Debutant director and screen writer Sngmoo Lee took a big gamble with this one, as you will see why. In an almost Quintin Tarantino styled narration, the prologue introduces us to Yang (Jang Dong-Gun) and his mission to become 'The World's Greatest Swordsman…Ever'. He does so, within the first five minutes of the movie, by vanquishing an entire enemy clan; all but one…an infant princess. Rather than thrusting his Samurai sword through the toddler, Yang has a change of heart and decides to head West, because sooner or later, his own clan will hunt him down for not finishing the job. Arriving at a desolate town rife with down and out circus freaks, Yang finds work in an old Laundromat. Before long, he befriends 8-Ball, a wise cracking midget (Tony Cox), Ron, a hopeless drunk (Geoffrey Rush) and the sassy knife throwing Lynne (Kate Bosworth). With the infant in safe custody, Yang learns of Ron and Lynne's tragic past. An ex-bank robber, Ron laid down his guns at the wish of his dying wife. Lynne on the other hand, watched her family brutally murdered by an outlaw called 'Colonel'. Even as Yang blends in with the town folk, he realizes that a storm is approaching; a storm dark enough to wipe out the entire town. Produced by Barrie M Osborne, you would expect this film to have the same grandeur as his previous productions, most notably, THE MATRIX and THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. In fact, the opening sequence is interesting enough to grab your attention. What follows in the middle is a dialogue based drama that has a very theatre production feel to it. However, it's the last 20 minutes that has all the action that we are promised in the beginning. But is it worth the wait? In high definition, close-ups of flying bullets and blood rinsed blades look cool. Ninjas floating in and out of the action add an extra oomph, complemented by an equally engrossing soundtrack. Director Lee was also prudent enough to not leak out the best moments in pre-release trailers. But at the end of it all, if you enjoyed Zack Snyder's carnage in 300, don't go expecting anything better in this film. Sure, one particular scene even has the protagonist slicing and dicing a hoard of endless enemies in a fashion similar to those six-packed Greek warriors, but that's about all the comparison you can make to 300. Lee is generous with scenes of blood splatter towards the end, but manages to keep guts and gore to a minimum. Special effects vary in depth as well as quantity, and so you never get too much or too little of it. Perhaps that has all to do with the pacing of the plot. This is precisely where Lee could have done better. In terms of the pace, what I got was an interesting opening sequence, followed by a slow mid-section, only to be concluded by an intense yet rushed ending. While other critics might support Lee's pacing with "character building", this reviewer is opinionated by the fact that action movies do not deliver a knockout punch if action itself is inconsistently paced. Playing the titled character, Dong-gun is no Jet Li, nor Jackie Chan; maybe because this is not a kung-fu movie. But what level of acting can you expect from Dong-gun, when he does a lot of the talking with just his facial expressions while relying on some fancy moves to do the rest? Having said that, whoever says Jet Li or Jackie Chan can act must be a really big fan of either or both. Opposite Dong-gun is Kate Bosworth in a role that easily outdoes her Lois Lane from SUPERMAN RETURNS (2006). Vibrant, cheeky, and energetic, this has to be one of Bosworth's best performances to date. Then there is Geoffrey Rush of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN fame. Although given little screen time, Rush does steal some of Dong-gun's miserly thunder and plays a key role towards the end. Also worth mentioning is Danny Huston as (one) of the bad guys, while ironically also offering some of the film's lighter moments. So there you have it. THE WARRIOR'S WAY has its moments, good and bad, watchable or otherwise. If you overlook the slow pace in-between (during what seems like forever) and the lead actor's lack of emotion or enthusiasm (he is an assassin anyway), then Sngmoo Lee could be given the benefit of the doubt for an otherwise decent action flick, inclusive of some exceptional cinematography.

I haven't heard anything about this movie prior to watching it. I saw Mr. Rush on the casting list and decided that I wanted to see it. I found this movie to be very interesting and different.I am a sucker for beautiful visual effects, therefore I found this movie to be worthy of a high rating. Everything seemed very different because of the combination of various genres (western, action, martial arts, comedy & romance). I have also got a new found respect for Kate Bosworth because she pulled the part of so beautifully. This is a major accomplishment for director Sngmoo Lee, as this is his first movie ever.But my all time favorite thing about this movie was the adorable little baby. I loved her cute facial expressions.

Compared to my recent watch (at theaters) "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows", or "Cowboys & Aliens", which martial arts are boring, but I was satisfied with this film, with my view, as a female Kung-Fu lover. (I have watched many Hong Kong movies)The first swordplay is stylish, in front of the black-and-white ink paintings like an ancient Asian world. Lynne and Yang, the swordplay under the stars are like dancing, and romantic! Like Ninja, using sands of the desert is fine, it's on the land, by contrast, there is the viewpoint from the top of the Ferris wheel. Even the tears of the clown were unique when East meets West.Use of music is fine, too. For example, one of the climax of swordplay, the music is with Korean traditional Samulnori, especially with the sound of strong, and gradually high-paced Korean traditional bell. The mixture of the traditional western movie storyline and Asian sounds was fresh. East meets West succeeded, and really fun for me, not from eyes but also from ears.If you are not an Asian, you may not distinguish Ninja movement from the Phantom Soldiers' one. The Phantom Soldiers are the staffs of Am-heng-o-sa, the Korean traditional hero. When three Phantom Soldiers wrap up Colonel's soldiers and use their knives, it is exactly the action of Phantom Soldiers'. It really entertained me. Mostly, the film goes on as an action entertainment, however I found the word "the desert is a man, flower is a woman" brings me some poetic heart. In fact, the film has several scenes of flowers and petals over the desert. The baby princess April, and Lynne stand for flowers, and a life. If the baby was a boy..., Yang might not bring up the baby, but kill him. Also, the music, Maria Callas's aria in the Wild West is also a flower in the desert. Many symbolic flowers and desert in the film, woman and man, a life and swordplay/war... and which lead to...the oriental philosophy, Yin and Yang. In the eastern Asia, the world is believed, consists of Yin and Yang, and a man belongs to Yang, a woman belongs to Yin. Ancient oriental view of the world, philosophy was expressed symbolically, and which also entertained me.Many of characters are funny, not only speech or words, but also just a movement, like of three young guys. But, the funniest thing is the job of the warrior Yang. It's laundry. Because, the most usual, and the first job for Koreans who came to the U.S. is laundry!

Critic or referrer, this movie is very fun to watch. While the slightly uneven pace may glaze some reviewers down a star or two, the nigh perfect display of action and drama will undoubtedly keep you interested, and the intriguing blend of two worlds only adds to that effect. Fans of anime and semi-old samurai films will love the oriental side of the film, and fans of gritty and semi-modern westerns will love the western side. I also believe that these two types of fans could harbor a newfound interest and respect for both worlds in the end, as well. On top of all this, the acting is flawless and the visuals are epic without having to be too graphically insistent like many of today's films. Again, the storyline and fight sequences are nicely surreal, but do not fall into a ridiculous realm of fantasy and magic, and the battles seem very well choreographed. A stunning, must-see film, in my opinion.