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Killing The Shadows is a bawdy comic fable based on two legendary figures in Turkish folkore, the jester Hacivat (Beyazit Ozturk) and the nomad Karagoz (Haluk Bilginer), men who apparently lived and died by their sense of humour. Set in the Ottoman Empire during the mid-14th century, the film's appeal to audiences unfamiliar with its myriad cultural references seems doubtful, especially given the confusing plotting, the over-ripe performances and the pedestrian special effects.
Killing The Shadows principally unfolds in the melting pot environment of the city of Bursa, where people of different faiths - Christian, Jewish, Muslim - freely rub shoulders, and the ruling class have sworn allegiance to the Mongol forces on purely pragmatic grounds. It's here that the opportunistic former envoy Hacivat and the hot-tempered labourer Karagoz are thrown together. Soon the mismatched duo are performing their comedy routines to packed audiences and VIP guests at the local outdoor theatre, but their mischief-making risks threatening the governing status quo.
"BUFFOONERY AND WISE-CRACKING"
Considering the current controversy in Europe surrounding satirical humour offending religious sensibilities, there's potential here for an interesting medieval allegory. However director Ezel Akay and screenwriter Levent Kaza wildly overindulge the buffoonery and wise-cracking of their central characters, who are predictably given a token romantic interest in the form of warrior-babe Lady Ayse (Sebenem Donmez). And with an unwieldy two and a quarter hour running time, this makes for patience-sapping viewing.
In Turkish with English subtitles.
