The Warrior

Starring: Irfan Khan, Puru Chibber Director: Asif Kapadia Original UK Premiere: 2002 Dvd Release: 16th June, 2003 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen, Region 2 Encoding Subtitled In: English

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James Brian Hellwig, is an American professional wrestler known by many as The Ultimate Warrior, who legally changed his name to Warrior in 1993. // Previous Gimmicks. Bladerunner Rock, Dingo Warrior. Finishing/Trademark Moves. Warrior Press + Splash, Gorilla press slam, Shoulder Block, Clothesline. As a World Wrestling Federation superstar from the mid- 80s to the early 90s, the Ultimate Warrior was known for his high-energy & high-risk wrestling style & his Gorilla Press Slam, in which he would lift his opponent over his head like a barbell & then drop him to the mat face-first. Before his WWF career, Jim Hellwig was Justice Hellwig of Power Team USA, a group of bodybuilders that Red Bastien & Rick Bassman formed in 1985, but the gimmick went under when they discovered that the team had limited wrestling potential. Of the four members of Power Team USA, only Hellwig & Steve Flash Borden had subsequent wrestling careers.

DVD Extras: The Warrior's picture quality on disc does justice to the film & the extras are rewarding. The young director is sincere & reflective, as shown in his scene-by-scene commentary & on the deleted material, the latter lasting over an hour. The making of documentary is absorbing.

The images of Asif Kapadias first feature film, The Warrior, sear themselves in the mind: the warrior practising with his sword in front of a half-alive tree, or a close-up of a scorpion scuttling across the desert as a camel cart goes by. Restrained beauty pervades the film in the choice of locations, costumes & the framing of each shot, but those unaccustomed to art cinema will feel the absence of story in this visual, mystical odyssey which uses few words, as looks & images carry the film. Irfan Khan brings a quiet, powerful presence of haunting intensity to the role an Indian samurai, seemingly a homage to Kurosawa. The warrior has an epiphany after a bloodthirsty encounter that leads him to abandon his life in the desert & head for the pure snows of the Himalayas. This film is likely to become a landmark.

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