:
Li Yixiang,
Li Yixiang,
Wang Shuangbao,
more...
:
Li Yang
see all cast/crew...
: Kino
: Drama, Foreign, Hong Kong, China, Crime
: 89 min.
: Mandarin
: English
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A pair of murderers cover up their crimes via the archaic working conditions of coal mining in China in this award-winning psychological drama from director Li Yang. Blind Shaft centers on two men who have a grisly scheme: They persuade their victims to work in a local mine, plot their "accidental" deaths, then pose as the relatives of the dead men to collect their meager compensation. But when one of the killers starts to feel sympathy for their next victim, an ambitious young man, he listens to his conscience instead of his amoral co-conspirator. Blind Shaft won the Silver Bear at the 2003 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
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| Murder as a money-earning business
by talltale
August 18, 2004 - 5:07 PM PDT
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3 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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| Last year's little-seen BLIND SHAFT is a film from China that involves serial killers whose venue is an unusual one: the mining industry. It also offers a critique of China's political, economic and family life, as it shows the effects of creeping capitalism on a too-plentiful and desperately underused labor force. With relatively raw sex scenes and language, this is certainly not your standard Chinese fare. Though it is ten times better than a silly piece of garbage like "Taking Lives" (another serial killer film released on dvd the same week), it's also no masterpiece because the storytelling moves in predictable fashion and includes an ironic ending that's a little unbelievable and heavy-handed, while flirting with sentimentality. Still, the performances are excellent, and this bizarre combination of diverse genres (at one point Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux" came to mind) makes BLIND SHAFT worth a rent for those who claim to be film buffs. The 45-year-old director, Yang Li, has made several documentaries and now this first narrative feature. He's definitely a man to watch. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.77)
26 Votes
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