“…Shiver-inducing on a level Rocky could never be…”

• Sarah Skeie, Boston Magazine

“SHADOW GLORIES… represents a strong debut by both Sandler and Swampscott director Ziad Hamzeh… The end is refreshingly unexpected…”

• Scott Bernard Nelson, The Boston Globe

…Tough, strong-minded… full of sound and fury…”

• Bridget Byrne, Box Office Magazine

“…Epic on a budget-level character study… …The direction, score and fight choreography are surprisingly first rate… …Sandler… demonstrates range. In an instant the rage in his eyes can be replaced by a winning twinkle… …Especially its ending – packs a raw jolt…”

• Ric Kisonak, Film Threat Magazine On-line

“Director Ziad H. Hamzeh’s SHADOW GLORIES begins with a man struggling through a swirling current of waist-deep water, its surface aglow in an infernal red color, his gasps echoing through a nightmarish maze of underground tunnels. The images and sound shift and collide into a kaleidoscope of desperation and fury. It’s a haunting scene, and it provides a memorable opening to a memorable film…”

• Chris Cooke, NewEnglandFilm.com

“An interesting mix of brutality, mysticism and surrealism… …Director Ziad Hamzeh can shock us with the harrowing violence of the ring yet also show deft touches in both the dream sequences and in the sensitive way he handles the scenes between Simon (Sandler) and Jenny (Linda Amendola)… …Sandler has not only fashioned an unusual but riveting tale, but also turns in a convincingly brooding performance… The film and Isenberg offer a grimly compelling portrayal of going over the edge… There’s never a moment when the film and the characters don’t smack of being real in a way so many Hollywood films that might deal with the same general topic or sport are not… What SHADOW GLORIES strives to give us is the truth— as raw and ugly as that might be…”

• Richard Duckett, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

“Blend Raging Bull, Rocky, The Karate Kid, Girlfight, and the Jean-Claude Van Damme-as-streetfighter flick Lionheart and you get something like SHADOW GLORIES… …SHADOW GLORIES is uncompromising in showing the brutality of the fights and the bloodlust of its participants and spectators… …The film’s nightmarish opening scenes, including credits that appear to rush forward at the viewer (like something out of a ‘50’s film noir) grab your attention… Every emotion… is squeezed for all it’s worth…”

• Tim Miller, The Cape Cod Times