Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    HORRORSCREAMS VIDEOVAULT – SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT HORROR
    • Home
    • Film Reviews
      • Films Beginning With Numbers or Symbols
      • A – C
      • D – F
      • G – I
      • J – L
      • M – O
      • P – R
      • S – U
      • V – X
      • Y – Z
    • Book Reviews
    • Franchise Corner
    • Competitions
    • Horror Screams Podcast
    • Contact Us
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    HORRORSCREAMS VIDEOVAULT – SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT HORROR

    Film Review: SHADOWPLAY (2019)

    Peter 'Witchfinder' HopkinsBy Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins30th April 2020No Comments2 Mins Read

    SHADOWPLAY ** Malaysia 2019 Dir: Tony Pietra Arjuna. 90 mins

    Cinematographer Praveen Kumar and the score by Stellar Dreams makes this Kula Lumpur-set 21st century noir look and sound fabulous – it’s a shame the rest of the movie isn’t up to much. Small-time Private Eye Tony Eusoff is hired to find a missing college student (the beautiful Juria Hartmans) in a relentlessly rainy, neon-drenched urban jungle. Whilst pursuing this notably lucrative case, he gets addicted to the influential author of “Violet Horizons”, encounters an amusing explanation of the modern-day “femme fatale” and is plagued by childhood flashbacks and lucid dreaming. The hokey voiceovers at the heart of SHADOWPLAY are as good a reminder as any of the reasons why Harrison Ford’s droning narration from BLADE RUNNER was ultimately dumped for subsequent releases of the film.

    This hybrid of Ridley Scott, Nicolas Winding Refn and David Lynch is galvanised by its beautiful synth soundtrack but proves dramatically inert, despite (laughable) surrealistic touches and the occasional outburst of cartoonish gore. The dialogue nods regularly to game books and fantasy fiction, but too often gets bogged down in wooden interactions: “You seem awfully familiar…I can’t place it…I can just smell it, you know…” This ambitious flick does, at least, confirm Eusoff’s observations on his work as being “as boring as any other job” and, with its use of a creepy supporting character in blackface, unintentionally echoes the unforgettable Papa Lazarou from TV’s THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN.

    Review by Steven West

     

    Facebook0Like0Share0Tweet0Pin0
    Fantasy Mystery Shadowplay Thriller Tony Pietra Arjuna

    Related Posts

    Film Review: SNAKE DICK (2020) (Short Film)

    28th June 202202 Mins Read
    Read More

    Film Review: CLOWNFACE (2019)

    19th June 202202 Mins Read
    Read More

    Film Review: DADDY’S GIRL (2018)

    9th June 202203 Mins Read
    Read More

    Film Review: HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS (1983)

    8th June 202203 Mins Read
    Read More

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Search The Website
    Recent Posts
    • Special Needs Revolt! Currently In-Development from Adrian Esposito-Nomeika
    • Better Noise Films’ Acclaimed Gorefest THE RETALIATORS, Featuring Mötley Crue and Papa Roach, Sets Worldwide Release
    • Horror Channel rebrands as Legend
    • SRS June Blu-rays – Pre-sales begin now on a new Amityville Movie, a Horror Musical and a Grindhouse Homage.
    • Peaches Christ’s Lost Cult Film ALL ABOUT EVIL Starring Natasha Lyonne Resurrected This Summer on Blu-ray & Shudder
    Archives
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.