DVD Reviews

Ninja Assassin – Blu-ray Review

By Patrick Luce Apr 26, 2010, 21:20 GMT

If it moves, smash it! The filmmakers behind The Matrix and V for Vendetta bring new blood (lots of it!) to martial arts movies in Ninja Assassin. Korean pop star Rain (Speed Racer) stars as heroic, deadly Raizo. Trained from childhood in the way of the Ozunu Clan ninja, he is stalked by fellow warriors for breaking free of them and their iron-willed dojo patriarch (martial arts legend Sho Kosugi)... ...more

Ninja Assassin is one bloody martial arts epic that might be a little light on story, but is still fun to watch – as long as you aren’t expecting too much.

The film was produced by the Wachowskis and features the slick style the two are known for despite being directed by someone else.

James McTeigue (who worked with the Wachowskis as a second unit director on Speed Racer and all three Matrix films) steps into the directing position for the film - which features a screenplay by Matthew Sand (who also wrote the story) and the great J. Michael Straczynski. It features slick cinematography work by Karl Walter Lindenlaub and fast paced editing by Gian Ganziano and Joseph Jett Sally.

The film stars South Korean pop singer Rain as Raizo, Naomie Harris as Europol agent Mika Coretti, Ben Miles as Europol agent Ryan Maslow, Rick Yune as Takeshi, the legendary Sho Kosugi as Lord Ozunu, leader of the Ozunu Ninja Clan, and Anna Sawai as Raizo's love interest Kiriko.

The film’s plot is both an origin story and what feels like the start to a franchise – although it appears to not have been as big a box office success as the filmmakers had hoped. Its story is pretty straight forward and even a tad familiar.

Raizo is hunting (or running from depending on which character you ask) the members of Ozunu Ninja Clan and is forced to join up with Europol agent Mika Coretti after he saves her from being killed. As their story unfolds, the audience is treated to flashbacks of the brutal training Raizo received as a child (after he is kidnapped by the clan) to become the ninja killing machine he is today.

The training taught Raizo to ignore pain and feeling and to kill without mercy (these guys make the Spartans of 300 look like saints). As he is trained (or tortured depending on your point of view), he meets Kiriko – who is also being trained to be a ninja, but who is gentle. Even as children, the two seem to have feelings for each other and start to look out for one another.

The film jumps back and forth between the past and the present as Raizo and Mika stay on the run to avoid Takeshi and the group of ninjas hunting them. There are several huge action sequences that make the movie worth watching and small bits of dialogue to give us some story.

As the flashbacks catch us up to date, Raizo and Kiriko grow in age, and begin a romance – which is very much forbidden. Things take a turn for the worse when Kiriko decides she can no longer live with the clan and tries to escape. Raizo starts to go with her, but stops at the last moment – a decision he would both regret and that would put him on a quest for vengeance against the cruel Lord Ozunu.

The film’s pace stays pretty fast with bits of story interrupting lots of violence and blood spraying on the screen. It builds to an epic battle between Raizo and Takeshi, and then a final showdown between Raizo and Ozunu.

While Ninja Assassin won’t win any prizes for being the best piece of dramatic cinema ever released, the film is an action-packed thrill ride for fans of ninja flicks and reminded me of some of Kosugi’s classics from the 80s.

Rain does a decent job in the main role, and seems to have the charisma needed to be a box office star. The film’s limited plot hurt his chances to fully develop a character that the audience truly cared for, but you also don’t hate him. By the end of the film, I was rooting for him to get his revenge, and had enjoyed the film more than I expected by the time the credits rolled.

Sadly, Harris has little to do with her character and seems wasted in the movie. She is basically there so Rain will have someone to save and maybe a quasi new love interest – although the filmmakers know this is a ninja movie not a chick flick.

The biggest enjoyment for me was watching Kosugi and remembering some of the great (or at least great for their time) ninja films from the 80s. For me, he was the main reason to watch the movie and the biggest part of why I enjoyed it – even though he didn’t have the most screen time.

On Blu-ray, the film looks incredible and the effects actually hold up quite nicely – with the blood looking somewhat real (not overly digital) and body parts flying in clear 1080p. It also sounds great with lots of slicing and dicing.

It also comes with some decent special features that include a look at the training Rain went through to do the role, a look at the myth of ninjas and the extreme sport of a ninja. There are also some additional scenes.

If you are already a fan of ninja flicks or martial arts epics, Ninja Assassin is worth checking out. It doesn’t break new ground in the genre, but does offer a good time.