Cast of Black Coal, Thin Ice
Black Coal, Thin Ice Reviews
Minneapolis Star Tribune Jim Brunzell III
Writer/director Diao Yinan's brilliant and beautifully stylized Chinese noir transfixes the viewer with its cynical cops, hazardous settings and a mysterious aura of days gone by before delivering a devious denouement. IONCINEMA.com Nicholas Bell
Bleak but superbly moody, Diao Yinan's Black Coal, Thin Ice is an exciting homage to classic American film noir from a completely unexpected source, and much more intelligent than the simplicity of its title indicates. Floating World Dustin Chang
Diao's China, the Beijing Olympics still 4 years away, is still very much provincial ("Who brought in a horse in my apartment?"), yet fast changing and cold-hearted. The film announces the arrival of another major auteur in Chinese cinema. Asian Movie Pulse Panos Kotzathanasis
"Black Coal, Thin Ice" is a great art-house noir that thrives on both contextual and visual level, with the awards it received being utterly justified. Bay Area Reporter David Lamble
Kudos for a truly brave performance from lead actor Liao Fan. The Film Experience Glenn Dunks
[I]mbued with a wicked sense of humor that allows its more dark and gruesome elements to never suffocate the viewer ... [with] a final sequence that will likely go down as the best film ending of the year. Los Angeles Daily News Bob Strauss
Moments of shocking violence, a passive/aggressive femme fatale and hints of psychological depth don't do much to goose the TV cop show plot. Eye for Film Jennie Kermode
Black Coal, Thin Ice is a painstakingly deliberate neo-noir, heavy on atmosphere and taking its time to build. A masterpiece of framing and composition, Diao Yinan's Black Coal, Thin Ice is a rare kind of film in which no shot feels unconsidered or out of place
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Black Coal, Thin Ice (Us Trailer) Black Coal, Thin Ice: Workers Discuss The Case (US)
