When it comes to a Chinese holiday film that is directed by Ning Hao and stars Xu Zheng, 41, and Huang Bo, 39, it’s easy to expect another no-brainer comedy, much like the trio’s 2006 classic film Crazy Stone.

So it comes as a surprise that their latest project, No Man’s Land (《无人区》) is nothing like what they’ve done before. In fact, there’s nothing comparable to it in the whole of Chinese cinema.

It’s a dark, Western-style thriller full of black humor and anti-authoritarian attitude — no wonder it was shelved for four years (it was first finished in June 2009) due to censorship issues (including too much negativity concerns such as that bad guys are depicted as heroes, and cops as impotent).

No Man’s Land tells the story of a lawyer named Pan Xiao (Xu Zheng), who drives to the deserts of China’s far west for a profitable case. On his way back, Pan is hunted down by a killer and encounters a variety of characters, 

It’s a typical road movie and you can tell that Ning Hao gave his best to capture the essential elements of one. Beautiful desert scenery with long, empty roads and falcons flying above provide an authentic yet creepy background to what happens in the story.

Ning’s storytelling skills keep you on edge throughout most of the two hours, although at times the story is so elaborate that you can’t help but wonder how it will wrap up.

At the core of every road movie, however, is change and growth. That’s Xu Zheng’s role and clearly he’s done a great job. Despite appearances by co-star Huang Bo and Tao Hong, No Man’s Land is Xu’s one-man film. Everything happens, quite literally, in a no man’s land, and Xu transforms from an ambitious, mercenary lawyer into a righteous man who gradually learns to care. He realizes that a man’s worth is the most valuable thing in life.

No Man’s Land reminds me of the 2007 Oscar-winning film No Country for Old Men, both in terms of its style and the story. But besides combining American westerns and modern black comedies, No Man’s Land smartly adds some Chinese mythology, making it one of a kind.

Looking back at China’s holiday season cinema of the past few years, No Man’s Land is undoubtedly of the experimental kind. It’s a fresh breeze in a season that’s usually dominated by more cliched comedies.