Film
Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in Chicago, plus articles, trailers and more
- Home
- Box Office
- Listings
- Trailers
- Features
Bookmark this page- Edition:
Blind Shaft (2003)
Director: Li Yang
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
This underground feature by a first time director (Li trained as an actor and went on to study in Germany) combines the strengths of other recent indie films from China with some of the weaknesses of government approved studio movies. Two murderous con-men roam northern China taking casual work in the region's dangerous and unregulated coalmines. They pick up stray, unemployed kids, kill them in faked mining accidents and then pose as aggrieved relatives demanding compensation. The climax is at once expected and unpredictable. Strengths: fluid location filming, often in clearly difficult conditions, and credible performances from the mainly non-pro cast. Weaknesses: the underlying reliance on melodrama, and a regrettable tendency to spike the naturalistic dialogue with pontifications on China.Author: TR
Cast & crew
Director: Li Yang
Producer: Hu Xiaoye, Li Hua, Gao Hua, Li Yang
Cast: Li Yixiang, Wang Shuangbao, Wang Baoqiang, An Jing, Bao Zhenjiang, Zhao Junzhi full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Duration: 92 mins
Features
Gray's anatomy
James Gray wants to push buttons—again.
The next big thing?
Gigantic Releasing tries to rethink indie distribution…without movie theaters.
Red Diva: Lyubov Orlova, First Lady of Soviet Cinema
So you think you can dance, comrade?
Puppet master
Coraline director Henry Selick takes stop-motion animation into 3-D.
Socratic method
Laurent Cantet's approach on the set matches the message of his film.
Wander woman
Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy puts a Bush-era spin on the road movie.
Oscars
Read our interviews with the nominees, our reviews of the nominated films and more.
What do you think?
Post your review now