Movie Review: The Warrior's Way

Actor Jang Dong Gun's highly anticipated Hollywood debut film, "The Warrior's Way", opened in theaters across America and Korea today. �Here at allkpop, we brought you everything from the Los Angeles red carpet premiere and exclusive interviews, to the final part of our series, the movie review. It's hard to tie down "The Warrior's Way" to any specific genre. �While it is most obviously an action western movie, tidbits of romantic comedy and drama are incorporated into this fantasy, graphic novel inspired film. "The Warrior's Way" tells the story of Yang (played by Jang Dong Gun), a man that was raised and trained to be the greatest swordsman in the world. Upon defeating the greatest swordsman in the world, he betrays his mentor (played by Chinese actor Ti Lung) and his clan, The Sad Flutes, when he is unable to kill the last blood-line of his rival clan, a sweet, smiling baby girl. In order to protect the baby from his own ruthless clan, Yang flees to a small frontier town in the American Badlands, where he meets the unique carnie townspeople. There he encounters Lynne (played by Kate Bosworth), a fiery red-head knife thrower-in-training who has a lot of angst built up due to a�traumatic�event that she witnessed in the past involving the cruel Colonel (played by Danny Huston). Lynne and the leader of the carnie gang, 8-Ball (played by Tony Cox), help Yang take care of the baby girl and settle into the town, eventually becoming the town's laundryman. As he resides in the eccentric town, Yang, who was accustomed to the solitary and emotionless life of a warrior, learns the value of friendship, life, and possibly even love. Many may criticize Jang Dong Gun for taking on the typical Asian ninja-type role, but I believe his decision was well thought out. Jang Dong Gun's role allowed him to show his full potential, as unlike the usual quiet emotionless fighters that we've seen before, his character, Yang, is full of unseen emotion. The character develops more and more emotions as the film progresses, but due to his upbringing, doesn't show it outwardly. As producer Michael Peyser mentioned, Jang Dong Gun has a "terrific presence beyond [his] acting ability." Jang Dong Gun chose a role that played to his strengths, a role which required him to act through his�mere�presence.�Of course, we all wish that our wonderful Asian actors would make their Hollywood debuts through non-martial arts related films. However, let's be honest, most of our stars are not the best English-speakers. Their limited and accented English would be overwhelmed by the English heavy scripts of non-typical-Asian roles. Also, through this film, Jang Dong Gun was able to work alongside Hollywood's top-notch actors and producers, such as Academy Award winning actor Geoffrey Rush (whom many of you may know as Captain Barbosa from 'The Pirates of the Caribbean') and 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy producer, Barrie Osborne. This experience may very well open up doors for Jang Dong Gun's future career in Hollywood. This film may not be the best western film, nor is it the best martial arts film. It is in a genre of it's own. If you watch this film as if it were a graphic novel, it does a great job in creating a make-believe world in which the East meets the West, yet without excluding an ultimate battle between cowboys and ninjas. "The Warrior's Way" might not be added to your list of favorite movies, but it's definitely a movie worth watching. So with winter break just around the corner, go support Jang Dong Gun in his Hollywood debut by watching "The Warrior's Way" with your friends and family at your local theater! In the past, we've reported on the film's movie posters and a couple movie stills. Here we have�some more movie stills below! [gallery columns="4"] If you haven't done so already, make sure to check out the official movie trailer and music video, which reveals some behind the scenes footage from the film and features the voices of SHINee. Just for kicks, check out this�ridiculously�hilarious "Literal" of the official trailer done by Tobuscus on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n-Ps19p_OM Photos: Relativity Media Video: YouTube