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Death Warrior Blu-ray Review |
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Death Warrior Blu-ray
Lionsgate Films | 2008 | 90 mins | Rated R | Dec 01, 2009
Death Warrior Blu-ray ReviewIt's official, we have a new candidate for the worst film of 2009!Reviewed by Dustin Somner, December 22, 2009 Given the immense popularity of mixed martial arts (MMA) in recent years, it was only a matter of time before studios jumped on the bandwagon by offering acting roles to the recognizable faces of the UFC . Following in the career footsteps of Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, it seems the rising stars are looking for their own piece of the lucrative Hollywood pie. I wish I could say the transition from MMA to acting is seamless and graceful, but anyone unlucky enough to have been exposed to Couture's awful spin in Scorpion King 2 will know there's more to acting than a chiseled physique. Death Warrior continues the trend of its predecessors, but manages to reach depths I never imagined possible. I'm thankful Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Keith Jardine, Georges St. Pierre and Rashad Evans still have plenty of fight left in them, because their acting careers are about to take a beating.
After reaching the pinnacle of his MMA career, Rainerio (Hector Echavarria) agrees to one last championship match up with Wolf (Quinton Jackson), his rival and longtime friend. Though his wife isn't happy about his insistence on one last fight, she reluctantly agrees to remain supportive of his career so long as he follows through on his promise to retire in the near future. Unfortunately, his career plans are placed on hold when his apartment is infiltrated by a shrewd businessman and his entourage of hired commandos. If he agrees to participate in a tournament with other prominent fighters in the MMA world (to the death), the life of his lovely wife will be spared. Squaring off with his friends and colleagues, Rainerio must decide between the life of the woman he loves, or the lives of the fathers and husbands he's asked to kill. Words can't express how awful this movie is. I suppose it was my own fault for walking into it with expectations of even minimal competency, but I'm fairly certain I'd still be disappointed regardless. For the uninitiated, Hector Echavarria (co-writer and primary actor in the film) believes he's a godsend among the acting and martial arts communities, despite having an extremely shallow acting career consisting of television appearances and straight-to-video productions. Add in the somewhat hilarious fact that the guy is 40 years old, looks about as fit as a businessman walking down the street holding a jelly donut, and insists on appearing naked or shirtless on far too many occasions, and we're left with enough reasons to pass on the film without delving beyond the shortcomings of the leading man. If that sounded a little harsh, you'll quickly change your mind when you witness one or two of the fight scenes with Echavarria, which demonstrate either his lack of MMA prowess, or awful fight choreography. Picture a guy imitating Bruce Lee's facial expressions while dispatching opponents that wait for him to reset after every hit, and you have a good idea how bad this film is. I wish I could say matters improve in the acting department, but considering the majority of the ensemble cast consists of individuals with little to no acting experience, there's not much hope for redemption. I can only imagine what it must have been like to witness the meeting where the producers decided which UFC star would assume various roles in the film. The most prominent stars are Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine (when I say prominent, I'm referring to the fact that they at least have speaking lines), who deliver the acting equivalent of a fish out of water. These guys desperately need to stick with fighting or undergo some acting lessons, since they both appear extremely uncomfortable behind the camera. In the end, the acting from the ensemble cast is so atrocious that Echavarria easily emerges as the most talented individual in the film. In any other action movie, he'd be the worst element in the production, but placing him among a field of non-actors turns out to be a brilliant career move. If you couldn't tell by now, Death Warrior represents a new low in MMA exploitation. Fans of the UFC will undoubtedly feel compelled to give the film a shot, but the failings of the entire production will leave viewers shaking their head in disbelief. I never expect dense storytelling or Oscar-worthy acting in a low-budget action film, but at least the director could have delivered several rousing action sequences given the physical talent of the ensemble cast. As a closing thought, how do you know an action film is completely devoid of redeeming qualities? Look for the random appearance of naked women and oddly placed sex scenes... Video  Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 17Mbps), Death Warrior arrives on Blu-ray with an accurate presentation of weak source material. Fine object detail is all over the board, with some scenes appearing extremely sharp, while others appear incredibly soft. For instance, the opening scene of the film places the viewer in the middle of an outdoor MMA match with the highest level of clarity (accompanied by thick grain). Immediately following that segment, we have an intimate scene between Rainerio and his wife that lacks a shred of clarity. Given the wild swings in definition, I'm assuming the problem is a result of shoddy cinematography rather than weaknesses in the transfer, but those interested in the film (if there are any) should know what they're getting into. The lack of consistency continues with the color spectrum, the depth of black levels, and the strength of contrast. One minute the film will take on a yellow tint with black levels that barely descend below gray, and the next moment we're treated to a monochromatic blue palette with strong blacks and impressive contrast. I'd almost prefer a consistently mediocre transfer over the wide shifts seen here, since the huge quality swings become a bit bothersome on the eyes after awhile. Lastly, the most annoying element in the transfer is a tendency for motion-blurring to occur during the many action sequences. As you browse through the screenshots, you'll notice there aren't many clips from the heart of the action, since I was unable to zero in on shots that weren't entirely obscured by blurring. Audio  Although we're given a lossless mix on this Blu-ray release, the overwhelming weakness in the low budget sound design doesn't deliver what I'd consider an impressive experience. Rather than a rousing presentation, we have a generic collection of sound effects that never immerse the viewer in the onscreen action. For instance, listen to the noise generated when a kick is thrown to the body, or a punch lands on the flesh of an opponent's face. Every strike sounds nearly the same as the last, drawing your attention to the hilarious nature of the environmental effects rather than the proficiency of the fighting skills on display (which might actually benefit the film). Similar to the generic effects, the rock-infused soundtrack consists of one lazy offering after another. Since the same no-name band performs every song, you'll be hard-pressed to notice a difference between the musical accompaniments of each fight scene (which seems to be the only time the filmmakers felt music was necessary). On the positive side, dialogue remains crisp and clean, with an appropriate balance next to the other elements in the mix. Despite my overall disappointment with the mix, I'm fairly certain the audio track presented on the disc is an accurate representation of the source material. However, just because the track never sounded decent in the first place doesn't mean it deserves high marks. As a side note, look out for the menu screen, which contains an unexpectedly brutal volume increase. Supplements Behind the Scenes (480p, PCM 2.0, 13:36 min): This generic behind-the-scenes featurette includes footage of various sets (mostly consisting of rough takes and such), while Bill Corcoran (director) discusses themes in the film and the experience of working with the various actors. After wasting my evening watching the film itself, sitting through this supplement is truly an exercise in patience. Rules of a Knife Fight (480p, PCM 2.0, 5:23 min): Two of the fight sequences from the film are evaluated as we're shown various clips of the pre-fight choreography. The best part of this segment was hearing director Bill Corcoran tell us that his number one goal in the film was to create fight sequences that don't feel staged or fake. Guess what Mr. Corcoran? You failed… Interviews (480p, PCM 2.0): Running under two minutes in length, viewers are given the option of individually selecting interview segments with Georges St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, or Keith Jardine, as they briefly discuss their experiences while working on the film. Death Warrior Micro Video (480p, PCM 2.0, 1:43 min): This is a promotional segment for the rock band Lost Autumn. One of their songs is played while we watch a montage of various fight sequences from the film. Training in Hawaii with BJ Penn (1080p, PCM 2.0, 1:17 min): Apparently there was a contest called "Never Surrender", where one lucky contestant was given the opportunity to train with UFC star BJ Penn for a day. This extra shows a bit of that training. Rounding out the extras, we have a glorified commercial for Tapout gear, a standard definition trailer for Death Warrior, and a trailer collection for other Lionsgate films. Final words  Just in case there's any doubt left, I despised this film with every fiber of my being. The acting is atrocious, the fight sequences are uninspired, and the plot is laughably mundane. I honestly wish I could have the 90 minutes back that I wasted on the film, and likely would have cut my losses after the first 20 minutes if I weren't reviewing the title. Let's all hope the fighters of the UFC consider their options carefully before they dive into another endeavor that involves Hector Echavarria. Otherwise, they might find themselves without a career path to fall back on when they leave the realm of competitive mixed martial arts. 
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