Starring D.Y Sao and Layton Matthews. Shadow Master is a supernatural martial arts showpiece. A night watchman in an old abandoned hospital where people now live is given animal-like powers by a dark god after he is slain by a death cult.
My final martial arts movie of 2022, this one almost passed me by. It’s only by chance someone posted a trailer on a martial arts Facebook group I’m a member of. The trailer looked awesome so had to give it a go.
Set it what looks like a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future. Or maybe it’s just the desperate circumstance people find themselves in.
Shadow Master starts with a Swat team bursting into an abandoned hospital and seeing the movie’s main protagonist A Voaen (D.Y Sao) covered in blood and dragging a body in the dark. He gives himself up and is taken to the station for questioning by Detective Russell (Layton Matthews)
The movie is then played out through and flashback and Voaen describes the events that lead him to this point.
He was hired as a night watchman in an abandoned hospital where people now live in exchange for boarding and food.
Making conversation with the landlord and other residents, he hears stories about children going missing in the night, taken by Ghosts. Being quite the handy fighter, they need a night watchman who can handle himself.
The movie cuts between Voaen talking in the interview room, his past doing jobs for local villains as an enforcer and his time in the hospital. It’s not long before he encounters the four Horseman. What looks to me like a death cult. It’s not really explained but they need child sacrifices to complete whatever it is they are doing. Being quite the fighters and maybe having powers, Voaen is knifed in the chest and near beaten to death on his first run-in with them. Close to death, the landlord tries to save Voaen with a ritual and he is visited by Hanuman the god of death who wants to strike a deal with Voaen. Hanuman wants Voaen to stop the four horseman. In return, he will return him to life and will grant him animal-like powers/parsley to inhabit his body.
So, returned to life and stronger than ever, Voaen releases his inner Tony Yaa and goes after the cult to save more recently kidnapped children.
So, with all that out of the way. It’s to go to the main reason to watch this movie. The fight scenes.
As mentioned, D.Y Sao being mainly a stunt double up to this point is very similar to Tony Yaa. With elbows, knees and acrobatic kicks coming from all angles. All quite spectacular the fights get more bloody and violent as they go on with heads getting caved in and disendowments going off.
Most of the four horsemen/weird cult look like Cenobite extras from Hellraiser movies. Hanuman definitely looks like something out of a horror movie.
The only real challenge to Voaen comes in the form of Samuel (Brain Le) who looks like he’s straight out of Mortal Kombat. Sporting an awesome Kung Lao type hat. He is highly skilled and has near supernatural strength. Nearly killing Voaen even with his powers. They have quite the epic fight.
In conclusion. I could probably even put Shadow Master in my martial arts horror list although there’s nothing really frightening. The setting could even be changed from a ritual death cult to human traffickers kidnapping children and it wouldn’t make much difference. Although let’s face it, human trafficking has been done to death. Plus, the supernatural elements give the reason for extra powers and abilities. Horror movie fans will probably be disappointed but in saying that, martial arts won’t be disappointed, anyone that’s a fan of Tony Jaa’s early work will be pleasantly surprised. D.Y Sao looks the part and doesn’t disappoint. I hope to see more of him in future movies.
Shadow Master is available on Amazon now.
Rating 2.5/5 belts
