Review of The Warrior's Way (2010) by Dean M — 23 Jul 2011

Debut director Sngmoo Lee takes a fistful of leaves out of Zach Snyder's book, painting a hyper-surreal CGI backdrop behind the lone, silent and deadly figure of Yang (South Korean superstar Dong-Gun Jang).

An introductory sequence involving Yang deliberately dicing his ninja adversaries - pink mist spraying as if art directed - leads to a pivotal lifestyle change for our contemplative "hero".

This stylised yet frustratingly hollow opening to The Warrior's Way also proves prophetic of how Lee shortchanges actual action by overcompensating with pretty visuals and slow-moving faffing.

When Yang winds up in a clapped-out Wild West town, orchestrated fights are long delayed so a plain stranger-must-save-the-day story can tick over.

As gleaned from the cast list, Lee attracted find talent to his genre collision. Sporadically wandering in as our sloshed narrator, Geoffrey Rush does the unthinkable: puts in a lousy turn which includes a dreadful accent and scant gravity.

Danny Huston also just drops by to be nothing more than the token Bad Guy. His link to bitter cowgirl Lynne (Kate Bosworth, working harder than usual) becomes the piddling petrol in the tank of Yang's uneventful saunter to confronting his hidden past.

Had Lee not kept Yang's previous occupation on the backburner for so long, The Warrior's Way might have brought the nutsy noise it suggested.

Instead, when the chaps in chaps are finally challenged by an invasion of martial artists, you will be gagging for a spectacular rumble. Fleeting thrills arise from this conclusive showdown - directly inspired by any number of Western final acts - but the damage already has been done.

Fast forwarding through to get to the limited action is a shrewd and, sadly, speedy option.