Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Yang Bingjia
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Xie Miao, Gao Yi, Zhang Haosen, Gao Weiman, Xiang Hao
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (DTS 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Widescreen, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 18 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ November 28, 2023

         The character of blind martial artist has existed in numerous forms throughout film history, including the longest running Japanese film series based on the wandering swordsman and ronin, Zatoichi. There have also been iterations of the trope in other national cinemas, including Hong Kong and Hollywood. The Chinese release, Eye for an Eye: The Blind Swordsman, doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it is a solid contribution to the archetype, expertly made with impressive choreography and gorgeous cinematography. Even with an overcomplicated plot despite the simplicity of the story, this is one of the best action films to come out of China in years.

 

        The simple storyline of Eye for an Eye follows Blind Cheng (Miao Xie), a registered bounty hunter taking jobs to save money for an operation to regain his sight. Cheng comes across a young winemaker named Ni Yan (Weiman Gao) on her wedding day, accepting an invitation to the celebration in order to partake in the libations. After overindulging, Cheng wakes to discover the aftermath of a massacre and sets out to find the missing bride and to enact justice against those responsible for the violence.

 

        As simple as the story may be, the cast of characters overwhelms what should have been a straightforward genre exercise. Thankfully, it doesn’t matter if each detail about the intricate relationships and their backstories are clear when the action starts. Expertly choreographed with style and precision, Eye for an Eye understands what truly makes an action film sing. What makes it especially impressive is the decision to use practical stunt work in place of CGI, which has lazily been used as a shortcut in much of the action genre across multiple national cinemas.

 

        In addition to the awesome fight choreography, Eye for an Eye is further enhanced by its beautiful moody cinematography. The film balances grounded action with stylized camerawork, which looks even better in the high-definition presentation of the Blu-ray release. Unfortunately, this is the only benefit of the release, with no special features beyond an optional English-language dubbing I would not recommend. There is also a trailer.

 

Entertainment Value: 7.5/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 7/10

Historical Significance:  5/10

Special Features: 1/10