"Stay comfortable and listen". This is what Jeffrey Rush's voice say to us when he start to tell us a story. A story about the "best sword master in the world, ever!" Who, at the end of a 500-year-old war between two clans, refuses to kill the last surviving opponent - a little baby - to put an end to the feud and instead he decides to go to a friend in the West (and more precisely the Wild West) to live a normal life. But by refusing to take the baby's life, the warrior becomes the number one target of his own clan. If you already have a Deja Vu, do not worry, you do not think, because it's one of the oldest stories in the genre. What is interesting is the way it is told. I mean visually. The film is reminiscent of the "300" style - as well as other films shot on the blue / green screen and subsequently painted, but given the sword battles and the very frequent use of cadence, "300" jumps first - perfect work, especially at the beginning.
The reason for "especially at the beginning" is that very quickly after the good start, the film starts to crash, similar to the "Ninja Killer" quite familiar. Our hero falls into a desolate, classic town of Wild West movies, where, as we have already mentioned, he tries to forget his past as a murderer and live with his new friends. That is, things get a little bit out of action. In addition, the most irritating thing in the whole movie - Kate Bosworth. Although she is not my type, I can understand people who think she is nice, but posthumously I can not understand how anyone would think she can play. It is not enough that she is walking around in this world, but trying to sneak up on us and an accent that is more than tragic - to put aside that is unnecessary - and a comparison with him what Megan Fox showed in Jonah Hex is worthy for respect. She is also responsible for the most unimaginable moment in the movie that I personally was ashamed to watch when our hero teaches her the speed of knife handling while throwing pebbles on her. All this is very unfortunate, because her image is at the heart of one of the most interesting things in the movie - the modern blend between classic western and classic "combative art" film. While she is still a child, the town is attacked by the gang of the unscrupulous Colonel who has obscene aspirations for her, and when she pours him with hot oil he shoots her, her little brother and her two parents. But she does not die and the only thing she's living for is vengeance. In short, and without going into detail, the Colonel's thugs and the clan chasing our hero are finally pouring into the city at the same time, and as you can guess, it's a pretty, bloody logging. It is a pity that boredom, clichés, and dullness are in excess.Here we have to say a few words about the other actors. Korean star Zhang Dong Gong as a hero at times seems wooden, but he is allowed, as he is still a foreigner, and his role allows for greater impunity. Danny Huston - who is incredibly talented, but lately only play similar roles (here as Colonel) - as always is second to none and definitely enjoyed, and phenomenal Geoffrey Rush course is great, except that there is nothing to play and as the Americans say, e totally "misused". The rest are classical moods that you can expect from such a movie.
For the final I can say that the film is generally "weak brandy", but it is definitely better than a lot of works with the same theme that go directly to the DVD. As I said, with the exception of one or two frames where the stylistic effects are defective, the overall look is pleasant and at least personal to me is not my goal. There is humor, it is not pretentious, and apart from the boring middle part, there is some dynamism. Well, the action could have been a bit more, but there was a scene to the end, in the blackened corridor that compensated.