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Movies / On DVD / Blind Shaft
Blind Shaft

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Blind Shaft (2004)

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Reviews Counted:35

Fresh:33

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.8/10

Consensus: A taut, biting critique on the new economic conditions in China.

Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: With a suspenseful plotline that keeps viewers glued to the screen awaiting each new development in this harsh tale of miners and murder in northern China, BLIND SHAFT depicts desperate men who... With a suspenseful plotline that keeps viewers glued to the screen awaiting each new development in this harsh tale of miners and murder in northern China, BLIND SHAFT depicts desperate men who will do anything for money. Controversial in its commentary on China's social problems, with characters poisoned by greed and infidelity having abandoned their families and lost any sense of dignity, the story is anything but simple. Mid-way through, the film it takes an endearing turn that changes the plotline into a true morality tale, which is followed up by a completely unexpected ending. Two con men, Song (Li Yixiang) and Tang (Wang Shuangbao), have devised a nearly flawless scam. They coerce a man into posing as their brother--explaining that it's the only way they can get him a job in the coal mine--and then they murder him. They make it look like a mining accident, and collect a hefty sum from the mine owner for their loss. Instead of sending all the money home to their school-age children, they spend much of it on prostitutes. When they choose their next victim, Yuan (Wang Baoqiang), a teenage boy trying to earn money for school, they instantly sense that something, this time around, is wrong. Writer-director-producer Li Yang has created a richly layered film with BLIND SHAFT, which was banned in China because it was made without permission from the official film bureau. [More]

Starring: Li Yixiang, Wang Shuangbao, Wang Baoqiang, An Jing

Starring: Li Yixiang, Wang Shuangbao, Wang Baoqiang, An Jing, Bao Zhenjiang

Director: Li Yang

Director: Li Yang
Screenwriter: Li Yang
Producer: Li Yang

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Aug 17, 2004

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Blind Shaft

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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An auspicious first feature; although relentlessly benighted, it is nevertheless beautifully filmed and well-acted.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Maria Garcia
Maria Garcia
Film Journal International

A descent into the hellish depths of one of those many recently privatized coal mines under China's new flirtation with the market economy.

Full Review Source: WBAI Web Radio | comment Comment
02/07/07
Prairie Miller
Prairie Miller
WBAI Web Radio

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out

a spare and spine-tingling exercise in pure Hitchcockian suspense

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/28/04
Don Willmott
Don Willmott
Filmcritic.com

A disturbing morality tale that questions how far one will go to survive under such conditions.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
05/01/04
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

This crafty little character piece keeps you guessing. If that wasn't enough, it also gets in some social commentary.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
04/30/04
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

The staccato, noirish film is proof, however, that China has no shortage of filmmaking talent.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
04/30/04
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

Depicts a way of life in China that I have no way of verifying but that I have to assume is relatively accurate. Either way, it's a decent film, not great but good enough.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
04/29/04
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

The disparity between our mental rhythms and the script's gets in the way of ingesting what Blind Shaft has to say about unchecked opportunism.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
04/17/04
Orlando Weekly

Weaves a tiny and compelling story, then manages to fix it within a larger tapestry of a culture bracing itself in a rush toward greed and prosperity.

Full Review Source: Fresno Bee | comment Comment
04/14/04
Donald Munro
Donald Munro
Fresno Bee

The deliberately paced film, with understated performances..., is rich with ambiance, painting a memorable and lurid portrayal of China's economic boom.

Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment Comment
04/06/04
Kent Turner
Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com

Fresh, stark and consistently uncompromising, Li Yang's Blind Shaft is an exceptional Chinese film noir.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
03/26/04
John Hartl
John Hartl
Seattle Times

If Martin Scorsese had been born in China, Blind Shaft is the sort of movie he might have made.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
03/25/04
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

While the lack of a musical track, energizing editing and visual variety makes Blind Shaft tedious viewing at times, the story is strong enough to sustain interest.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
03/25/04
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Engrossing because of its amazingly well-documented milieu, which German-trained writer-director Li Yang filmed on location in the northern provinces.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
03/25/04
Ellen Fox
Ellen Fox
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The end result is somewhat unsatisfying, largely because its twists aren't all that surprising and its outcome seems foreordained.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
03/19/04
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily News

Makes for gripping, merciless drama.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
03/18/04
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Taught and stylish.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
03/18/04
Tim Cogshell
Tim Cogshell
Boxoffice Magazine

Unfolds as fast and mercilessly as the way Song and Tang approach their victims: It sideswipes us.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
03/18/04
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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