The Chinese martial arts epic Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert, directed by Yuen Woo-ping (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Matrix, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Master Z: Ip Man Legacy, Ip Man 3 & 4, Fearless, Kung Fu Hustle, The Grandmaster), is set during the final years of the Sui dynasty, and is based on the 2015 manhua Biao Ren.

People are growing discontent with the corrupt Court, and there are uprisings across the country. The leader of The Flower Rebellion is mad genius Zhishilang (Sun Yizhou), who has vowed to overthrow the Great Sui Dynasty. He has become the country’s most wanted man, and many warriors have been dispatched to the Western Regions to capture him. Anyone found to be harboring this fugitive will be punished with nine familiar exterminations, and that’s just to begin with.

Dao Ma (Wu Jing, Wolf Warrior series, Meg 2: The Trench) was once a member of the esteemed Left Valiant Cavalry guard. However, he now works as a bounty hunter and bandit, risking his life to run down 800-coin bounties, often with his young nephew Xiao Qi in tow. After Dao makes his way to Chisha Town in search of a criminal known as Double-Headed Snake (Max Zhang The Grandmaster, Ip Man 3, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero), his actions catch the eye and ire of local imperial legate Lord Chang (Jet Li, The Expendables franchise, Lethal Weapon 4, Once Upon a Time in China and America). Chang tries to recruit Dao, but he wants nothing to do with the corrupt leader.

Dao quickly becomes the second most wanted man in the country, and flees to the safety of his old clan, led by Chief Mo (Tony Leung Ka Fai). The chief requests that Dao escort a fugitive to Chang’an—a dangerous city he fled years ago, where there’s a bounty on his head. It turns out that the fugitive in question is rebellion leader Zhishilang. Joining Dao on this mission is the chief’s daughter, Ayuya (Chen Lijun)—who has always had an interest in seeing Chang’an, and just recently called off her arranged marriage—and her loyal friend, Mo Guard Captain Yuchi Ani (Xiong Jinyi). Along the journey, they add two more to their party—the jade-faced ghost Shu (Yosh Yu) and his female prisoner Yan Ziniang (Li Yunxiao). Though whether Dao can trust them or not remains to be seen.

As the group makes its way through the desert towards Chang’an, they find themselves up against wave after wave of enemies, and must try to either out-run them or face off with these Imperial marksmen, soldiers, rival clans, other bounty hunters, and more. These folks are primarily after the bounty on Zhishilang, though Dao has also attracted some enemies himself, such as his former colleague from the Left Valiant Cavalry, Di Ting (Nicholas Tse, Shaolin, The Stool Pigeon, New Police Story) and his eye-patch wearing partner.

In some ways, Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert reminded me a bit of Mad Max Fury Road, but with a martial arts twist. Much of the film is about this group traveling through an empty desert in a stagecoach, constantly coming up against new groups of people trying to kill them, each with their own fighting styles and weapons. There are also characters with their own unique looks, names and weapons, adding a bit of a fantasy element to the film. Whether it’s swords, knives, darts, arrows, axes, or unique weapons I don’t even know how to explain, Dao seems skilled and prepared for anything. The fights are fast-moving, well-choreographed and exciting. The film includes an accomplished cast spanning four generations, and its exciting to see all of their different fighting styles come together and face off against one another.

In addition to this main journey, there are also a few concurrent side stories to follow. Initially when we meet Dao and Xiao Qi, their relationship isn’t quite clear. The boy is referred to as his son, but Xiao calls Dao by his real name. Over the course of the film, Dao’s past is slowly revealed, showing how the boy ended up in his care, and how he ended up becoming a bounty hunter rather than the esteemed swordsman and guardian he was. Another one of the main side stories explores the repercussions of Ayuya calling off her wedding, and how that affects the relationships between the clans, her father, and her former husband-to-be, who doesn’t seem to want to accept this.

The filmmakers have also added a bit of humor to the story. Zhishilang is supposed to be this inspirational and strong rebellion leader, but when Dao first meets him, he’s a bit of a bumbling fool. There’s also a lot of comedy with Shu and his female prisoner Yan Ziniang, who is constantly trying to either get free or use her feminine wiles to convince someone to set her free.

The film ultimately tells a complete story arc, but also sets things up for the likely sequel and next journey for these characters to go on.

Well Go has released Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert on 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo pack, DVD and Digital. We were sent the 4K release for review, which looks and sounds excellent. The picture is nearly flawless, with an excellent level of detail throughout. The film was shot on location, and this really shows. Whether it is sets like the inn where Dao faces off with Double-Headed Snake and Lord Chang, or the desert and all of the various attacking forces, it always looks great, and the fighting looks real.

The discs offer both the original Mandarin audio in a Dolby Atmos track as well as an English dub option DTS-HDMA track. Both tracks provide a nicely-immersive experience, which is evident right from the start as the sounds of an oncoming storm fill the room, or later with the winds in desert, or the sound of arrows whooping across a battlefield, or just the various weapons and limbs thrashing against one another. There was definite care taken in crafting the soundscape. I thought the English dub was really well done, and some of the dialogue was actually more natural sounding than its subtitle counterpart.

The 4K combo release includes both 4K and Blu-ray discs. The 4K disc only includes the film’s trailer, but the Blu-ray also includes about 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes, some alternate trailers, and some previews for three other Well Go releases. The discs are packed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase along with a carboard slipcover, but no digital copy code is included.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:05:57)

4K UHD:
• 2160p / Widescreen 2.35:1
• Dolby Vision / HDR10
• Audio: Mandarin Dolby Atmos in Dolby TrueHD, Mandarin DTS-HDMA 5.1, English DTS-HDMA 5.1, Spanish DTS-HDMA 5.1
• Subtitles: English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, French

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
• Audio: Mandarin Dolby Atmos in Dolby TrueHD, Mandarin Stereo, English DTS-HDMA 5.1, English Stereo, Spanish DTS-HDMA 5.1, Spanish Stereo
• Subtitles: English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, French

Extras:

4K Disc:
• Trailer (1:57)

Blu-ray Disc:

• Making Of
  Four-part featurette with the cast and crew that gives a look at the making of the film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Yuen Woo Ping, executive producer/star Wu Jing (“Dao Ma”), action choreographer Dang Shanpeng, action director Ku Huen Chiu, and stars Yosh Yu (“Shu”), Chen Lijun (“Ayuya”), Cisha (“Heyi Xuan”), Li Yunxiao (“Yan Ziniang”), Jet Li (“Chang Guren”), Nicholas Tse (“Di Ting”), Kara Wai (“Auntie Yuchi”), Liu Yaowen (“Pei Xingyan”), Xiong Jinyi (“Ani”), Sun Yizhou (“Zhishilang”), Jun (Wen Junhui) (“YujiNiuluo”), Biky Liang (“Kui Zhi”), Bai Narisu (“Arahant”), Li Jiahui (“Kin Rang”), Janelle Jing (“Peiwu Mi’er”), Win Win (“Da Lai”), Chaney Lin (“Xiao Lai”), Max Zhang (“Double-Headed Snake”), Tony Leung Ka Fai (“Chief Mo”) & Yu Rongguang (“Ying Long”). Presented in Mandarin with English subtitles. Select from:
  • The Essence Of Wuxia (4:01)
    The cast and crew discuss the setting and story, bringing together four generations of martial artists, shooting on location in the desert, and more.
  • Those Who Ascend The Mountain (6:04)
    A look at casting the younger actors and the extensive training they went through.
  • The Guardian Squad (4:12)
    A look at the seven-member team that forms, and those that are out to get them.
  • The Return (6:22)
    The younger cast talk about working with the returning martial arts veterans, while the legends talk about returning and working with the director.
• Trailers
  • Conflict Brings Destruction Trailer (1:24)
  • A Peek Into The Desert Trailer (1:37)
  • Join The Adventure Trailer (1:23)
  • US Trailer (1:57)
• Previews
  • Ip Man: Kung Fu Legend (1:37)
  • The Forbidden City (1:54)
  • Lone Samurai (1:47)

Final Thoughts:

Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert is an entertaining and epic film with lots of exciting action sequences and fight scenes, bringing together four generations of martial arts masters, each with different experience and fighting styles. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, which may be a bit overwhelming at first, but things do become clearer as the film moves along. There is action, drama and humor, and a likeable misfit team that forms at the center of the film. The movie tells a complete story but sets things up for a likely sequel. Well Go’s 4K release looks and sounds great and includes a well-performed English dub option. The release also includes a solid selection of bonus material. This is certainly work checking out for fans of the genre/cast.