The Warrior

THE WARRIOR

This is the first offering from film maker Asif Kapadia. I know, who the hell is that? I didn't know either but after being intrigued by a preview I saw for a film called Far North (which I am still waiting for on my netflix queue) I checked out what else he had done and this preview really piqued my interest.

In simplest terms it tells the story of a warrior in service to some regional lord in India. When he is sent to punish a village for not paying their taxes he has a change of heart and vows to never lift a sword again. The lord, however, cannot abide anyone leaving his service and puts a price on his head.

Sounds exciting if not original doesn't it? Well it isn't. It isn't adventurous or action packed by any means. What it is supposed to be is a drama detailing the cost of such a decision. Even with that in mind as I watched it I wracked my brain trying to understand while it was good why it wasn't great.

The acting was good. The shots were beautiful. The story and direction were there. So why wasn't I blown away by this? After puzzling on this a while I realized something that I would never imagined myself saying about a drama. It was too short.

There needed to be just a couple more minutes with the main character to understand his relationships with those before he laid down the sword and give them the depth of feeling that never did come across. Perhaps another scene with him being a bastard to help us realize why his soul was in torment as well. I mean, I understood why but I wasn't really made to feel why.

I did appreciate though, that after he quit he spent most of the rest of the movie confused on what to do next, instead of instantly finding a new path.

Good first attempt from a no name now but if he improves then one all of us will know later.

THE WARRIOR This is the first offering from film maker Asif Kapadia. I know, who the hell is that? I didn't know either but after being intrigued by a preview I saw for a film called Far North (which I am still waiting for on my netflix queue) I checked out what else he had done and this preview really piqued my interest. In simplest terms it tells the story of a warrior in service to some regional lord in India. When he is sent to punish a village for not paying their taxes he has a change of heart and vows to never lift a sword again. The lord, however, cannot abide anyone leaving his service and puts a price on his head. Sounds exciting if not original doesn't it? Well it isn't. It isn't adventurous or action packed by any means. What it is supposed to be is a drama detailing the cost of such a decision. Even with that in mind as I watched it I wracked my brain trying to understand while it was good why it wasn't great. The acting was good. The shots were beautiful. The story and direction were there. So why wasn't I blown away by this? After puzzling on this a while I realized something that I would never imagined myself saying about a drama. It was too short. There needed to be just a couple more minutes with the main character to understand his relationships with those before he laid down the sword and give them the depth of feeling that never did come across. Perhaps another scene with him being a bastard to help us realize why his soul was in torment as well. I mean, I understood why but I wasn't really made to feel why. I did appreciate though, that after he quit he spent most of the rest of the movie confused on what to do next, instead of instantly finding a new path. Good first attempt from a no name now but if he improves then one all of us will know later.