The Trailer for Shadow Delivers Grim and Stylish Martial Arts Action

The director of Hero and House of Flying Daggers is back with a nearly black and white extravaganza.
zhang yimou's 'shadow'

Zhang Yimou is one of the most famous and internationally awarded living Chinese directors. He' s made movies over a range of genres, but by now he' s best known for his over-the-top martial arts spectacles like brightly-colored Hero with Jet Li and the absurdly opulent House of Flying Daggers. And now, we finally have a trailer and U.S. release date for his latest movie, Shadow.

Over the last few years, some of the most successful action movies have been completely saturated in color, whether it's the pulsing nightclubs of John Wick or the high speed, time-and-space bending battles of almost any Marvel movie. By comparison, the trailer for Shadow looks completely drained, nearly black and white except for a few flashes of blood. But that doesn't make it any less extravagant: It's still got the impossibly elaborate fighting and promises soap operatic palace intrigue.

Shadow opens in the U.S. on May 3.