Warrioress

Set in a post apocalyptic era, Warrioress is a largely enjoyable low-budget British fantasy movie. I say largely because the director Ross Boyask & writer and star Cecily Fay fall into the trap of padding out the movie with way too much meandering dialogue that isn't well written enough or well performed enough to be interesting. I'm sure it was John Milius who said when he was faced with writing 'Conan the Barbarian' he knew he'd be dealing with a cast who weren't trained actors, so he kept the dialogue to a minimum for Arnold, Sandahl & company. These rules should apply to all movies of the fantasy genre unless there is the genuine acting talent available. Now the negatives are out of the way, though Cecily Fay and her cast may be weak actors, the same cannot be said about the energy they all put into the many action sequences in the movie. Cecily Fay who plays Boudicca, is tiny, under five feet tall, but is a trained martial artist and dancer and uses these skills effectively as she lays waste to hordes of enemies. Aided by the bigger, butch Joelle Simpson who plays White Arrow, the two women are deadly, but it is Fay who steals the show with her very convincing skills. She moves gracefully and powerfully with absolutely no wires or CGI, scampering from one killing to another like a human black widow. One favourite sequence is where she is between two enemies, so she leaps over and behind one, grabs his sword holding arm, propels him forward so the sword impales the other then hurls him to the ground where she snaps his neck and bounces up to seek her next victim! Though her character Boudicca is a heroine, she is brutal & sadistic, thinking nothing about hurling a knife into the back of a terrified fleeing opponent or driving a dagger through a downed and already defeated foe. Another plus of Warrioress for fans of female action is no guy shows up to protect the heroine or hog the action, something - that used to happen nearly all Cynthia Rothrock's American movies. Apart from Boudicca's love interest, the men of Warrioress exist only to be punched, kicked, thrown, stabbed, clubbed or neck-snapped!

The rest of the cast including Zara Phythian in a small cameo & Fay's main nemesis Helen Steinway Bailey also display genuine skill and grace as they pound each other mercilessly. Kudos must also go to the legion of Ms Fay's victims who also bring plenty of enthusiasm to their roles. The only gripe would be the amount of yelping and shouting that goes on as the women fight which does get a little annoying. Due to the tedium of the non-action portions of movie, Warrioress is no Conan the Barbarian or Mad Max, but sits nicely alongside movies like 'Ator', 'SHE' & 'The Beastmaster' that followed them. Both Cecily Fay and Ross Boyask should look at where their strengths lay & capitalise on them. Cecily Fay despite her lack of inches and real acting ability has a lot of charisma and could easily be the British Cynthia Rothrock,- but less speaking and shrieking! As for Boyask he needs to work harder at getting his actors to deliver their lines more naturally though there are no complaints about the action. The picture quality of the DVD was a little grainy, but on he whole Warrioress is pretty entertaining! Its pleasing to see a low budget British feature that isn't plain awful!

My quick rating - 3,8/10. The women that fought in this movie were actually quite good, especially Cecily Fay, but beyond that, it wasn't a movie. They attempted to piece together a plot but to no avail. It was more of a showcase of what I can only assume was a group of people, mostly women, that trained at a martial arts dojo of some skill and decided to make a movie. If there was a tiny budget, and some written story, the actresses (i do not mention actors, the men in this were horrid) could have pulled it off. Remember her name though, she should get some work at some point for a good look with well rounded fighting skills.

WARRIORESS misses out on a higher rating due to production shortcomings and an overdose of goofiness, but I can't help enjoying this film. If it's your purpose as a filmmaker to create a pseudo-medieval action flick with an air of cheesiness on a micro budget, this film ought to be your model. What it does right, it does better than many flicks with ten times its budget.

The story: In a post-apocalyptic future, a mighty warrior (Cecily Fay) embarks on a quest to fight a prophetic duel.

If nothing else, I am glad that the movie exists because it provides such an ample platform for lead star Cecily Fay, who is definitely among the top ten unsung film fighters of this decade. As an actress, she's passable, but as an on screen combatant, she positively stands out from her cinematic peers and forbearers. As the lead of most of the 19 fights, she and her unique fighting style stand out in both hand-to-hand brawls and swordfights – displaying impeccable coordination and flexibility. At worst, these matches are passable for their sheer physicality, but at their best, they shine for their long takes and ambitious choreography. Kudos also goes to costars Joelle Simpson and Helen Bailey for their own mighty contributions to these brawls.

I'm pleased that this film has so much fighting to its credit, as it distracts us from its shortcomings. Despite being shot well enough, the flick has that cheap B-movie quality to it, with occasionally interesting locations that are nevertheless clearly public property. Everyone looks a little too clean for this setting, particularly Cecily in her impractical, Frank Frazetta-inspired costume. Dramatic performances are on the good side of hammy. The film features several odd artistic decisions – including the frequent breathy voiceovers – and is clearly set up to accommodate a potential sequel, with the effect that the main villain (Will Brenton) can remain oddly detached from everything else happening in the story.

Nevertheless, the filmmakers successfully impose their own infectious energy on the movie, making it palatable to martial arts fans and lovers of indie niche. I can't recommend this to nearly everybody, but I have a feeling that the people who do like it will *really* like it.

Cecily Fay leads a cast of hugely talented UK martial arts performers on a Roger Corman-esque low-budget fantasy adventure shot on the gorgeous island of Guernsey. The fight scenes are exciting, fast-paced and plentiful. Cecily also provides the compelling score to the film.

Pros: The fight scenes are good and the actors actually know martial arts. The story line and concept are really good. Shes short and probably would beat you in a fight, makes for a unique character.

Cons: The acting is sometimes bad and laughable which still provides entertainment. The budget is low and it often shows, but a bit of imagination holds it together. Better establishing shots could be used for the scene with CGI at the evil dudes base. Also, wheres the ending? Did the budget run out or a sequel was planned but not made?