Why So Blu?

Steppenwolf (Blu-ray Review)

Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s Steppenwolf Blu-ray Limited Edition arrives courtesy of Arrow Video, pairing gritty visuals with a story that blends bleak humor, violence, and emotional trauma. It’s a strikingly made film with moments that stick, even if not every element lands. The tone veers from absurdist to brutal without much warning, but that unpredictability is part of its appeal. This limited edition also includes Yerzhanov’s 2022 feature Goliath, along with a solid set of bonus features that will appeal to fans of bold, uncompromising cinema.

 

Film 

Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s Steppenwolf is a film that doesn’t beg for your sympathy — because it doesn’t care if you like the characters. And that’s kind of the point. Set against a dusty, near-apocalyptic landscape littered with corruption, trauma, and absurd violence, the film introduces Tamara, a mother on a mission to find her missing son, and Brajyuk, a hard-edged private detective whose moral compass is completely shattered. Together, they form a reluctant and volatile duo as they carve a bullet-strewn path through a town run by thugs, cowards, and bureaucratic monsters.

I enjoyed Steppenwolf to an extent. Our main character is not necessarily an enduring one — because he’s such a prick, I found it difficult to be on his team. I had to just watch everything else as a whole. That part works much better in that, as we go through the motions of the film, it becomes clear that Yerzhanov is drawing from the traditions of classical and spaghetti westerns. There’s a dusty detachment here that channels the lawless nihilism of Leone and Corbucci, filtered through the bleak absurdity of post-Soviet cinema. And it’s all presented with sharp, deliberate framing and some unexpected visual flair.

Stylistically, Yerzhanov gets bold. He leans into surreal moments — a man smoking with a hood over his head, a hammer wielded like a holy relic, explosions that feel theatrical instead of raw. It’s not all style, though. There’s a recurring sense of moral decay and emotional numbness that gives the film a little more bite than just another shootout-heavy revenge story. Some of the humor is pitch-black and purposely off-putting. Other times, it’s genuinely funny in a dry, bitter kind of way.

Performance-wise, Anna Starchenko as Tamara gives the film its soul. She’s the anchor, balancing grief, fury, and quiet resolve. Berik Aitzhanov’s Brajyuk is a wild card — abrasive, violent, and at times cartoonishly mean — but there’s a sliver of wounded pride underneath all that machismo. Whether that’s enough to redeem him is debatable, but it keeps things interesting. The dynamic between the two is more transactional than emotional, but it serves the story’s larger themes of survival and vengeance.

 

Video 

NOTE: Stills are provided for promotional use only and are not from the Blu-ray.

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution:1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Region: A

HDR: N/A

Layers: BD-50

Clarity and Detail: Sharpness stays consistent throughout, with high-frequency detail visible in facial closeups, worn textures, and rough terrain. Whether it’s cracked pavement or sweat-streaked skin, the image holds up nicely under scrutiny.

Depth: There’s a convincing sense of space in wide desert shots and tighter alley scenes. While the film doesn’t lean into heavy depth-of-field tricks, compositions still feel dimensional.

Black Levels: Black levels are deep and well-managed, offering strong contrast during shadowy interiors and night scenes without crushing detail. It holds up even in the murkiest moments.

Color: The palette is purposefully muted — dusty tans, olive drabs, and sickly grays — but it’s rendered faithfully. Color grading leans toward desaturation, matching the film’s grim tone.

Flesh Tones: Skin tones appear natural under most lighting conditions. Tamara’s pallor, Brajyuk’s weathered complexion, and other faces come through without digital harshness or odd color shifts.

Noise and Artifacts: A clean encode overall. No distracting compression issues, edge halos, or banding were noted. Grain is present but stable and filmic, not intrusive.

 

Audio

Audio Format(s):  Kazakh DTS-HD MA 5.1

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Dynamics: The mix has excellent range. Quiet, reflective moments pull back just enough before snapping into bursts of violence that hit like shockwaves. Volume swings feel purposeful, not jarring.

Height: N/A

Low Frequency Extension: Bass response is impressive. Gunshots, engines, and sudden explosions carry weight without overwhelming the mix. The low end adds punch to the action without muddying dialogue or music.

Surround Sound: Rear channels are used effectively to build atmosphere — whether it’s background tension during a standoff or the layered chaos of a shootout. The synth-heavy score flows across the soundstage with a modern, pulsating edge.

Dialogue: Dialogue is clean and well-prioritized in the mix. Even when the score swells or gunfire erupts, character exchanges remain easy to follow with no distortion or dropouts.

 

Extras

Arrow Video knocks it out of the park with this Limited Edition release, packing in enough content to make this feel like a proper double feature. The inclusion of Yerzhanov’s Goliath alongside Steppenwolf instantly elevates the set — it’s not just bonus material, it’s a full second film with its own 5.1 mix and subtitles. On top of that, there’s a newly recorded audio commentary from David Flint, a sharp visual essay on post-western genre influences by Lee Broughton, and a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette that offers a glimpse into the chaos behind the camera. The collector’s booklet dives even deeper with fresh interviews from the director, cast, composer, and crew, rounding out the set with genuine substance. Toss in reversible cover art and clean packaging, and this one’s an easy five stars on the extras front.

Special Features

 

• LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• High-Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of Steppenwolf and Goliath
• Original lossless DTS HD-MA 5.1 surround audio for both films
• English subtitles for both films
• Optional Spanish subtitles available for Steppenwolf only
• Brand new audio commentary on Steppenwolf with critic and pop culture historian David Flint, recorded exclusively for Arrow Video in 2025
• Reading Steppenwolf as a Transnational Post-Western, a brand new visual essay by author, film historian and academic Lee Broughton, exploring the use of American and Italian Western genre tropes in Steppenwolf and other films from around the world
• The Making of Steppenwolf, a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette featuring interviews with the cast and crew
• Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new interviews with Steppenwolf cast and crew members including writer-director Adilkhan Yerzhanov, producer Aliya Mendygozhina, actors Berik Aitzhanov and Anna Starchenko, composer Galymzhan Moldanazar and cinema
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow

 

Summary 

Steppenwolf isn’t a film that wraps things up neatly—or aims to please everyone. But there’s value in that. Whether you’re drawn to its genre-mashing grit, bleak humor, or stripped-down visual style, there’s enough here to justify a spin—especially in this Steppenwolf Blu-ray Limited Edition from Arrow Video. With Yerzhanov’s Goliath included, along with thoughtful extras like a new commentary and collector’s booklet, this Steppenwolf Blu-ray Limited Edition makes a strong case for fans of offbeat, uncompromising cinema.

 

Steppenwolf is available on Blu-ray.

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