The Warrior’s Way [Review]
The Warrior’s Way is a hyper-surrealistic ride that is part Kung Fu Hustle, part Ninja Scroll and part Lone Wolf & Cub. I hadn’t quite made up my mind about the film when I sat down to view it. On one hand the film promised cowboys versus ninjas but on the other hand the trailer seemed like the film might be trying to take the insane premise a little too seriously to truly be enjoyed. But in a rare instance the trailer was wrong, but for once in a good way.
The film never decides it is going to take itself too seriously, and also has heart, which is a painfully hard thing to do with films that deal in the lone swordsman genre, where the crux is looking angsty and cutting up as many people as humanly possible. The film has some great slice and dice moments, as well as a lighter side.
The film is the story of the world’s greatest swordsman (and how he comes upon that title is a bit that yelled Scott Pilgrim to me) who is about to achieve his clan’s goal of eradicating their rival clan once and for all; only the final member is a baby girl. In a scene that set and really changed the tone of the film, this life long killer decides to hang up the sword “for a new life” and takes the child and goes on the run.
He makes his new home in a small troubled town in the middle of the desert populated by kind hearted circus folk and learns to how to create instead of simply killing. Of course his past finds him, and you get plenty of cowboy verses ninja action, but that isn’t all this film has to offer. The film manages somehow to take characters that even in their own country have turned into simple stereotypes and make them simply more than cardboard genre cutouts. The film also manages to make you laugh as well and even manages to throw in a love interest as well.
The film’s look and cinematography mimics the larger than life story being told and while the film is very stylized, the visuals somehow manage to not take away from the story. While the acting in the film does falter at moments, the disbelief is never truly shattered.
The action sequences in the film, while not revolutionary, are still well done and at times can even be a bit gruesome. There are some really great East meets West battles, with piles of dead ninjas and cowboys. I was not disappointed. This film promises crazy ninja versus cowboy battles and you get it. After all this film is rated R.
This film is a popcorn action flick that is a hell of a lot of fun and it’s that simple. I laughed, I cried and I got to see a ninja Eskimo kill a man with a frozen fish stuck in his eye. What more could you possibly want from your holiday entertainment? So save yourself from the feel good onslaught of the holidays and go see a film that delivers not only on its promise of cowboys versus ninjas, but a great story as well. I give The Warrior’s Way a Solid 3.5 of out 5 stars!
