"Blind War" (2022)

by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden

In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s the Chinese action flick Blind War (Mang zhan) by Suiqiang Huo.

Synopsis

After breaking protocol during a surprise courthouse siege that leaves him permanently blinded, a SWAT captain retires from the force in disgrace. But while he adjusts to his new reality as a civilian, his beloved daughter is kidnapped, forcing him to seek out an unlikely ally to help him pursue justice from the shadows.

The Good

Joseph: Andy On is solid in the starring role as a SWAT officer blinded in a showdown with villains in the first act, who must save his teen daughter from human traffickers. Yang Xing gives an all-in performance as a revenge-fueled psycho. Blind War boasts some gunplay and hand-to-hand combat choreography that fans of Asian action movies should get a kick out of.

Mike: Fans of action flicks will find a lot to like here with Blind War. Explosions, shoot outs, hand-to-hand fights a’plenty - the only thing missing is a car chase (although a few do get blown up)!

Andy On as our protagonist channels a bit of Zatoichi and Daredevil as Suiqiang Huo directs a beautifully choreographed ballet of mayhem with some great cinematography and slow motion strikes and explosive impacts.

Yang Xing, who plays “widow with a grudge” Cena (no connection to John), is fantastic in a manic way and certainly holds her own when it’s time to take some people out.

The Bad

Joseph: Blind War harks back to the heyday of Hong Kong action flicks, but settles too easily on being a derivative mash-up of Daredevil, Taken, and Saw-light elements. When the scenery isn’t being chewed, it’s being shot up or exploded. At about an hour and 42 minutes running time of cliché after trope, the film asks a lot of viewers. And do not play a Blind War drinking game where everyone drinks every time the hero’s daughter says “Dad!”. Alcoholic poisoning will ensue.

Mike: Normally I try to choose carefully what plot points I mention so as to avoid spoilers, be they large or small, but if you’re into action movies you’ve already seen this entire film, albeit in bits and pieces from other films that have come before it, so there’s really nothing to spoil. There’s the aforementioned shoot outs and hand-to-hand fights, the “enemy of my enemy is my friend” trope, the kidnapped daughter trope, the “bomb strapped to someone” angle… Really, there’s no need to mention the movies by name as I’m sure you can list your own top ten of potential inspirations just by what’s been mentioned.

There’s also a weird tonal imbalance going on with a detective who is trying to track down our main protagonist. While the rest of the movie is serious, this detective zooms right past comedic relief and skyrockets into the slapstick, buffoon stratosphere. Inspectors Clouseau and Gadget have nothing on this guy. If there’s anything to take you out of the moment, it’s a doofus with a neck brace hurting himself by twisting his head too quickly and comically wincing.

The Verdict

Joseph: Recommended for completists of Asian actioners. Aficionados of the genre will have already seen pretty much everything going on here, from the revenge elements at play to — yes, really — which wire to cut to defuse a bomb.

Mike: If you’re a fan of full-tilt action flicks then you’ll be in for a treat with Blind War with its bombastic fight scenes and multiple explosions. The story itself is awfully derivative and features enough tropes and clichés to serve as an encyclopedic manual on the genre and there’s an odd tonal disconnect between an investigator and the rest of the proceedings, but there’s also a couple of great performances and excellent fight choreography on display, so depending on how you feel about one aspect or another it may just end up being a wash as to whether or not this falls too far on the side of ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’.