10 Most Intense Scenes In War Films

Shadow is an excellent, perhaps underrated, film that depicts war in a beautiful, artistic manner while also portraying the deep sadness of its violence.

In this scene, which the film has indicated will be the climax, our protagonist goes to the fortress of a rival faction and challenges its leader to a duel. However, he is actually using this duel as a distraction so that his allies can slip into the fortress, while the faction leader is distracted, and take the city.

The final battle of the film is strange in many ways. The lead character is sympathetic. However, his opponent, Yang, has not been made villainous as one might expect from an antagonist. He has a loving relationship with his son and seems generally to be a decent person. There's no clear framework for who we should sympathize with. This moral murkiness will only increase.

The duel itself is also an intricate tactical exercise, taking into account the environment, the different fighting styles at play, and the emotional state of each fighter. That last consideration becomes all the more important as the invading army takes the city and it becomes obvious Yang's son has been killed.

Yang becomes understandably enraged. The duel ramps up in intensity, becoming less a dance between experienced warriors and more a desperate struggle to kill the other person first.

In the end, we experience the deaths of multiple named characters on both fronts of the battle - each death avoidable and unfortunate. Ultimately, by smashing our moral expectations and delivering us tragedy after tragedy, the scene brings out an underhanded, morally bankrupt side of war that perfectly sets up the last act of the film.