This is a movie called Ninja Assassin. I'll let that sink in for a minute. Still here? If you are I'm going to assume you're the type of person who might be interested in a movie about ninjas who are also rather redundantly referred to as assassins. Because if you're not someone who grew up catching old Asian action movies or someone who has argued the pro-ninja side of a ninja vs. pirate debate, this is probably not the movie for you. If, on the other hand, you spent chunks of your youth trying to blend into shadows and perfect your shuriken skills like some people who may, or may not, be typing this review, you might find this movie an enjoyable way to spend 99 minutes.
The film follows Naomie Harris as FBI Agent Mika Coretti, who has pieced together the long kept secret of the ninja clans. It seems that for generations the clans have abducted children and trained them to be the perfect assassins, yours for the low price of a hundred pounds of gold. Fearing for their secrecy the clans sends ninjas after Mika, however she's saved by the good looking uber ninja Raizo, a man who left his murderous clan and now fights to stop them.
Raizo is played by Korean Pop star Rain and surprisingly, he is not a bad actor. Rain certainly looks the part and the ladies will be happy to know that he spends a chunk of the movie sans shirt. Of course, the clans won't stop until they're both dead so carnage ensues as wave after wave of ninjas slaughter anyone in their path before inevitably falling to Raizo's skill.
Intercut with this is Raizo's childhood as he is trained by Ozunu (Shô Kosugi) to ignore pain, to move without sound, to fight without sight, and to kill without hesitation. Your basic badass ninja package. Kosugi nails these scenes absolutely embodying the classic strict, unyielding, merciless teacher. Unknown to Ozunu, Raizo also learns love and compassion courtesy of female ninja in training Kiriko. The last thing Ozunu wants is a ninja with compassion, understandable really as that would be an undesirable trait in a hired killer, so when Raizo refuses to kill a comrade that attempted to flee, he becomes a traitor in the eyes of his ninja brethren.
The film comes to us from the Wachowskis' right hand man James McTeigue who also directed the much better V for Vendetta. I was a bit perplexed that a seemingly up and coming director would make a rather mediocre action movie about ninjas with a story that generally winds up being made as a straight to DVD affair. It makes perfect sense however when you realize that McTeigue like the Wachowskis is looking to make live action anime which is essentially what this is, just a bit toned down in terms of ninjas can do anything (there are no Naruto level ninjas who are wizards that also know kung-fu and can destroy whole armies single handily in this film). What's slightly more perplexing is the presence of award winning writer J. Michael Straczynski, who co-wrote the film. Then again for those that read JMS's rather polarizing run on The Amazing Spider-Man this may not come as a shock.
My only real complaint (because complaining about a cliche story or a bit of bad acting in a movie called Ninja Assassin would be like complaining that a movie called Aliens had aliens in it) is that the vast majority of the fights are propped up by cgi. Sure you'll see lots of limbs flying and blood splattering but almost all of it is clearly cg. A movie like this there is a certain satisfaction in seeing a practical fake arm being severed as red colored corn syrup splatters on our hero's grimaced face. That sounded gayer then I meant it to but my point still stands. Personally I hope that the next ninja/samurai/dude with a sword movie goes a bit more old school in its action sequences.
If your looking for action, blood, and, well, ninjas, you could do a lot worse. In short, this is a movie called Ninja Assassin.
-egs
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