Ninja Assassin

Ninja Assassin

I tried to write a review of this earlier today, but I didn’t like the direction it was going. . . so I thought I’d start over. In my previous draft, I typed in a professional-like manner, using big words and all that jazz. However, as I typed it, something inside me was brewing. I continued to type, but could not ignore the ever-growing feeling. What was this, you ask? It might my nerdy-omg-I-am-a-twelve-year-old-again excitement. This has been something that hasn’t awoken in me in a while, what with years of uninspired remakes, mediocre action movies, dumb kids’ movies, prequels, threequels, sidequels, movies based on EVERYTHING that came before it, etc. . .but last night, the excited kid in me was resurrected.

In my previous draft of this review, I was praising this movie with a good vocabulary, but what I really just wanted to say was that “NINJA ASSASSIN FUCKING KICKED FUCKING ASS!” Sure, that’s not what you usually hear from reviews on Metacritic or RottenTomatoes (or other websites for people who can’t think for themselves), but fuck ‘em. “Ninja Assassin” simply blew me away, throughout the whole film.

Now I’m not a fan of real violence, so chill out hippies, but the violence is this movie was extraordinary. The gore and blood was, well, I thought pretty fucking awesome! What I loved most about it was how unapologetically violent this movie was. People’s limbs get cut off, people’s heads and bodies get sliced in half, weapons fly in a sea of blood. Holy fuck yes. So damn awesome. Another cool thing about the violence in this movie was how cartoony it was. I’m not going to say it’s like the Crazy 88′s fight scene from “Kill Bill Vol. 1″, but I guess that’s the closest thing to compare it to. Just imagine that fight with more blood. Yes, MORE blood than “Kill Bill”. So fucking awesome.

I usually never comment on a film’s computer generated imagery (unless it’s way overdone to the point it annoys me. . .“Alice in Wonderland”), but this movie had great CGI. Alright, it’s not great in the fact that it looks real (because it purposefully doesn’t), but the fact that blood shoots in ridiculous amounts and ninja stars zoom at lightning fast speeds is pretty sweet. CGI really helped this film achieve its style, and it’s a great example of how CGI should be used.

Alright, I’ve only been talking about the action, but fuckin’ A, the story wasn’t that bad either. It was kind of what you’d expect from a Ninja movie. I won’t reveal much of the plot, but in Berlin (Germany = fucking awesome!), an investigative team is, well, investigating all these gory murders presumably done by ancient Ninja clans. In another storyline, we meet Raizo, who’s a bitter as shit ninja badass motherfucker. We go into Raizo’s backstory at the Dojo as well, and it’s pretty damn interesting. These stories meet up, with the detective chica and Raizo teaming up to kick some fucking ass. Fuck yea.

Another thing that’s interesting about these characters is that I actually CARED ABOUT THEM. That’s so weird. . .at least as far as recent action movies go. I mean, “Prince of Persia” was alright, but at any time did I think the Jake Gyllenhaal or Token Hot Chick were going to die or face any real threat? No. Did I care about the characters in “Ninja Assassin”? Fuck yes I did, well, at least Raizo.

Some people might laugh when I say that “Ninja Assassin” might have some deep moments, but, well, it does. ***SPOILER ALERT*** I don’t want to spoil anything, but after Raizo’s girl-crush at the Dojo is punished for trying to escape because she hates the brutal nature of the place, she is put into The Box, a shitty box of bamboo which makes it only possible to stand. When Razio visits her later that night, he tells her that he told her she was going to be put in The Box. She responds with something like “The real question is, why aren’t you (in The Box)?” HMM INTERESTING QUESTION, KIRIKO! Never thought I’d say a movie called “Ninja Assassin” would deal with any type of ethical issues, but hey, whatever. It’s good stuff. ***END SPOILER***

Seriously, this movie is the bee’s knees. Sure, it’s not a “great” “film”, but it’s a fucking kick-ass movie. I had a fucking great time. That’s what movies are all about, aren’t they? (Well, at least they used to be). The action scenes are beyond awesome, the main character is a badass, and the story is just all around pretty good. Nearly every death in the film registered a response from me whether it was a “fuck yea” or “oh shit!” or “awesome”, which I love. When the credits began to roll, I so eloquently stated: “Dude, that was the best fucking thing I’ve ever fucking seen in fucking years.” The giddy twelve year old in me came out, so for that I thank “Ninja Assassin”.

This movie fucking rules.

Recommendations: (500) Days Of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009)

Ninja Assassin

Ninja Assassin - Directed by James McTeigue, starring Rain and Naomie Harris - Rated R

A little slow at first, but then...Ninjas!



Ninja Assassin...when a film has a name like that there should be no mistaking what you are about to see. Ninja Assassin is about a clan of ninjas that assassinate people; fairly simple, and awesome. There's a story in there about lost love and whatnot, but if you are considering watching this movie at all you are mainly concerned with the action, so I'll save the in depth plot synopsis for later.

The action in Ninja Assassin is pretty impressive at times. After all, this is from the filmmakers behind The Matrix trilogy and V for Vendetta. The movie starts off extremely violent as practically invisible ninjas cut a room full of gang members to pieces...literally. The film slows down to a crawl after that sequence, however, but does regain momentum in the end. It slows down to get into that pesky plot I mentioned earlier, which I think was a misstep by the filmmakers, but back to the action. I referred to the ninjas as invisible because this film emphasizes the shadow warrior aspect of ninjas. That may sound cool and everything, but it's not necessarily fun to watch. Just hearing a woosh! followed by a limb being cut off or a splash of computer generated (CG) blood is okay here and there, but when it takes up entire action scenes it can get kind of boring. The action is much better when the ninjas are forced to fight near a light source. So struggle through the boring middle of the film and you'll be pleased with the last half hour of the film, as I was.

One thing that is prominent even in the extremely dark action scenes is blood. This film is absolutely drenched in CG blood with a little bit of practical blood as well. I'm a traditionalist, so I prefer my onscreen blood to be good old fashioned corn syrup and red dye. I had a problem at first with all the CG blood, but eventually it just became comical and made some of the dark scenes funny. So I don't mind the CG when it's overused to the point of being funny, but I find it hard to believe that using a computer is cheaper than mixing syrup and dye. Maybe it isn't such a big deal to other people, but I assume if you're into movies like this, then you have a stance on the fake blood issue.




The film slows down into boring, but bloody, territory because the filmmakers felt obligated to give a reason for all the violence. Personally, I don't need a good reason to watch ninjas do battle. Just let me know who the good guy is and who the bad guy is and let them fight it out for a sacred relic or something. This film, however, felt the need to make this about a Europol agent (Naomie Harris, a.k.a. the voodoo lady from the Pirates movies) who is searching out the ninja clan behind assassinations over the last few centuries. Her story is cross cut with that of Raizo (Korean pop star/actor Rain) who trains in his apartment while he has flashbacks from his childhood within the ninja clan (they take orphans in to replenish their clan). I don't mind martial arts training scenes, but I thought there were far too many in this film. If they had been done in the vein of Kill Bill Vol. 2 they could've been much more entertaining. And then there's a whole forbidden love angle tossed in there that could've been set up in much less time as well.

Of course the Europol agent and Raizo cross paths eventually and team up to survive against the hordes of ninjas stalking them. This is when the film gets its much needed jumpstart. I can't stress enough how much the last half hour saved this film. I went into this movie expecting insane ninja action and the middle of the film didn't deliver on that at all. But by the end, I was just waiting for characters to start yelling, "Ninjas!" (pronounced NEEN-juz, of course). The last part of the film is the fun, crazy time promised in the previews and it made it all worthwhile for me.

(Read Less...)

Eric Harris - www.canneltoncritic.com

Ninja Assassin

Chefs in Black battle each other with every blade in the kitchen with hilarious results!

One Word Movie Review: SAD

Ninja Assassin is an unintended comedy about a culinary school for orphans who learn, from a very young age, how to slice up meat in the dark while wearing black aprons. Just like the very aggressive Iron Chefs of TV fame, these students are "stainless steel" chefs, pitted against each other in battle after battle, until they break or earn the respect of their honorable father. The laughter starts with each battle to see who can slice the most meat from the bone, sometimes so fast you have to use slow motion to see how good these masters really are.

The ultimate skill is wielding the chain blade, a super-sharp curved knife on the end of a long chain. This can be swung over your head, or flicked like Indiana's bull-whip to trim the fat off a side of ribs or eviscerate the organs in a chest cavity, perhaps in preparation for a tasty onion stuffing. The Chefs in Black also employ a tossed star system, throwing four-pointed flat blades across the kitchens to pin meat to walls or posts, especially when a new delivery unexpectedly burst through the doors.

The comedy comes from the theatrical antics of the chefs as they artfully go about their chopping and slicing. Why toss some meat on a simple wooden chopping block when you can loop a chain around a neck, suspend it from a roof beam and cleave it into quarter-sections with two swift strokes, all while blindfolded? This is certainly not your mother's cooking movie, no Julie and Julia here. In fact, the whole Julia Child school of food preparation seems antiquated in comparison to the artful deboning and butterfly carving techniques demonstrated so vigorously in Ninja Assassin.

The Story

The movie starts with a blood-red tattoo being applied to the back of a gangster, surrounded by his buddies. They obviously have ordered in, but instead of pizza by the slice they get black sand in an envelope. What does this mean? Ah, it is the calling card of the black chefs, who arrive dramatically out of the shadows like ninjas. Soon the blades are flying and dinner is served quickly, silently and expertly.

We then spend the rest of the movie learning how these chefs are trained from a very young age in the culinary skills until they graduate, get a graduation wrist watch, fall in love and move to Berlin. However, one student, perhaps the greatest Stainless Steel Chef of them all, turns on his teacher and wins a major catering contract with the European police department.

In the end, after many laughs over the exaggerated hack and chop moves of the black chefs, Ninja Assassin ends with the final, flaming confrontation between student and teacher. I can't say who wins, but if there is a sequel, it should be called Graduation Day at Black Chef School.

The Genre

The number of movies made about cuisine are few, but when done well, they find an audience who appreciate the preparation and enjoyment of food. Babette's Feast, Julie and Julia, Chocolat and Big Night all come to mind, but these were quiet, understated affairs of the palate compared to Ninja Assassin. It ranks high in the second type of food movie, the meat sushi genre where no stove is used and the food is prepared raw and bloody.

The Overall Quality

Ninja Assassin takes a minimalist approach to cinema, relying less on story and character to focus the lens on the shiny blades.  In this modest ambition, the movie excels. It also does a great job of labeling non-descript buildings with signs to let the audience know which one is a "PLAZA" vs. a "MOTEL". This is a thoughtful and much-appreciated gesture from the filmmakers to the audience who might otherwise confuse the concrete box where Raizo, the Stainless Steel Chef buys jeans with the concrete box where he shacks up with an attractive police woman.

This is a movie of shadow and blood, with dark interiors lightened by glistening droplets of red fluids from the opening red ink from the tattooing of a gangster to the glistening rivers of blood reflecting the flame-broiled timbers of the black sand cooking school as it burns to a hollow shell.

Movie/Market Analysis

MarketBOB’s sentiment indicators, the GQS (Genre, Quality, Story) rate Ninja Assassin an emotional BEAR. For those who haven't gone to see this movie yet and like to toss their money away in extravagant dinners meant to impress rather than satisfy, this is the movie for you. If you truly want to go to see a great movie about cooking, this will be a terrible disappointment for you.

Last updated: 2010-03-26 21:19:40 by user08

Ninja Assassin

i went into ninja assassin with low expectations. it didn't  disappoint. i feel like a kid at christmas here: santa has delivered a  big bag of shit and i'm about to jump around in that shit and get it all  over me, because this is exactly what i asked for.

where should i start? first of all the fight scenes, which should  have been the one redeeming factor, are absolutely filled with blurry  CG. is that really the best they can do in this day and age? i don't  think it is. second, the lines that the protagonist (raizo) deliver in  this film are deep and well thought out. both of them. i'm going to  spoil what they are: "wait here" and "go. go fast."

a lot of the fights in ninja assassin remind me of playing ninja  gaiden. at some point in the plot the ninja's get angry with raizo.  don't worry about the reason for the anger, it's not important. so  there's a hundred ninjas, all ready to kill our favorite mute. and what  is their plan? they send the ninjas in, one at a time. good plan boys,  if the first 57 ninjas didn't get raizo, i' m sure the 58th will. you're  probably wondering what all the other ninjas were doing while their  brethren were taking on raizo one at a time. i'll tell you, because i  paused and looked: they were dancing. they're not throwing ninja stars,  they're not running to the fight; they're just dancing. maybe that's how  ninjas warm up before fighting, i don't know. personally, i think they  were getting in a bit of practice for DDR.

one of the main fights in ninja assassin occurs when a 4-lane street  is overtaken by ninjas. can you imagine? cars are running into these  trained assassins while trying to swerve around them. the ninjas are  just everywhere, beating the shit out of each other. it's like ninja  frogger. you might wonder: why do the cars continue to come down that  road while a goddamn ninja armageddon has broken out? you'd think  someone would have blocked off the road at that point. but no, the only  reaction is to honk. i pictured a married couple, in their car: "so  honey, how about those melon- oh christ. not again. fucking ninja war.  GET OFF THE STREET! i'm trying to get to the grocery store. every  tuesday night, i swear to god. well i'm just going to run you over and  honk." i wish people really drove like this. i'd get to work a solid 20  minutes faster.

there was some redeeming qualities in this film. do you know what  ninja's can't avoid? missiles. it's the battle i've always wanted to  see: missile launcher vs ninja. as well, although the fights are cheesy  and CG'd in an awful way, there's a lot of them. it's like a chinese  dinner buffet: quality over quality. i was also pleasantly surprised by  the ninja's sword fighting technique; i expected a lot of sword play,  sword on sword. no, no that's not the ninja way. the ninja way is to use  your body to block the sword, like a man. usually a sword blow to the  chest is fatal, but no, not in this movie. it's not a problem.

i give this heap of shit a 1/7.

http://suckfail.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/ninja-assassin/

(Read Less...)

Ninja Assassin: Sneak Peek

Rain's first take on Hollywood was a big disappointment. People expected a lot from his "Speed Racer" performance but instead of making a loud, pounding growl it was more like a puny meow. He was almost non-existent in the film but who could really blame him? The movie just did not give him much capacity to show what he was made of. With "Ninja Assassin", the Asian superstar gets his chance to become the main protagonist on a Western film. For sure, this is his chance to impress both in his acting and martial arts skills. Can Rain impress or would this be another big flop for him? Read on to find out our verdict.

Raizo (Rain) is taken from the streets as a child and transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. The Ozunu are known as being assassins in the ancient world. Raizo, haunted by the execution of his friend by the Clan, breaks free from them and vows to stop the clan someday, somehow. Meanwhile, Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris), a Europol agent, is investigating money linked to various political murders around the world and discovers that the Ozunu are behind these killings. Soon, she finds her life threatened by the Ozunu Clan's ninja assassins while an unlikely hero saves her life.

If you expect "Ninja Assassin" to bring out balls-out action then you won't be disappointed but expecting anything beyond is a no-no. To really get a picture of what "Ninja Assassin" is, think blood and gore of the "Kill Bill" movies interspersed with the intense action and visual style of "300". Sadly, this does not equate to it being better than these films - in reality, it is actually a mediocre version of both. Rain was amazing in the fight scenes (a sight to behold indeed) but his acting skills need to improve. At this point in his career he is all just flash and nothing more. The supporting cast didn’t do much help as well, making things even worse. The plot of the movie is a bit quirky and predictable which may tick some people off. Finally, if you really hate guts flying abound, then avoid this one for sure. Our recommendation is to watch "Ninja Assassin" if you just want intense action and fight scenes but avoid it if you want substance.

Rating: 2.5 reels

Why you should watch it:- balls-out action from start to finish
- fans of Rain will definitely drool

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- blood and gore may be too much for some to digest
- so-so acting and plot means there is no substance to the movie

Recommendations:

Last updated: 2010-03-12 02:54:33 by user06

Ninja Assassin

Starring:
Rain, Sho Kosugi, Naomie Harris,

Director: James McTeigue

Genre: Action

Rated: R

Few things in life are guaranteed to be Awesome but two things in film that  qualify 9 out of 10 times are  Ninjas and Violence. Alone they are great, but when their powers are combined it is an unequaled combination.. In the early 80’s as a young child I wanted to be a ninja primarily from seeing the blueprint for all ninja films “Revenge of the Ninja” starring the great Sho Kosugi. . At the time a throwing star in the eye was fantastic in this day and age we need a little more for it to register on the violence meter and that is where Ninja Assassin comes in. You can typically judge a ninja film off of the opening minutes and Ninja Assassin is no exception when a Yakuza member gets his head sliced in half you know the goods are about to be delivered, The following opening scene features enough dismemberment and CGI blood to appease even the most avid gorehound.

There is a story somewhere in Ninja Assassin that involves Ninja clans being hired by governments for 100 pounds of gold to assassinate people. That however is completely secondary to what a ninja film is about. Training sequences, a loved one being killed and thus revenge being in order and lots and lots of violence. The thing that makes the Ninja so cool is they are mercenaries, they have the best toys they don’t just punch and kick they hide in the shadows and then attack the whole honor of facing your opponent is lost on them it’s all about getting the job done and not showing weakness.

Ninja Assassin stars Asian sensation Rain as Raizo the orphan taken in by the “black sand” Ninja Clan and taught to become a lethal killing machine. His father Ozuna (played by noted ninja badass and godfather of the film genre Sho Kosugi) orders the killing of a fellow student who Raizo has romantic feelings for which leads Raizo to begin to reconsider his commitment to his clan and ultimately the catalyst for Raizo going against his adoptive father. This is mostly told through flashbacks while Raizo is protecting a Europol researcher Mika (Naomie Harris) who has discovered the truth about the Ninjas and there connection to world governments. The story is ridiculous and does just enough to keep the flow going from one action sequence to the next; but thats the point the movie is called Ninja Assassin the title sells you what the film is all about.
While not for everyone in fact if you don’t have an affinity for Ninjas chances are you will think this is horrible, but for what it is, it’s fantastic a true ode to Ninja Awesomeness.

(Read Less...)

ninja assassin

those are some pretty bad ass ninjas.

the bloodiest movie of the year by far.  bloodiest movie since sweeney todd.

gruesomely imaganitve ass kicking.

better love story than twilight.  with ninjas.

this thing kicks you in the teeth right from the get go.  the opening scene is a downpour of blood and body parts.  i mean, this thing is bloody.  imagine 300 meets kill bill.  and with a better love story than twilight.

go see this thing if you like ass kicking ninja action.  dude, there’s a scene where they attack the ninja compound with tanks and hummers!  ya got ninja scattering little shadowy cockroaches.  cockroaches that throw ninja stars with deadly speed and accuracy.

it’s awesome.

four severed ninja fingers out of five.

Cal Reed

NINJA ASSASSIN

Basic Premise:

Raizo, raised by ninjas to be the perfect assassin, has defected. He wants revenge on his old master and he'll have to go through his former "brothers" and "sisters" to get it.


Review:

Warning - This movie contains a LOT of blood... and limbs being chopped off but mostly blood and lots of it. I thought I got some on me there was so much. Not very much cursing (that I remember) and pretty much nada for the sexual situations. It's all R-rated violence.

You don't see her in the previews (they are hyping the ninjas and the action, not so much the plot) but the female lead (yes there is one) is black so there is an interracial element going. Just thought I'd toss that out there.

Rain looks absolutely yummy with no shirt and covered in blood (what does that say about me?). That man is hot and this movie KICKED ASS! I loved every minute of it. There's no Storm Shadow-Snake Eyes fight scenes in this movie. If the fighters are moving slow, it's because the director switched to slow-mo just so we can see what the heck is going on. This is ninja-ass-kicking on caffeine.

Call me crazy but I loved the trailing effect on the shurikens and spinning blade. It was kind of cartoony but made for a stunning visual effect. Not to mention that most of the fighting is in the dark so the trailing effect is needed to see what is being thrown. Nice touch.

There is a bit of a fantastical element but I loved that too. It added to the ninja mystique.

The plot is a good one. Tried and true and uncomplicated. They fleshed it out without being too heavy-handed and then resolved it with the chance for a sequel. I look forward to the promise of a sequel and a return of the cast from this first movie. *crossing fingers for luck*

(Read Less...)

Recommendations: Star Trek (2009), Avatar, 300

D. Renee Bagby<br />
Building New Realms of Passion<br />
http://dreneebagby.com

Ninja Assassin

Hiiiyaa!

Judo chop!

"Ninja Assassin" has plenty of ninja action. Make no mistake.

It's got flying chinese stars, it's got katana broadswords, it's got aerial kicks and secret moves. There's even a pair of num-chuks or two. All in all, I haven't seen another movie this year with as much ninja action as "Ninja Assassin."

And you know what? I LIKE ninja action. Therefore I liked "Ninja Assassin."

Oh, I forgot to mention the movie's signature weapon: a throwing knife attached to a long stainless steel chain. This is a weapon that can inflict bodily harm a NUMBER of different ways. And don't worry -- each and every one of them is explored in "Ninja Assassin."

So what about that title? Many have alleged it is a redundancy, since every ninja is, by definition, ALREADY an assassin. According to script doctor J. Michael Stracynski, who wrote the last draft of the script:

"That's not the point of the film. It's about an assassin that goes after ninjas."

And if that's not the coolest idea you've ever heard, then you and I are not simpatico.

Let's make sure. Here's the concept one more time:

"It's about an assassin that goes after ninjas."

I'm presold on that premise, but much of course depends on who this "ninja assassin" is.

He's Rain, a Korean pop star, who plays Raizo, an orphan inducted as a child into an elite ninja clan ruled with an iron fist by Ozunu, a grim martial arts master who insists on total subordination of the individual to the group.

Here we stumble across our theme. For our boy Raizo has a conscience, deeply buried though it may be. It is unearthed by fellow ninja cutie Kiriko.


This conscience gets them both in trouble, and eventually leads to Kiriko's execution by the clan and Raizo's declaration of war against said clan.

Into this primal clash between prodigal son and overbearing father stumble two western doofuses, Europol agents Mika and Maslow. (I didn't even know there was such a thing as Europol. Turns out there is!) They ask questions the audience needs to know ("So what IS a ninja?") and put themselves in danger early and often, requiring Raizo to unspool that dagger-on-a-chain and save their sorry asses. 


A nice relationship develops between Raizo and Mika, through which Mika proves herself useful by the ending. And what an ending it is!

The final showdown takes place on the mountaintop where the clan trains. It involves a full-scale clash between a major detachment of modern military forces, replete with heavy gunships and automatic weaponry, and the entire clan of ninjas. Of course, all this fighting comes down to a personal combat between father figure Ozunu and errant son Raizo.


If you don't want to see how that fight plays out, then I guess you don't want to see the movie.

But if you liked the brilliant 80's sci-fi movie "Aliens," then you ought to like "Ninja Assassin." The two movies play out in somewhat similar fashion, with fast-moving ninjas taking the place of snarling aliens.

There's a lot of joy in "Ninja Assassin." By which I mean there is a lot of reckless carnage, flashing swords and brightly-colored fake blood.

A user comment left on the movie's imdb page summed things up nicely. It read:

"Only one ninja was harmed in the making of this film.

The rest were killed."

SCORE

How Accomplished: 72/100

How Much I Enjoyed: 85/100

Last updated: 2010-02-22 21:38:56 by user02

Ninja Assassin - Review

Ninja Assassin is a balls to the wall movie that follows a character named Raizo, who just happens to be one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan. He eventually becomes haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them and vanishes. When (as we learn in flashbacks) he parted company after refusing to kill someone who tried to leave the clan, he became marked for death. He has been pursuing vengeance ever since. The key with a film like this is finding a lead actor who can carry the role with finesse. Rain is no Oscar-worthy talent, but he does have the charisma and presence needed to carry the film. One thing I really want to stress to those who haven’t seen this film yet is do not take it seriously. This movie isn’t over-the-top, it leaps over the top and continues to ascend to the point of pure lunacy, and that’s just within the first 10 minutes.

One thing I heard a lot of people complaining about in the theater was the use of dark light during action scenes. Yes, the dim lighting made it difficult to see what was going on in a few fight scenes; however, this darkness served the purpose of the concept, unlike the shaky cam trend, which is done for no purpose other than to convince you that what is going on in the scene is more interesting than it actually is. I was able to see more action in one of the “dark” scenes in Ninja Assassin than I did in the last two Bourne movies combined. Audiences are getting exactly what they pay for with Ninja Assassin, an unrelentingly violent and over-the-top action film that makes the most out of the fun it can wring out. My only complaint with this aspect was that Ninja Assassin’s script never clearly defines what a ninja is actually capable of at any given moment.  There was some supernatural things going on in the movie that had me scratching my head often times.

What we do know is that the ninjas in this film are a force to be reckoned with. True to the myth, they move silently in the shadows. They can also be found clinging to the ceiling like something out of Aliens. And once they arrive, no one is safe. The filmmakers have said that they wanted to update the ninja movie for the 21st century, and there they succeed.  After that first kill, none of the action is brought to life with any extended originality. Not to knock the films’ action right after I praised it but therereally is no fun, no fresh new ideas. Torrents of CGI blood and limbs lead to an easy comparison to the films of Ryuhei Kitamura, but the big point of comparison is energy and attitude. Sure, Kitamura’s Versus is an amateurish movie, but it has buckets of ideas and boundless energy, and just a little of each would have made Ninja Assassin infinitely more entertaining.

I mean, the only real reason to make this movie is if you have a notebook full of ideas for shredding the human body. So if you’re in the mood for action supported by a dull plot or stupid characters, Ninja Assassin might make for a bloody good time. I left the movie with my memory of it being largely a big blur. Ninja Assassin is a genre movie with accomplished, impressive fight choreography and visual effects. But the most important thng to remember in all of this is if we learned anything from Indiana Jones, it’s that bullets trump sharp objects every time. It good seeing ninjas getting some love instead of vampires nowadays but this isn’t the movie that is going to propel them into a statewide phenomenom.

Final Grade: C+

To see reviews like this one and others:
http://japancinema.net

(Read Less...)

Ninja Assassin — 7

When I first saw this trailer I had absolutely no desire at all to watch this movie. I thought at best that it would be nothing more than one of the crappiest stories I had ever seen. But as it turns out the movie actually kept my interest going for the entire movie. I was a little take aback by it actually.

First off the storyline was split into 2. There was when the main character was a child and was training to become a ninja and there was when it takes place in present day. During the course of the movie it constantly switched between these timelines. Now when he was training to be a ninja was way better than I thought it would have been. It was interesting, awesome, amazing, and actually kept me on the edge of my seat while it was telling the story. Now in the present timeframe of the movie, it was a total joke. I have only seen one movie in theaters that was actually worse than this movie, and I walked out on it and I still to this day not remember what movie it was that I walked out on. But seriously apparently ninja clans are more brutal than any other government agency or mob, or black market, or anything really. Hell they put the FBI (or at least I’m assuming that’s what they are) in a shit my pants scared state, all because someone was looking around about ninjas.
Seriously, who has not done a search on ninjas? I know I have. But no ninjas came and tore up my office looking for clues on how to kill me.

Wait a minute. Since when do ninjas need clues on how to track you down and kill you. You found my office, so why have you not killed me yet? Seriously?

Now the only other redeeming quality of this film was not how awesome the action scenes were(and trust me there were a few that were downright jaw-dropping) but how gory the shit was. I usually hate gore, but in this case it worked out very nicely and it set the mood for the entire movie by just the opening scene alone. There were at times I wondered what the hell they used for blood. Sometimes it looked like kool-aid, other times it looked like paint, other times like jello, and of course there were also times when CG blood was used. If this movie was not as gory as it was I would not have liked it, no joke.

The other thing that got to me was that guns were absolutely useless against ninjas at all. That is until the very end when it seemed like guns and explosions killed every ninja alive. There were defiantly times when me and the people I saw this with wanted t stand up and shout out “AMERICA! FUCK YA!” I think we did at one point actually.

All in all if you want a mind-numbing-action-gore-fest than this is for you. If not then these are not the ninjas you are looking for. Move along.

Base Score = 7
+1 for great training story
-2 for shitty ass present day story
+1 for awesome gore
+1 for being able to scream America! FUCK YA! In the middle of a theatre
+1 for laundry scene.
-1 for stupid ninjas and the need to tear apart offices for clues
-1 for not a single Pirate reference
=7/10

Last updated: 2010-01-12 01:53:48 by Tolll

Ninja Assassin

I’m more of a samurai fan rather than ninja, but a good ninja flick will  always get my attention. The trailers for Ninja Assassin had me from  the get-go (although the title left something to be desired).
The story of this film is really simplistic. Guy gets trained at some  Japanese school and while there he gets betrayed by his “brother”.  Fast-forawrd a certain number of years and its time for revenge. No big, there.  Interspersed with all this are flashbacks that show us how he grew to become a  ninja, as well as his growing hatred for his “father”.
This film is all but bathed in blood. However, it’s not horror movie blood,  but rather the obviously fake stuff that is a bright red. I didn’t have  a problem with this, as it lightened up the film a bit, as well as made the  blood a bit more apparent.
The martial arts scenes are the highlight of this picture, and no doubt what  you wanted to see when you chose this flick. They don’t disappoint, and they  don’t waste any time by using that bullet time stuff.
A big surprise on the cast for me was Naomie Harris. If the name doesn’t  sound familiar. Check out the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean films. She plays Tia Dalma, but seeing her here, you wouldn’t know it. She  has meat on her bones, and with the exception of being an agent who thinks  ninjas are wrong, she is actually quite the interesting, likable character.
Ninja Assassin is not the kind of picture you watch when you’re in  the mood for some Academy-Award winning performances nd whatnot, but it is a  good popcorn flick. The fast paced action and bright red blood make for an  extremely entertaining flick. I highly recommend this flick to any and  everyone.
4 1/2 out of 5 stars
http://thankyounetflix.wordpress.com

(Read Less...)