Don't be fooled by the title and the lone swordfighter who graces the poster. "The Warrior" is not a film about fighting—quite the opposite. Expecting another tired "Crouching Tiger" rip-off wire-fu adventure, I was pleasantly surprised by the honesty and seriousness newcomer Asif Kapadia brings to his tale of revenge and redemption. "The Warrior" is a beautiful and affecting meditation on what it takes to bring about peace.
But in the beginning, there is violence. In feudal India, Lafcadia, played by the stoic Irfan Khan, is a henchman for a local warlord. Sent to plunder, pillage, burn and rape, Lafcadia is an increasingly unwilling executioner of his lord's whims. During a raid on a peasants' village that didn't pay its taxes, Lafcadia has an odd premonition, and his conscience catches up with him. He vows never to lift a sword again and sets out across the desert with his son Katiba (Puru Chibber.) Furious about his desertion, the lord sends other warriors after the two, and extracts a terrible price....
Kapidia begins the story with broad, elegant strokes that propel the story forward. After a gripping first act, the film stretches out and settles into a more leisurely pace. On a somewhat episodic journey, Lafcadia meets the youthful thief Riaz (Noor Mani) and a mysterious blind woman on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas.
But for all the artful imagery, "The Warrior" never shies away from cruelty. Kapidia keeps his film honest. When swords are drawn and people are struck down, it does not happen for our entertainment. This is neither "House of Flying Daggers" nor "Kill Bill," where stylization renders death palpable, even pleasing. When Lafcadia gets his revenge, it is not a moment of triumph. The camera lingers over the image of the corpse just like it showed burned-out skeletons in an earlier sequence. For Lafcadia, another death doesn't solve a thing. Redemption and peace, the warrior finally learns, cannot be achieved through violence.
