The Warrior’s Way – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

In 1972, Terence Young directed a cool film called Red Sun, which featured the rogue cowboy, Charles Bronson, and a rogue samurai, Toshiro Mifune, in a western film with Eastern flavors. Guns and swords, two pinnacle weapons of cinema, yet rarely blended together. The Warrior’s Way is almost the next best thing, featuring ninjas and bandits, but director Sngmoo Lee’s fantasy film doesn’t have a toe grounded in reality, which makes it hard for us to get swept away. Imagine if Terry Gilliam directed a live-action anime. That’s The Warrior’s Way.

Not to say that’s a bad thing, it’s just a collision of genres thrown into a mixer, that when poured out, tastes like it is missing something. Sngmoo Lee certainly has a flair for non-stop action and slow-motion, as The Warrior’s Way has an energy to it. But it’s a bit silly, as we’re never given the chance to feel for what’s happening. It’s a fable told by a narrator who is giving us the gist of it all. Yang is the ultimate assassin, but when he’s faced with killing a baby to end a rival clan for good, he doesn’t, sending his own clan after him. He hides in a nearly ghost town, with some castaways still reeling from a so-called Colonel who’s raping and killing at will.

Clearly, Sngmoo Lee was inspired by anime. Quick cuts, fast, blurry action, reality without rules, clowns, midgets, and ninjas, are all of the oddities Terry Gilliam has discarded. It’s The Imaginarium of Dr. Parn-assassin. South Korean actor Jang Dong-gun is a decent lead, but it’s Danny Huston (30 Days of Night), Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns), and Geoffrey Rush (all of the Pirates of the Caribbean films) that steal the show. They’re game for this fantasy, but the script isn’t.

Its pop-up book action will turn most off, as the hopes of a cool guns and sword film are dashed behind the cartoon atmosphere, like a martial arts version of The Wachowski Brothers’ Speed Racer. I say point yourself to Kim Ji-woon’s amazing The Good, The Bad, The Weird for a superb mix of guns, bandits, and samurais. If you can vibe with its anime tendencies, then The Warrior’s Way should be the sugar rush you need for second.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Fox’s HD presentation is just superb. The clarity and eye-catching colors make the video on par with any other big budgeted film. The film is stylized and the transfer makes sure it’s spectacular in every frame. The DTS audio mix is room-rattlin’. Loud bass, an aggressive surround mix, there’s nary a flaw for action junkies in this mix.

Behind the Scenes Montage: A HD 2-minute EPK. Nothing more or substantial.

Deleted Scenes: About 13 minutes here worth of discarded material, with a scene or two of interest. Check them out.

Trailers and a Digital Copy round out the extras.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: