Review of The Warrior's Way (2010) by Glenn L — 06 Jan 2011

I thought it was very charming. Sure, the plot and pacing is haphazard and the larger story is merely a check list of tropes from Westerns and Martial Arts cinema that's been stitched together like an old quilt.

Yet said story is told entirely through emotion - a 'Tin Man' movie: all heart and whimsy. Artifice is the driving aesthetic as both the cinematography and greenscreen backdrops evoke a world fully realized from the look of a lavish stage play.

Everything is lush and vibrant and beautiful, but always and intentionally fake. Every character is fully animated with plucky personality or seething villainy, orbiting a stoic hero swordsman. Despite the R-rated bloodshed, this is actually a very sweet natured fantasy.

The action scenes are comic bookish but are really less about impressing audiences on a technical level and more about expressing what each character is feeling. Again, the movie's very earnest and sincere.

I enjoyed it and am a little bummed to hear so many, viewers and critics alike, campaigning it for a Razzie award.