Released: December 3rd, 2010
Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.
Ticket Price: $6.00 Early Matinee
Refreshments: None
Starring: Jang Dong-gun, Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston, Tony Cox & Geoffrey Rush
Director: Sngmoo Lee
Rating: Wait for the Rental, if not Longer
Synopsis: An Asian warrior assassin, trained to be the best, is sent to kill the last remaining few of a rival clan. But, when the last of them is a baby girl, he can’t bring himself to do it. So, he leaves his old life to start anew and hides out in a small town in the American Badlands. His former clan leader sets out to hunt down and kill him and the baby.
Review: The Warrior’s Way looks badass in the trailer, but alas it was not to be. While the fights scenes were pretty cool, the acting was mostly bad and the humor mostly didn’t work.
If you’re a fan of the visual style of movies like 300 or a TV show like Starz’s Spartacus: Blood & Sand, then The Warrior’s Way might be right up your alley. The visuals and fight scenes are very well done. But, if you’re looking for some steak to go with all that sizzle, you’ll be out of luck.
The story, what there is of it, is pretty lackluster. I wasn’t really expecting much in that department, so normally that wouldn’t be such a negative for a movie like this. Yet, there isn’t really as much fighting as the trailer might lead you to believe. So, when that’s not going on, there isn’t much going on.
On the acting front, the one standout is Jang, as the warrior Yang. This mostly consists of staring pensively off in the distance, but he has the onscreen charisma to pull it off. Also, you never once don’t believe that he is the “best swordsman in the world.” You can see why he is such a huge draw at the South Korean box office. As for Bosworth, not sure exactly what type of old-timey, southern-drawly accent she is going for, but it’s not good and takes away from what is an otherwise okay performance. Normally you could at least say Bosworth looked good, but due to costuming that is mostly not the case here. And, Geoffrey Rush is seriously slumming it as the town drunk.
On the humor front, given the cheesy voiceover narration, the cute baby, and the circus freaks that populate the small town of Lode, you’d think it might be funny. Or, at least it felt like they were going for an amusing tone much of the time. But, other than the baby’s reactions to the fights and other things going on around her, it just isn’t.
Overall, The Warrior’s Way is a mish-mash of movie types that never quite works on any level. While the visuals and fights are good, they aren’t spectacular enough to recommend seeing it on the big screen. I’d wait for the rental, if not longer.
Have you seen The Warrior’s Way? What did you think?
