Warriors of Virtue

Infobox_Film
name = Warriors of Virtue


caption = Promotional poster for "Warriors of Virtue"
imdb_id = 0120479
producer = Dennis Law
Ron Law
Christopher Law
Jeremy Law
Joseph Law
director = Ronny Yu
writer = Michael Vickerman
Hugh Kelley
starring = Angus Macfadyen
Mario Yedidia
Marley Shelton
Chao-Li Chi
Doug Jones
music = Don Davis
cinematography = Peter Pau
editing = David Wu
distributor = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
released = May 2, 1997
runtime = 131 min.
budget = $35,000,000
language = English, Japanese & Cantonese
followed_by = ""

"Warriors Of Virtue" is a 1997 Chinese/Japanese-American film directed by Ronny Yu. It is in English, Japanese and Cantonese. Although commercially unsuccessful and critically panned, a sequel, "", was made in 2002.

Tagline

"In a world beyond your imagination, a battle for the universe has begun."

tory

The protagonist Ryan is introduced in the first scene of the movie while reading violent martial arts comics in the privacy of his bathroom. His mother, who seems very business oriented leaves for work, leaving him home alone. The scene suddenly changes to a high-energy kitchen in a Chinese restaurant, where Ryan enters, supposedly on his way to school. After a brief confrontation with the head Chef, his friend and restaurant owner, Ming takes him up to his room and shows him a book. First scoffing at "Another self-help book" Ming explains its a Manuscript for Tao, the five elements of Chinese mythology. And gives him the book, as a guide to a world defended by great warriors who use the power of nature as their weapons. Ryan enjoys the stories and gladly takes the book.

Its revealed that he has a metal splint on his leg, portraying a disability keeping him from walking properly, which is the reason for his issues and lacking of self confidence. The scene which follows shows this more in depth, as he watches a football team play, he spies a girl he knows in the crowd who looks back at him. He's revealed to be the team's water boy and is summoned over to give drinks to the players. Brad, the team's quarterback noticed Ryan's glances at his girlfriend and trips him, humiliating and insulting him in front of everybody.

Later, as Ryan and his best friend Chuckie are walking home, Brad and his friends appear and proceed to humiliate him further with insults and games. When his girlfriend stands up against him to defend Ryan, Brad has a change of heart, letting Ryan know of an initiation to become part of the "Cool crowd" and tells him to meet up with them that night. Chuckie and Ryan agree to go as they head home, Chuck wanting to go to defend his friend's honor and become friends with the popular crowd as well. When he gets home, Ryan's mother upsets him with a poorly cooked TV Dinner and offers to pay for a meal from "Minh's" (Meaning Ming's) Ryan leaves in a huff.

That night, Ryan and Chuckie meet up at a water treatment plant, and are shortly joined by Brad, his girlfriend and their friends. They sneak into the treatment room, and Brad points out if he wants to be part of their crowd, Ryan would have to sign his name on a wall with spray paint. The catch is that Ryan would have to traverse a very thin pipe across the pool where the water mixes into the drains. Brad crosses the pipe and the group eggs Ryan to do the same. Brad's girlfriend and Chuckie protest to this due to Ryan's leg. Ryan insists he can do it and starts to cross. About halfway across, a pipe from above bursts out a torrent of water, throwing him into the drain. Ryan, confused and lost in the swirl of water loses consciousness.

Ryan awakens, dry and alone in a dark forest where he is suddenly attacked by a small group of people. As he attempts to fend them off, another unseen figure comes in and defeats them, sending the trio running off into the forest. Upon first glance, Ryan screams and runs away from the creature that had appeared. It is apparent to Ryan, after a short time of running that his leg works. He looks down to see the brace is no longer on his leg and he dances out of joy. Meeting a woman in white robes named Elysia and a dwarven fellow by the name of Mudlap, Ryan is taken to Tao (recognized by the symbol on the boat taking him as the same on his manuscript) upon learning of his possession of the Manuscript of Legend, as she calls it, she feels that Ryan should meet Master Chung and his Warriors. Master Chung introduces Ryan to Lai, the Warrior of Wood, Chi, the Warrior of Fire, Yee, the Warrior of Metal and Tsun, the Warrior of Earth. When questioned about the fifth Warrior, Chung explains that having taken a life, the leader of the Warriors, Yun, the Warrior of Water had left the group. Ryan reveals that the Manuscript was taken during the attack on him when he first arrived, and assumed it was Yun who had helped him, and is the most likely to have it. Chung reveals that the men who attacked Ryan were likely sent by Komodo, a human warrior who keeps his life eternal by drinking the very energy of "Life Spring" of a part of the forest, thusly depriving the area of life and that theirs is the only Life Spring left. And that finding the Manuscript may contain a way to revive their world, or for Komodo to use it to find other worlds.

Ryan sets out and eventually finds Yun, who did not have the book. Ryan realizes that Komodo must have it and implores Yun's help. Calling the warrior out on his virtue when he refuses. Yun has a sudden change of heart and returns with Ryan to Tao. Elysia and Ryan speak as the Warriors create a plan of attack on Komodo to retrieve the book. While Elysia is talking about her brother who had been killed recently in a battle, Ryan is kidnapped while her back is turned and as she looks for him, a voice calls to her with an almost maniacal laugh. Meanwhile the Warriors decided while Tsun and Lai remain behind to defend Tao from an impending invasion of Komodo's forces, Yun, Chi and Yee travel to Komodo's lair to retrieve the book. They fall prey into a trap and it is revealed that Elysia had told Komodo of their arrival. The true colors of her betrayal are revealed when Yun pleas that it was an accident and to let them go; he was responsible for her brother's death, and her vengeance led her into Komodo's arms. Komodo appears and scoffs the trio individually before dropping them into a pit under a trap door they hang over. The trio escape certain death and make their way back to Tao to help defend it.

Mudlap appears and unwittingly leads Ryan into Major Keena's clutches. This time, Master Chung stops the attempted kidnapping. When his army invading Tao, Komodo engages Master Chung in battle and Ryan gets his foot caught in a road. Master Chung dies in battle and Komodo makes off with Ryan.

Ryan awakens in a large bed, as Elysia sits nearby and attempts to comfort him. When she reveals that Yun had killed her brother, Ryan feels torn about betraying her, disbelieving her story he tries to escape and runs into Komodo. Komodo demands that he reveal the contents of the Manuscript, which to him is completely blank. Ryan, being the only one who can read it is eventually persuaded to view the contents of the book, and he finds that even to him, the words do not appear. "Shit Happens" he coins from the popular Earth phrase before Komodo realizes he can't read the book either. Believing he had been cheated Komodo grows angry and throws Ryan to the floor, raising an arm to strike him, it is pulled back by Elysia, whose concern for Ryan is greater than her loyalty to him, and she is promptly killed by Barbarotious, one of Komodo's vicious generals. In an explosion of rage, Komodo kills Barbarotious in return by throwing her back against a wall with a blast of force. Ryan takes this opportunity to escape with his life.

Ryan makes his way back to Tao. Komodo follows and battles with Chung. After a brief, but arduous battle, Ryan again flees. He breaks down, suddenly realizing his mortality in this world and wants to go home. Mudlap appears, more humbled than he had been before, and offers Ryan back the watch he gave as payment to be guided to Elysia before. Ryan has a realization and looks to the manuscript, which suddenly begins to reveal its words to him.

Meanwhile, after burying their master in a shower of blooms, Komodo calls out to the Warriors, as the five of them attempt to fight him individually he laughs and shrugs them off before splitting off four clones of himself, who attack the Warriors one on one time, while Yun fights the original, each of them being beaten back before successfully defeating their individual Komodo, reuniting them with the original before Ryan appears, taunting Komodo as he had taunted the warriors individually. As Ryan's taunting works, he successfully relays to the Warriors what Chung had tried to tell him, that their Positive Chi energy would successfully defeat Komodo if he drains his own energy in an attack. Komodo flies up into the air as the Warriors put their medals together, creating a powerful force of positive energy as Komodo unleashes all of his negative energy to destroy Ryan in a powerful blast. It works, and Komodo reverts to a more benevolent version of himself, seemingly unaware of his previous actions he asks "How do I get home?" and Yun answers, placing a hand on Komodo's shoulder "You are home." The Warriors reunite with Ryan as he lays, seemingly injured mortally. He tries to get up but lays back down. Yee, who had been unable to talk due to his virtue previously speaks for the first time, thanking Ryan for his help. As Ryan's world fades to black, he hears Yee's voice again, saying his name "Ry-an?"

Ryan suddenly finds himself back in the Treatment plant, looking at the can of spray paint, as he did before, Brad and his friends goading him to crossing the water pipe as Chuckie tells Ryan "Let's make like Tom, and Cruise." Ryan smiles confidently at his friend and throws the canister into the water. He mocks Ryan calling him a chicken, and his girlfriend insults him as she too turns to leave. A rumbling is heard, and as before, the water pipe spouts water onto the small one used to cross the rapid water, splitting it and disabling his ability to leave. He orders his friends rudely to get him out. One of his friends says "Swim hard, Brad." and they leave him.

Back at home, Ryan is laying in bed when his mother comes to check on him. When she leaves, he gets up and goes to sit by his Window, his dog joins him, and as the screen fades, Ryan asks his dog "You want to hear about Tao?"

Cast

* Angus Macfadyen - Komodo
* Mario Yedidia - Ryan Jeffers
* Marley Shelton - Elysia
* Doug Jones - Yee the Warrior of Metal
* Chao-Li Chi - Master Chung
* Jack Tate - Yun the Warrior of Water
* Don W. Lewis - Lai the Warrior of Wood, Major Keena
* J. Todd Adams - Chi the Warrior of Fire
* Adrienne Corcoran - Tsun the Warrior of Earth
* Michael J. Anderson - Mudlap
* Tom Towles - General Grillo
* Lee Arenberg - Mantose
* Dennis Dun - Ming
* Roy Cebellos - Willy Beast
* Jason Hamer - Mosely
* Teryl Rothery - Kathryn Jeffers
* Ricky D'Shon Collins - Chucky
* Michael Dubrow - Brad
* Ying Qu - Barbarotious
* Stuart Kingston - Dullard
* Michael Vickerman - Dragoon Commander
* Adam Mills - Toby

Voice Cast

* Scott McNeil - Yun the Warrior of Water
* Doug Parker - Yee the Warrior of Metal, Chi the Warrior of Fire
* Kathleen Barr - Tsun the Warrior of Earth
* Dale Wilson - Lai the Warrior of Wood
* Mina E. Mina - Master Chung
* Drew Reichelt - Dullard
* Venus Terzo - Barbarotious
* Colin Murdock - Dragoon Commander
* Jay Brazeau - Willy Beast
* Gary Chalk - Mosely
* Ian James Corlett - Major Keena
* Ward Perry - Villager
* Shane Meier - Toby
* Michael Dobson - Chi the Warrior of Fire (uncredited)

Trivia

* In the sequence where Master Chung first shows the Warriors to Ryan, Tsun's safety cable is visible for a few seconds as she is exploding out from underground.
* Komodo's taunt, "Warriors, come out and play," is an homage to the street gang film The Warriors (film).
* The Israeli psychedelic trance DJ duo Infected Mushroom uses a quote from the film in the song "The Missed Symphony" about a minute and thirty seconds through the song.

External links

* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=kuESDoNTPeg&mode=related&search= TV Spot] at YouTube
* [http://www.thedougjonesexperience.com/Warriorsofvirtue.htm The Doug Jones Experience] - Doug Jones as 'Yee'
*
* [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/warriors_of_virtue/ "Warriors of Virtue"] at Rotten Tomatoes