Each Friday we will be bringing you weekend-viewing movie picks available for streaming on Netflix! From the popular to the obscure, we will browse Netflix’s Streaming library so you don’t have to, and bring you what we consider to be “Must Watch” selections!
The Warrior’s Way
Directed by Sngmoo Lee
Starring Jang Dong-gun, Kate Bosworth, Geoffery Rush, Danny Huston and Tony Cox
Back in 2010 a trailer caught my eye for a film called The Warrior’s Way. I thought it looked pretty cool, at least visually, but after an onslaught of poor reviews by critics and it just kind of falling off my radar, I never got around to seeing it. About six months ago I was down with a broken leg and had ample time to explore Netflix. I was very pleased to see The Warrior’s Way hit Netflix’s instant queue, immediately hitting play to see if I had missed out on a stinker of a movie, a lost gem, or something in between. I’m happy to say it certainly wasn’t a stinker.
The Warrior’s Way follows Yang, a member of the Sad Flutes Clan, the deadliest clan of assassins in 19th Century Asia. Yang is driven to become the greatest swordsman the world has ever seen, and the movie begins with him accomplishing this goal by killing the now former greatest swordsman – the leader of a rival clan. With the rival clan all but wiped out, one member remains: a small child whom Yang is ordered to kill to complete the genocide of their mortal enemies. Yang is unable to murder the infant, so he takes the child, leaves his life behind and heads West to find refuge from his clan who are now out to kill him for disobeying orders.
Yang lands in the small town of Lode where he and the baby are able to find at least temporary reprieve from the Sad Flutes. Here, he befriends the local town folk, including the town drunk, Ron (Geoffery Rush) and the beautiful Lynn (Kate Bosworth). As Yang spends more time in Lode, he becomes closer to the residents of the small, dusty town, finding joy and learning about their dark history. A Colonel (Danny Huston) who has terrorized the town for years returns, and while Yang fends him and his men off, he swears to return with reinforcements. The film culminates in both the Colonel’s men and the Sad Flutes bearing down on Lode looking for vengeance for their own reasons against the residents and Yang.
The Warrior’s Way is a solid film that, in my opinion, is underrated. There is a solid story to be told here, and it is told quite well – perhaps some were expecting more of a “kung-fu action flick” than what it actually is, but the build up of the story and the characters make the action sequences that much more thrilling. And I assure you, there is plenty of thrilling action. The sequences are stylized and dramatic and a lot of fun to watch. This film is not without its faults; while Geoffery Rush and Jang Dong-gun are compelling, but Kate Bosworth seems to be more or less just reciting lines. Because of this, the light love story subplot falls a bit short, but since the main point of the film has nothing to do with these characters finding love it doesn’t take much away from the film.
If you are looking for a solid movie about a lonesome warrior looking for redemption with a compelling story and some pretty slick action, The Warrior’s Way will satisfy. Despite the poor reviews this film received I really enjoyed it and think more people will too if they give it a go. Lucky for us Netflix Instant subscribers, it’s still available and ready for your viewing pleasure!