chess game played with one man's identity.

Commander Ziyu provokes a duel with General Yang, who holds the contested city of Jing — a move so reckless the young king strips him of rank. But almost no one knows the man giving orders isn't Ziyu at all. The real commander, gravely wounded, has been hidden away for a year while his "shadow" takes his place: a body double trained since childhood to walk, speak and fight exactly like his master. Deng Chao plays both roles, and the gap between the frail original and his confident double powers the whole story.

Zhang shot the film almost entirely in ink-wash monochrome — black, white and rain-soaked grey, every frame composed like a scroll painting. The climactic battle, fought with bladed bamboo umbrellas, ranks among the most striking fight choreography of his career. Colder and quieter than Hero or House of Flying Daggers, it rewards patience. Stream Shadow (2018) online on iFILM.