Ninjas vs. Cowboys

Movie: The Warrior's Way

Release Date: Dec. 3

Grade: B

Move over pirates: The Warrior's Way, a new action film from rookie director Sngmoo Lee, is proving that ninjas and cowboys are really where the action is.

The story of The Warrior's Way is that of assassin Yang (Dong-gun Jang, Good Morning President), who travels to the West to escape his clan, which is after him for failing to complete a mission. Yang failed to kill the baby girl who is the last surviving member of a rival clan. The assassin decides to hide out in Lode, a small Western town mostly filled with circus folk.

While attempting to start a new life in the small town, he meets a feisty girl named Lynne (Kate Bosworth, 21), who helps acclimate the stranger to small-town life. Yang begins to make a family out of the unusual townspeople, including a drunken ex-bank robber (Geoffrey Rush, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole) and a kindly dwarf (Tony Cox, Disaster Movie).

Meanwhile, a ruthlessly cruel and power-hungry Colonel (Danny Huston, Robin Hood) and his crew of violent bandits have it out for the citizens of Lode, as well. This deadly combination of conflicts eventually comes to a head as the bandits and the ninja clan simultaneously find their own ways to make the assassin's life more difficult.

Jang, a superstar in South Korea, proves that he can replace Jackie Chan as the next big martial arts star to run the screens of America. As he tears up the screen in scene after scene, Jang portrays his character's emotional evolution subtly while still maintaining the statuesque demeanor of a cold-hearted assassin, making him an interesting character to watch.

Bosworth's character, Lynne, is almost able to singlehandedly ruin the film with her annoying, hyperactive, and over-the-top personality. It is hard to tell if it is bad acting or bad writing, but the character of Lynne doesn't bring anything positive to the movie, and she is almost unbearably annoying during the first half of the film.

Luckily, however, she begins to mellow out as the film progresses, and she proves to be much more bearable in the second half.

The Warrior's Way does not start with a bang. In fact, the first half of the film is slow and seems to take its time building to the eventual climax, which viewers are expecting from the first five minutes of the film.

As in any action film, there is an obligatory romance between Yang and Lynne that seems forced. There is no real chemistry between the two characters other than a master-student bond.

Many of the scenes between the two lead characters seem like revamped versions of scenes in The Karate Kid, with Jang taking on the role of a makeshift Mr. Miyagi, spouting clichéd dialogue about the necessity of focus, speed, and strength in a sometimes incoherently thick Korean accent.

The action doesn't start until later in the film. Once it does, however, viewers are in for some good old-fashioned entertainment as Jang slices and dices cowboys and ninjas alike in a larger-than-life, 300-esque fashion.

These fight scenes are spectacular due in large part to the remarkable Jang, who is able to carry out the highly stylized and choreographed fight sequences with perfect skill.

The film is also visually stunning, although sufficiently bloody. The moody, digitally-enhanced backdrops, blood spurts, Matrix-style stunt work, and fascinating slow-motion sequences of bullets and slashing blades are technically impressive and add to the film's visual appeal.

Highly stylized and action-packed, The Warrior's Way is an interesting film that melds two conflicting cultures to create an interesting new genre. While it has some issues, it is an old-fashioned fun film that audiences should find enjoyable to watch.

E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com