Tag Spledour and Films Limited, 2003

starring: Li Yi Xiang, Wang Baoqiang and Wang Shuangbao
written and directed by: Li Yang

the plot: In the black tunnels of China’s newly opened coal mining industry, con men Song (Xiang) and Tang (Shuangbao) have figured out what seems to be the perfect scam. They murder an unsuspecting coworker, make it look like an accident and tell the mine boss that the dead man is a close relative. Eager to avoid government scrutiny, the boss pays the two men a tidy sum and sends them on their way. It’s easy money for a pair of immoral killers, but when they think about trying again at a new mine with Feng Ming (Baoqiang), a naïve teenager looking for work so he can pay for his sister’s schooling, complications soon arise. Tang thinks the boy is easy prey, but Song is hesitant—the boy reminds him too much of his own son. Tang grows more impatient about killing the boy, while Song becomes more like a doting father, and soon the whole scheme unravels.

why it’s good: Noir doesn’t get much blacker than “Blind Shaft,” a suspenseful little gem that also manages to work in a harsh critique of both socialism and capitalism. But unlike a lot of noir thrillers that feature labyrinthine plots with last-minute surprise revelations, “Blind Shaft” is more about the journey than the destination. It’s clear from the opening sequence, where Song and Tang dispatch their first victim, that the two men are headed for a bad end, but it’s the why, not the how, that’s compelling. Director Yang lingers on the barren, industrial landscapes of the mines, a physical representation of Song and Tang’s amoral career. But is it really their fault? Yang lays blame at everyone’s feet, from the corrupt Chinese government to the greedy mine bosses, as well as the two protagonists (or are they antagonists?). When Song and Tang take their young target to a prostitute (so that he doesn’t die a virgin), it almost seems like the three have hastily formed a dysfunctional family. But Yang doesn’t offer any sentimentality, just a devastating trip in a night-black underworld.

why you should own it: “Blind Shaft” is a must for noir fans; however, Kino Video’s DVD is lacking in extras, making the $30 list price difficult to justify.