Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Wind Blast Blu-ray Movie Review

Maybe they don't know what "wind" is a euphemism for over here.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 2, 2012

Fans of anime may recognize the tagline “All Action! No Filler!” from the drastically reedited (some would say completely redacted) version of Dragon Ball Z called Dragon Ball Z Kai, a reboot of what had been an insanely long anime series, dicing and slicing whole plot arcs out of the proceeding to provide a relatively more streamlined entertainment that focused on hyperbolic battles, at least for the most part. That same tagline might have been appropriated for Wind Blast, except that some might argue that it would need to be revised to state something like “All Action! No Plot!” or “All Action! No Characters!” or even “Bursts of Action Interrupted by Long Nonsensical Passages That Are Virtually Incomprehensible!” That last one is probably too long for an effective tagline, but it perhaps most accurately sums up the rather bizarre overall ambience of this Chinese film which describes itself as a Kung Fu Western. One might assume that things had simply gotten lost in translation had Wind Blast come with a particularly arcane English soundtrack, but that’s not the case here: only the original Mandarin language track is included, but not even that helps to unravel the (assumed) nuances of a film that seem rather precariously poised between the worlds of Quentin Tarantino and Sergio Leone, with just a hint of John Woo thrown in for good measure (and, no, that’s not a typo). Even comparing the plot synopsis provided to Blu-ray.com with the press sheet and the scarce online material about the film (which evidently didn’t receive much if any of a Chinese theatrical exhibition—probably for good reason), one finds at least a few disparities that only point out how hopelessly misshapen the narrative of Wind Blast is. There’s something going on here that involves lots of insanely (and admittedly well staged and quite enjoyable) car chases and more than a few standoffs where people point guns at each other and grimace a lot, but the overall ambience of Wind Blast may leave more than a few viewers scratching their heads and asking a collective, “Hey, how do you say ‘WTF’ in Mandarin?”

Part of the issue with Wind Blast is its breathless tone, a tone which emphasizes style over substance, which is probably a good thing, since Wind Blast seems perilously lacking in any (substance, that is). The film gets off to a great start with a lot of information imparted very quickly (information which sadly becomes maddeningly tangential as the film progresses) as we see what appears to be a kind of lowlife who may be a runner for a mob boss (nothing is very clear in this film) take a quick snapshot of a guy in a car, and then scurry off to put a few (well, more than a few) bullets into another guy who’s eating at a restaurant. Just as quickly we’re suddenly in the Gobi Desert, dealing with a trio of Stooges who turn out to be cops searching for this hit man. Also entering the fray are two other hired killers, and the rest of Wind Blast plays out as a hyperbolic (and at times surreal) dance between these three groups (including the hit man’s girlfriend, who is along for the ride).

If you don’t mind that not much makes sense here, and that there is more often than not absolutely no motivating factor for just about everything that happens, Wind Blast does have some insanely over the top action sequences that may delight those who don’t mind (and perhaps even seek out) mindless entertainment. Whatever professional aggregation of Chinese stunt drivers must have had a field day making Wind Blast, for the film features not one, but two, fantastic interactions between various vehicles where one car is backing up maniacally fast as another chases it through the barren expanses of the Gobi Desert. It plays in a way like a Chinese version of the old Steven Spielberg made for television Duel, where the cars (and/or trucks, as the case may be) actually have more “personality” than any of the human performers. Later we get explosions and just for good measure a stampede of ponies that is both absurdly hilarious and bizarrely entertaining.

The self-advertised “Kung Fu” element really never comes into play, as the characters here much prefer to either engage in good old fashioned fisticuffs or, even better, good old fashioned gun battles. Director Gao Qunshu wants to invest Wind Blast with a sort of proto-Western ethos (Westerns are becoming all the rage in China), but with these intentionally ironic characters, the mix is decidedly anachronistic, reeking of the self-indulgence that has sunk more than one Tarantino effort. Still, there’s no denying the kinetic quality of the action sequences here, and those may indeed be enough to put this film over the hump for many viewers. There’s a lot of noise and furious energy abounding in Wind Blast, but, alas, like that Shakespeare quote of yore, it seems to be signifying nothing, or at least nothing that makes any sense.

Wind Blast Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Wind Blast is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Shot on Super 35 and processed with a 2K digital intermediate, Wind Blast's high definition presentation is rather surprisingly grainy for a film put through the DI mill, though signs of rampant post production tweaking are otherwise abundantly on display, including a lot of desaturation and an emphasis on grays and browns throughout the film's fairly monochromatic palette. Contrast is also played with throughout the film, at times pushed to the point where whites bloom, and at other times pulled back so that some night scenes are awash in what one must assume is intentional crush. Fine object detail is generally excellent in close-ups, and even overly dusty and dirty scenes (of which there are a glut in this film) resolve accurately, with little if any artifacting. There is some very brief shimmer to be seen on a couple of intricately patterned costumes, but otherwise this is a nicely sharp presentation which preserves a properly cinematic look.

Wind Blast Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Wind Blast's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio (in the original Mandarin) is a suitably boisterous affair, with ubiquitous sound effects, including some nonstop LFE, filling the surrounds with a lot of immersion and aural business. Despite the bulk of the film taking place in the barren climes of the Gobi Desert, the sound design here doesn't sound particularly "empty", as even non-action scenes are filled with ambient environmental effects, including lots of that titular wind. Panning effects are utilized in abundance throughout the film, with some action sequences becoming a near riot of sound effects zinging through the sound field with wacky aplomb. Dialogue is fairly clear, though the soundtrack tends to get so busy at times that dialogue almost takes a back seat to the rampant sound effects. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range is also wide and varied.

Wind Blast Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making Of (SD; 25:05) is a decent enough featurette, offering some thoughts by director Gao Qunshu on how he adapted the Western idiom to a contemporary cops and robbers scenario. There's quite a bit of footage of scenes being shot along with the requisite interviews with the principal cast.


• Behind the Scenes (SD; 23:40) is mislabeled as Behind the Scene (singular) on the disc menu, but the actual featurette has the piquant title Camera Tidbits. This offering features more pre-production and production footage, with everything from make-up tests to stunt choreography.


• Trailer (HD; 1:31)

Wind Blast Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the unintentional (one hopes, anyway) hilarity department, it takes well over a minute and a half for all of Wind Blast's various production companies to have their little logo moment in the sun as the film starts. Company after company appears, each with a second or two of theme music and animated title sequence, and then, just when you think the film is finally going to actually start, several more seconds of "presenters" flies by in Chinese ideographs. This may be an indication that there were "too many Indians, not enough Chiefs," to utilize a not especially politically correct phrase. Wind Blast has some fantastically over the top action elements, but that's about all it has. Characters do a variety of weird things with no motivation, the plot is basically nonexistent and even putative points are just shuffled to the wayside, never to be mentioned again (or at least only very briefly). For those who want a couple of wild car chases and lots of gun showdowns, not to mention a pony stampede and explosions, Wind Blast may be the perfect mindless entertainment you've been craving.