The Warrior takes place in a harsh world populated by hard, unsentimental men for whom killing has become almost a matter of instinct. Yet within this bleak moral universe, writer-director Asif Kapadia and ace cinematographer Roman Osin uncover stunning, sensual sun-baked imagery filled with bold, vivid colors, striking compositions, and stunning panoramic shots.
A fine actor in the stoic, minimalist Steve McQueen/Clint Eastwood mold, Irfan Khan plays one such tough guy—an efficient but unwilling executioner for a vicious, arbitrary feudal Indian lord. Khan's manner reflects the inner anguish of a man profoundly divided against himself. During one of his warrior band's arbitrary orgies of death, Khan has a crisis of conscience and decides to leave his old life behind, which makes him a fugitive, marked for death by his own warriors. Along the way, Khan befriends a rascally thief (Noor Mani) who provides an otherwise exceedingly dour film with some much-needed spark and humor.
Like the film, Khan has precious little dialogue, so it's up to his big, liquid, emotive eyes to convey his psychological journey from reluctant killer to nascent man of peace. Yet like Lady Macbeth, Khan can never wash the blood off his hands, no matter how much he wants to renounce his violent past. A moody art film thinly masquerading as an action movie, The Warrior moves along at a pace that can charitably be described as "deliberate." Part feudal Indian Western, part arty meditation on guilt and redemption, The Warrior certainly chooses an unusual, unpredictable path, but its inertia eventually becomes tedious. The Warrior boasts an action-movie plot and an action-movie title, but precious little action. It's a lovely film about brutal men, but its integrity and visual splendor ultimately can't make up for its overall lack of visceral excitement.