Yang is the best swordsmen who ever lived (these words actually flash on the screen like a cheesy comic-book movie) and refuses to kill the last remaining member of the opposing clan, a baby girl (she's the best part of the film). He becomes a hunted outcast and travels with the baby to the American West to visit with an old friend. The friend's not there (I don't think why was ever clearly explained), but Yang finds himself taking over his friend's laundry business and befriending the town carnival people (complete with a dwarf, a bearded lady, and clowns) and a pretty lady. Geoffrey Rush plays the town drunk who is "more than meets the eye" and Kate Bosworth is an Annie Oakley character named Lynne with swords instead of guns, red hair, and a traumatic past. I don't want to give anything away, but the story leads up to a big showdown between outlaw cowboys and samurai warriors with Yang, Lynne, and the townsfolk caught in the middle.
I like flying samurais as much as the next gal, but they do not magically solve the problem of a shittastic script. I probably could have enjoyed the movie with better dialogue and no voice-over because, hey, it's a cool idea, and the special effects weren't too bad if we ignore the illogical blood splatter.
It's not a complete loss though. I've learned I can transport a baby by hanging her off of a giant stick much like a hobo's bindle-stick. And I can say I've seen GR's bum-crack. (It's especially disheartening to see GR in this film after recently watching a film as good as The King's Speech.) Plus, I now know of Jang Dong Gun and want to see the Chinese film Wu ji (The Promise) even though I'm sure it will make me cry.
By the end of this week, I'll see how cowboys vs. samurais compares to cowboys vs. aliens.
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