A demented couple, Cena (Yang Xing, Qimen Dark Blade) and Rido (Zhang Yaqi, The Legend of Enveloped Demons), stage a massive siege of a courthouse, murdering the human trafficker on trial as well as many more innocent bystanders, police officers, and courtroom personnel. SWAT officer Dong Gu (Andy On, Special I.D., Ride On, 100 Yards) hears the commotion inside and, against orders, leaves his post and leads the charge into the courthouse to stop it. The resulting chaos is disastrous, leaving one of the attackers dead, Dong’s partner Yun (Wang Hanyangm) badly wounded, and Dong permanently blinded. As Cena is being handcuffed and taken away, she warns Dong, “from this moment on, every breath you take is a gift from me”, and says that she will return. Dong is relieved of his duty following immense public outcry over the many officers who lost their lives due to his rash decision to break protocol and rush in.
Dong is sad and depressed, and gets frustrated and angered easily. The only thing that seems to calm him down is listening to his daughter Yati playing her violin. But Dong soon discovers that with his eyesight gone, his hearing has become extremely acute and sensitive. He is somehow able to use sound to visualize the space around him to make up for his vision loss.
As Dong accompanies his daughter on her school symphony trip, she is kidnapped and is to be sold at auction. Dong is furious and will stop at nothing to get Yati back. Meanwhile, Mr. Zha Kun (Qi Shenghan) has taken over his now-deceased father’s human trafficking operation, and is actively trying to get to Cena in prison to make her pay. However, Cena also has her own revenge plan, plotting her prison escape so that she can make Dong pay for the death of her husband. And so these three folks are on a collision course—some sooner than they thought—as each pursues their own personal vendetta. Can Dong find and save his daughter before she’s sold off to the highest bidder, or before this psychopath Cena catches up to him?
Blind War is a wild action film with a lot of humor. The film’s over-the-top opening sequence with the attack on the courthouse by this couple dressed like a priest and a sexy school girl, giggly and kissing as they cause mass murder and explosions, really sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The action is well-choreographed, whether it be bullets, bombs and grenades, or martial arts kicks and punches. Once the action starts, anything can become a weapon—ropes, chains, hatchets, etc. The fights are fast, furious and brutal, and quite varied, keeping the film from feeling repetitive. Just because Dong is blind, it doesn’t mean he can’t clear out a room or a stairwell full of attackers. It is very Daredevil-esque in the way he is able to use his hearing to figure out how and where his attackers are approaching from. The film makes use of some creative visuals and slow motion to emphasize this, and there are some nice oner-like shots weaving through the action.
The film does require some suspension of disbelief. Some of the things Dong is able to accomplish blind seem nearly impossible even with 20/20 vision. However, no matter how ridiculous things get, it’s still quite entertaining to watch. The villains are also a bit campy and cartoony, but in a fun way, often making big speeches before they attack, or having elaborate plans, such as a Saw-like trap that makes Dong have to choose who to save. In addition to the excellent fight and action sequences, Blind War has a lot of humor. Several of the comedic moments come from Don’s partner, Yun, who seems to be the only one worried that Cena might be coming for him. However, the character that is purely there for comic relief is Detective Rama (Dao Dao), who feels a bit like a bumbling Inspector Clouseau—he’s even decked out with a similar hat and trenchcoat. He starts off investigating Yati’s disappearance, but as the bodies start to pile up, this turns into a manhunt for the blind man, who is his primary suspect for all this death and destruction. Rama is constantly getting injured along the way, with more and more bandages added onto his person. It almost feels like he’s in/from a completely different movie—he even has his own comedic score whenever he appears on screen.
Well Go’s Blu-ray release of Blind War looks good and and sounds great. The picture looks very clean and crisp throughout with an excellent level of detail. The only issues I had were a bit of banding about 16 minutes in, but this seemed to pretty much clear up after that scene. The audio track is only offered in Mandarin (through there are a few moments here and there when English is spoken). The audio track is quite immersive, especially during the big action sequences. The subtitles are well-written and easy to follow, but with so much fast-paced action, I really wish there had been a dub option as well.
Well Go’s Blu-ray release is a barebones, just including the film’s trailer and some previews for three other Well Go films as bonus material. The Blu-ray comes packed in a locking HD keepcase. There is no digital copy, and our review copy did not include a slipcover.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:47:10)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
- Audio: Mandarin 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Mandarin Stereo
- Subtitles: English, French
Extras:
- Trailer (1:59)
- Previews
- Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2:28)
- Noryang: Deadly Sea (1:28)
- Born To Fly (1:57)
Final Thoughts:
Blind War can be completely ridiculous, campy and over-the-top at times, but that’s what makes it so entertaining. The fight and action sequences are well-choreographed and visually exciting. It’s just a really fun ride—an action/popcorn movie with a lot of humor. Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks good and sounds great (though no English dub option is offered). The disc is barebones when it comes to bonus material, but still comes recommended based on the entertainment value and rewatchability of the film itself. The film is currently streaming on Well Go’s Hi-YAH! streaming service, and will be available on Blu-ray/digital June 11.
Blind War Blu-ray
$14.99 $14.98 (as of November 4, 2024 10:26 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
