Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

The Knight of Shadows Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 3, 2020

It’s perhaps indicative of the rote quality of a certain subgenre of Asian film that The Knight of Shadows* is at least the second or third film I’ve personally reviewed that begins with a so-called “demon hunter” attempting to wrestle a mutant (demonic) sea creature into submission (it’s actually hard for me to accurately recall how many films I’ve seen with this particular element — no watery pun intended — which itself may indicate as much as anything how some fantasy laden Asian films tend to traffic in some of the same imagery and plot mechanics). It’s also probably indicative of the vagaries of the Asian film market that The Knight of Shadows is labeled as being “a Jackie Chan film”, when Chan did not direct it (unless he used a pseudonym), typically the imprimatur that such a branding refers to (Chan did Executive Produce). The Knight of Shadows is often goofily enjoyable, even if it’s unabashedly reminiscent of many other Asian fantasy films, and it is of course wonderful to see Chan strutting his often wacky stuff on screen, even if that aspect can seem “well worn” more often than not.

* Neither the branding on the box nor the actual on screen title credit includes the subtitle Between Yin and Yang that the IMDb and several other online sources feature.

The Knight of Shadows does offer two nicely distinctive animated vignettes that in their own way are kind of like a Chinese silkscreen, oil painting or even a watercolor piece of art come to life a la Loving Vincent, though I'm sure this film's effects were rendered via CGI. The first of these moments is in fact how the film begins, with a well wrought animated sequence which features descriptive voice over by Chan, relating how when demons managed to penetrate the earthly realm, an intrepid hunter could imprison them in the pages of his book. The story ultimately gets to the aforementioned "mutant demonic fish" sequence, with the whole opening basically playing out in an animated realm, so much so that some may momentarily assume that this is an animated film (as in cartoon). Soon enough, though, the film reveals that the narrator is (live action) storyteller Pu Songling (Jackie Chan), a character culled from a real life Qing Dynasty notable, but who is here cast in more of a "magical" role, replete with a variety of CGI "friendly" demons as his acolytes. Pu Songling is shown to also be something of a smooth talking huckster, since the story he's relating as the film opens turns out to be one he's hawking from his own book, which he's hoping to sell to a gaggle of kids who are gathered around him, but who have had the temerity to ask for a story without having cash on hand to pay for it.

Meanwhile a bumbling police captain named Liu Quanzhen (Qiao Shan) is being upstaged by his acolyte, a newcomer to the force named Yan Fei (Lin Bohong). Yan Fei is introduced in a scene involving a robbery of jewels where he seems to be the "brains" of the cop outfit, though his superior turns out to not be overly impressed with Yan Fei's investigative prowess. Instead, when the captain is accosted by a bunch of overwrought mothers complaining that Pu Songling has been frightening their children with stories again (not to mention a scary, Groot-like character who follows Pu Songling around), the captain tasks Yan Fei with taking care of that problem instead.

That of course ultimately leads to the two teaming up, especially after Yan Fei is summarily dismissed from the police force, and also not so coincidentally after Pu Singsong uses what amounts to his “magic wand” to supposedly open Yan Fei’s third eye so that Yan Fei can see demons himself. The film, which some viewers may feel generally has a kind of attention deficit disorder sensibility to begin with, finally verges off into a perhaps unexpected detour involving the star crossed love affair between a demon named Nie Xiaoqian (Zhong Chuxi) and whatever the Chinese version of a ronin is, a fighter named Yan Chixia (Ruan Jingtian). This last subplot is evidently based on one of the real life Pu Songling’s best known ghost stories. This section, while arguably kind of coming out of left field, at least provides another really memorable animated sequence documenting some of the history between the two characters.

The Knight of Shadows is brisk and visually quite engaging, but it never provides anything very unexpected. Still, it's fun to see Chan strut his typically gonzo stuff, even if that, too, never provides anything very unexpected.

The Knight of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Knight of Shadows is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The IMDb lists "RED DSMC2 Helium 8K S35" in its technical specs for the film, which is an aggregation of a camera "brain" and sensor, but one way or the other, I'm not certain whether or not this was finished at a 2K or 4K DI. This is yet another Asian fantasy film that was obviously designed for a 3D presentation, but which is only being offered in its "flat" version for domestic consumption. There are all sorts of special effects that are more than apparently designed to either grant the frame depth or, alternatively, provide "in your face" moments, and their translation to a 2D environment may leave some wanting more. I'm on record as repeatedly stating that for whatever reason I tend to like RED captures more than those done with Arri Alexa models, but this transfer has some issues. Once again, there's noticeable banding (I actually noticed it more for the first time with regard to the Iqiyi Films masthead, rather than the Well Go USA masthead, where it can typically show up early on), but even more distractingly, there are some compression issues that tend to crop up repeatedly, especially (for whatever reason) toward the left bottom side of the frame (see screenshots 17 through 19 in full resolution for an idea of what I'm talking about). Generally, though, there's nice fine detail throughout the presentation, and the lush palette is also nicely rendered. My score is 3.75.

The Knight of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Knight of Shadows features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks in the original Mandarin, as well as an English dub. I noticed no really appreciable difference between the two languages in terms of surround activity or general mix levels, other than (obviously) the different languages being spoken. There is some fun placement of at times outlandish sound effects throughout the side and rear channels, and some of the biggest special effects sequences, as in the rousing sea demon segment early on, can offer nice bursts of LFE. All dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout, and is nicely mixed forward even in some of the noisiest effects sequences. Fidelity is fine throughout, and dynamic range is very wide on this appealing track.

The Knight of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers

  Teaser (International Version) (1080p; 1:24)

  
  

  Teaser (English Dub) (1080p; 1:23)

  
  

  Trailer A (International Version) (1080p; 2:00)

  
  

  Trailer A (English Dub) (1080p; 1:59)

  
  

  Trailer B (International Version) (1080p; 1:27)

  
  

  Trailer B (English Dub) (1080p; 1:26)

Note: As tends to be the case with Well Go USA Blu-ray releases, the supplements have been authored to follow one another automatically (so that clicking on the Teaser (International Version) is essentially a Play All button). After Trailer B (English Dub) for this film plays, the disc has been authored to automatically move on to trailers for other Well Go USA releases. Those trailers for other Well Go USA releases also play automatically at disc boot up.

The Knight of Shadows Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fans of Jackie Chan and/or this kind of fantasy laden Asian "demon hunter" film may get a passing kick out of The Knight of Shadows, even if some may feel they've seen it all before (repeatedly). This is another 2D presentation that probably looked spectacular in 3D, something that may disappoint some fans, but the video component here has a few other passing issues as documented above, but audio is really fun and immersive, for those who are considering a purchase.