Ninja Assassin [movie review] 2009

Starring: Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Sho Kosugi

Director:James McTeigue
Writer(s): J. Michael Straczynski & Matthew Sand
Filmed At: Berlin & Brandenburg, Germany
Rated:R - strong bloody stylized violence throughout, & language.

"In the market for exploding heads and severed limbs?

You probably can’t do better than Ninja Assassin, a balletic collection of blood-spattered martial arts moves that’s bound to delight fans of the genre.

Ninja Assassin moves between past and present to tell the story of Raizo (Korean actor Rain), a killing machine raised in an orphanage and taught, through brutality, to be loyal only to the Ozunu Clan. Here is Raizo as a child, learning to fight and to fear nothing, even as he is badly hurt by those closest to him. He can fight blindfolded; he can do push-ups on a bed of nails; he can kill with swords, chains and his bare hands, and what’s more, he can kill in slow motion. Golly.

Meanwhile, in Berlin, a Europol researcher named Mika (Naomie Harris) continues to research mysterious groups of assassins who seem to be involved in political killings. Just saying the word ‘Ninja’ out loud makes all her superiors laugh and roll their eyes, but Mika believes she’s onto something. Could these ancient warriors still exist?

Indeed they do, and Mika is one person they’d like to eliminate. She knows too much. The other person they’re after is Raizo, who has turned his back on the Ozunu and now vows revenge. When the Ninja come after Mika, only Raizo can help her escape. Run!

Never mind all that story stuff. The person leading the pack of bad Ninjas is Lord Ozunu, played with great gravitas and cool moves by the legendary Sho Kosugi. Backing him up is a Ninja played by Rick Yune, another who lives by the code. These guys can apparently kill you just by squinting in your direction, but they also carry throwing stars just in case the dirty looks don’t work. When it comes to those little metal discs whirling past, the expression ‘heads will roll’ doesn’t begin to cover it. Ewwww.

Ninja Assassin is a big collection of wonderfully choreographed cartoon violence, with jaw-dropping fight scenes involving sword play as well as gravity-defying moves that make Spider-Man look like an amateur. Gripping story-telling it ain’t, but never mind. And don’t be looking for character development, either. Fans of the ninja legend and martial arts in general should know that much of the exhilarating fight work is real; appearances notwithstanding, there is very little wire work in Ninja Assassin.

One of the best extended fight scenarios takes place in the midst of rush hour traffic, a nifty marriage of slicing and dicing to bashing and crashing.

You won’t know where to look."

review author, Liz Braun

[We give it 8.1 out of 10]

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[ [ [ THE OTHERS ] ] ]

• Old Dogs............................................................... 5.8
• The Road ............................................................. 8.5 [best]
  
• Me and Orson Welles......................................... 7
  
• The Private Lives of Pippa Lee........................ 6.6 [worst]
  

Ar1as Ent. 2009
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