As often happens to the sightless in the movies (Blind Fury, Daredevil, Don’t Breathe, et al.), a positive side of the disability manifests: a preternatural sense of hearing. Such is the case for former Special Forces Capt. Dong (Andy On, Black Mask 2: City of Masks) after he’s blinded by a grenade flash in a courthouse siege. That complicates Dong’s first civilian mission: Rescuing his kidnapped daughter, a violin prodigy, from auction on the dark web. Villains number many, with Jane Wu (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) sexing things up and standing out in a too-brief role as the Dragon King.
Frequent On director Suiqiang Huo (Demon Sealer Bureau) appears to relish in the potential of the script’s setup. It’s Taken ripped from the pages of the Braille book of revenge. However, he fails continuously to give consistency to Dong’s aural power. The guy can dodge bullets by listening for the slightest trigger click … yet somehow fails to notice the oncoming van speeding toward him in an enclosed parking garage.
Blind War can’t its find way to a satisfying whole. The action sequences can delight, but not all do. Among the most memorable involve a chain-and-dunk-tank contraption that could come straight out of Saw and, at the end, the ol’ ticking bomb our visually impaired hero must defuse. On the downside, not enough story beats exist to fill the gaps, and the back-half inclusion of a bumbling detective (a debuting Dao Dao) sits way too far on the Inspector Clouseau end of the comic-relief spectrum.
All in all, the Chinese film is a case of the blind leading the bland. It’s not the fault of its star, who brings his easy likability and striking physicality to the role. Selfishly, I just wish he’d brought his gorgeous wife (and Zombie Fight Club co-star), Jessica Cambensy, too. —Rod Lott