Review of The Warrior's Way (2010) by Erno K — 19 Jul 2011

This might be the biggest surprise package of the year for me so far. I expected a decent film, but what I got was actually pretty awesome.

The Warrior's Way is a very stylish movie. There is just the right amount of dramatic posing against a striking background, and the action is mostly very well done. There is a bit too much wire-fu for my liking, but it didn't bother me too much because it is never the main thing in the fights. At least no one flies from tree to tree in this movie, although some leaps are pretty comical.

Speaking of comedy, I really dig the subtle humor. Many times nothing funny is said, but there is comedy gold on screen. There are scenes that, while watching them, I couldn't help but smile because of the cuteness of it all. Very reminiscent of Stephen Chow's movies. The contrast is actually quite remarkable to the darker aspects of the film. Blood is not in short supply, nor are very adult themes. Somebody might feel the jumps between lightheartedness and grim pathos a bit jarring, but I really liked it. Just when I was depressed as shit, something wacky happened.

One thing bothers me in these movies, though. Why the hell does the mythical hero feel the need to walk away from everybody at the end of the movie. They have usually just found a place they can call home, but because of dramatic requirements they always walk into the sunset. This irritates me. Other than that little detail, and some dodgy CGI now and again, I would strongly recommend this movie to anyone who likes unique action movies. Or anyone who just likes samurai westerns as a genre. 'Cause that's apparently a genre now. Sweet.