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Monday, December 21, 2009

[4.00/10] Tracing Shadow (2009)


Tracing Shadow (2009)

Short review: "Tracing Shadow" is a wuxia/comedy hybrid from the producers of "Forbidden Kingdom" and "Kung Fu Hustle". The information sounded promising, but the movie ended up being a cheesy and dull martial arts comedy. The storyline is classically drawn, with martial-arts masters converging on a village in search of a lost treasure map. But the film’s execution is so off-kilter and confused! At times it seemed like two or three different pictures competing for screen time - the slapstick comedy, the martial-arts action film, the dramatic mystery—with none given enough time or attention to cohere successfully. Despite being a Kung Fu Comedy, unlike "Kung fu Hustle" for example, aside from the first 10 mins or so and the last act there is actually very little in the way of ‘real’ action. Instead what takes place is mostly situational comedy, followed by someone being chased, followed by more gags, and followed by more chasing. The fight choreography is decent though and so is the cinematography and the art direction. All in all, "Tracing Shadow" is messy, forgettable and often stupid kung fu comedy that even die-hard fans of the genre should avoid.

  • My Rating: 4.00/10
  • Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
  • IMDb: 4.2/10

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