Search - The Warrior on DVD

A spectacular, yet sober action/drama

T. Alex Tajiri | USA | 10/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I rented this movie just for the heck of it a little while ago, having an interest in Asian history (Though my main interest is in Japanese, not Korean history). Anyway...



This was a very lucid movie about a group of Korean diplomats who, exiled from their target country for treason, and unable to return home for shame, attempt to redeem themselves by saving a member of royalty from a group of Mongols. If all went well, they would be absolved of all charges of treason, and could therefore complete their mission. The situation gradually degenerates from a heroic rescue to a frantic battle for survival as the Mongols seek retribution for the intrusion into their affairs.



Contrary to what some claim, there actually IS some character development going on in this movie; it's just not what they're used to. Asians are a very subtle people, certainly not prone to the same habits and melodramatic emotional outbursts of your typical Western character. You can slowly, but surely see the growing resentment by the leader of the group at the weakening of his authority; the frustration of the head archer at the stubbornness of the leader; the despondency of the Mongol chieftan as he attempts to fulfill his duties-- duties for which he has neither heart nor interest. As far as the princess goes... yes, she was annoying. But then, she was supposed to be. Get over it! Even members of royalty have their quirks. Particularly royalty, actually. Some characters, admittedly, didn't make much sense; the movie still flows fairly smoothly, nonetheless.



Besides having an interesting plot and characters, the scenery is also beautiful. There's something particularly fitting about the desert; it's as if it will swallow everything whole. The movie was also well budgeted, so the camerawork and action sequences were very well done.



Finally, the movie concludes with a very nice battle sequence and the usual Asian flair for depression and gloominess.



Some problems:

Some of the scenes can drag on for quite some time. I didn't mind, but I'm aware that many people have almost zero patience.



The relationship between Yeosol and the princess is odd. I personally have trouble understanding it, though that's not all there is to the movie.



It is not a celebration of "cultural diversity in our time," nor does it promote "character building values for the youth of America." Sorry, the main character is not arbitrarily black, and violence solves everything.



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So... in conclusion, I love this movie. Some people might not love this movie. We are all entitled to our own opinions, and theirs is wrong. But seriously, if you don't like a little drama intermixed with your bloody, gory action, then don't buy this movie. Or at least rent it first."

Musa (The Warrior) is Great, but not this DVD edition

C. Lee | Ontario, Canada | 03/18/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I just wanted to make buyers aware that this is not the 155-minute long original Korean version as the Description advertises, but the shortened 130-minute edition. I bought this new release assuming I would get the 20+ minutes of cut footage, but was disappointed to find it was the same version that has already been out for several years, only now the subtitles have been butchered (dumbed down) for US consumption. For instance, the older Region 0 DVD contains dialogue along the lines of "My feet are parched like turtle shells," but Sony's new edition merely has "My feet are blistered." Whereas the older version had somehting like "Leave the b_stard here," the new subtitle has "Leave him here." Talk about losing a lot of the original colour!"