O Caminho do Guerreiro

This English-language Korean film certainly is pleasing to the eye. It is visually stunning with great photography. Unconventional and a bit weird also comes to mind, but oh-so enjoyable and a lot of fun (despite some slapstick humor).

The film combines so many different elements and genres: action, adventure, humor, fantasy, brutality, gore, and even sensuality. It's hard to put my finger on what exactly attracts me to the film. Maybe the unusual combination of everything. Definitely the film's look! And it has a great score.

I didn't find the hero, Yang, a strong enough character. Lynne (Kate Bosworth) was a far more interesting character with a much better back story - and story altogether. At times Danny Huston didn't seem believable - or terrifying - enough as Colonel, the antagonist, but the showdown between Lynne and Colonel was a great moment.

In general, this is an awesome production and a great watch - just don't take it too seriously.

Would I watch it again? Yes.

'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.

Never ceases to amaze me how a movie can move an audience in polar opposite ways. It's probably the expectations - so if you go in to have some escapist fun, action and swordplay, you won't be disappointed.

So, why will I be happy to rewatch this grossly underrated movie that's avoided me for the first four years of its life tsk tsk: a simple story combining the Seven Samurai and Silas Marner (kinda), intoxicating mix of humor, gorgeous grotesqueness and visual splendour . . . and a love story that did not force itself on the surreal action thread.

One of the hallmarks of a good film has to be how much love a writer director puts into the details and in this, it is clear Lee Sngmoo has nurtured this baby for a while: superb production, lovely setups and payoffs.

Oh, make my decade and give us a sequel already!

Amazing for a first time director. Bravo! Bravo!

Debutant director and screen writer Sngmoo Lee took a big gamble with this one, as you will see why. In an almost Quintin Tarantino styled narration, the prologue introduces us to Yang (Jang Dong-Gun) and his mission to become 'The World's Greatest Swordsman…Ever'. He does so, within the first five minutes of the movie, by vanquishing an entire enemy clan; all but one…an infant princess. Rather than thrusting his Samurai sword through the toddler, Yang has a change of heart and decides to head West, because sooner or later, his own clan will hunt him down for not finishing the job. Arriving at a desolate town rife with down and out circus freaks, Yang finds work in an old Laundromat. Before long, he befriends 8-Ball, a wise cracking midget (Tony Cox), Ron, a hopeless drunk (Geoffrey Rush) and the sassy knife throwing Lynne (Kate Bosworth). With the infant in safe custody, Yang learns of Ron and Lynne's tragic past. An ex-bank robber, Ron laid down his guns at the wish of his dying wife. Lynne on the other hand, watched her family brutally murdered by an outlaw called 'Colonel'. Even as Yang blends in with the town folk, he realizes that a storm is approaching; a storm dark enough to wipe out the entire town.

Produced by Barrie M Osborne, you would expect this film to have the same grandeur as his previous productions, most notably, THE MATRIX and THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. In fact, the opening sequence is interesting enough to grab your attention. What follows in the middle is a dialogue based drama that has a very theatre production feel to it. However, it's the last 20 minutes that has all the action that we are promised in the beginning. But is it worth the wait? In high definition, close-ups of flying bullets and blood rinsed blades look cool. Ninjas floating in and out of the action add an extra oomph, complemented by an equally engrossing soundtrack. Director Lee was also prudent enough to not leak out the best moments in pre-release trailers. But at the end of it all, if you enjoyed Zack Snyder's carnage in 300, don't go expecting anything better in this film. Sure, one particular scene even has the protagonist slicing and dicing a hoard of endless enemies in a fashion similar to those six-packed Greek warriors, but that's about all the comparison you can make to 300. Lee is generous with scenes of blood splatter towards the end, but manages to keep guts and gore to a minimum. Special effects vary in depth as well as quantity, and so you never get too much or too little of it. Perhaps that has all to do with the pacing of the plot. This is precisely where Lee could have done better. In terms of the pace, what I got was an interesting opening sequence, followed by a slow mid-section, only to be concluded by an intense yet rushed ending. While other critics might support Lee's pacing with "character building", this reviewer is opinionated by the fact that action movies do not deliver a knockout punch if action itself is inconsistently paced.

Playing the titled character, Dong-gun is no Jet Li, nor Jackie Chan; maybe because this is not a kung-fu movie. But what level of acting can you expect from Dong-gun, when he does a lot of the talking with just his facial expressions while relying on some fancy moves to do the rest? Having said that, whoever says Jet Li or Jackie Chan can act must be a really big fan of either or both. Opposite Dong-gun is Kate Bosworth in a role that easily outdoes her Lois Lane from SUPERMAN RETURNS (2006). Vibrant, cheeky, and energetic, this has to be one of Bosworth's best performances to date. Then there is Geoffrey Rush of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN fame. Although given little screen time, Rush does steal some of Dong-gun's miserly thunder and plays a key role towards the end. Also worth mentioning is Danny Huston as (one) of the bad guys, while ironically also offering some of the film's lighter moments.

So there you have it. THE WARRIOR'S WAY has its moments, good and bad, watchable or otherwise. If you overlook the slow pace in-between (during what seems like forever) and the lead actor's lack of emotion or enthusiasm (he is an assassin anyway), then Sngmoo Lee could be given the benefit of the doubt for an otherwise decent action flick, inclusive of some exceptional cinematography.

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.