The Warrior's Way

Imagine a Sergio Leone western with swords. The setting is as sparse as the dialogue but you don't sit through one of his works for the acting or the plot. Warrior's Way is like that. What it lacks is made up in other ways. The choreography is above average, the CGI seamless and the set pieces pure art. And it's all cleverly portrayed, captured and presented. An enjoyable little gem from the genre.

'The Warrior's Way' is A Fair Entertainer, that works best as a lazy Sunday afternoon watch.

'The Warrior's Way' Synopsis: A warrior-assassin is forced to hide in a small town in the American Badlands after refusing a mission.

'The Warrior's Way' is a time-pass entertainer, that doesn't even attempt to be legendary. Its a watchable action fare, that offers some very good action & crisp editing. The Screenplays is written ably. Sngmoo Lee's Direction is efficient. Cinematography & Art Design are passable. Graphics leave a lot to be desired.

Performance-Wise: Geoffrey Rush does well, as usual. Jang Dong Gun plays the protagonist nicely. Kate Bosworth is fabulous, while Danny Huston has a blast playing the notorious villain.

On the whole, 'The Warrior's Way' works till it lasts.

I haven't heard anything about this movie prior to watching it. I saw Mr. Rush on the casting list and decided that I wanted to see it. I found this movie to be very interesting and different.

I am a sucker for beautiful visual effects, therefore I found this movie to be worthy of a high rating. Everything seemed very different because of the combination of various genres (western, action, martial arts, comedy & romance). I have also got a new found respect for Kate Bosworth because she pulled the part of so beautifully. This is a major accomplishment for director Sngmoo Lee, as this is his first movie ever.

But my all time favorite thing about this movie was the adorable little baby. I loved her cute facial expressions.

I am one that love stylish movies, especially action movies and I was hoping for a little more out of this. To be honest, the story is a bit lacking, but the action is very cool. There are some scenes which play more than others. The main character hardly ever talks and its really noticeable. I love Kate Bosworth in this movie, she is a saving grace to this film. I can't put my finger on it, but it is missing something. Its missing that "awe" moment that I was hoping it would deliver. You know, that scene that would make your mouth drop and I was expecting it from this movie. It was just too slow. And the writing is off. It is just not quite there. The pace of the film is off also. Still, entertaining as hell, but don't waste your money on seeing in that XD format (which stands for eXtreme Digital). That just a waste of some extra bucks. There is nothing more you are going to gain watching it in even, supposedly, higher def than what theaters normally do. But the movie is very stylish. Its the latest movie of mixing two genres,ninjas and westerns. And I give it a 7 out of 10, it did its job of entertaining. Btw, not a family movie and definitely not for small kids. I think guys will like it more than women. It is worth going to the theater to see. It is not worth a blind buy on blu-ray when it comes out. It is worth buying on blu-ray if you are into it and have seen the movie. But I would go out with your buddies, don't expect much and you will get more.

'THE WARRIOR'S WAY': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

First time filmmaker Sngmoo Lee writes and directs this martial arts East meets West western fantasy ninja comedy epic. It stars Asian superstar Dong-gun Jang and co-stars Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush, Danny Huston, Lung Ti and Tony Cox. The film is very odd and kind of a mess but it's also very beautiful and packed with stylized battle scenes. I have mixed feelings about the film going experience as a whole but there's definitely a lot to like here!

The film is set in the 19th century and tells the story of a ninja assassin named Yang (Jang), who's recently taken over the title of greatest swordsman ever, who's on the run from his clan after refusing to kill a baby, the last member of their enemy. He hides out, with the baby, in a run down town in the American West where a new circus group is starting up. There he befriends an assortment of odd characters including a drunk gunman (Rush) and a beautiful young knives thrower (Bosworth), who he of course develops feelings for. He learns to love his new life until his past tracks him down.

Dong-gun Jang is a fantastic leading man action hero and Lee's directing style is interesting. The supporting cast is all adequate, with Huston and Rush chewing up the scenery (Bosworth, one of my favorites, is a little oddly cast). The film is breathtakingly beautiful at times with a classic epic old film style look to it and there's some great homage played to Sergio Leone of course. The film is a little too all over the place for me though and a tad too goofy. It reminds me in a lot of ways to the type of films Stephen Chow has put out but not quite as good. It is entertaining in a lot of ways though and has at least something pleasing to offer almost any viewer. It's the type of film that most people will either love or hate, unless you're like me. This is the type of movie I can appreciate and enjoy in parts.

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