Ninja Assassin

Plot synopsis:
The Ozunu Clan, led by the ruthless Lord Ozunu (Sho Kosugi), trains orphans from around the world to become the ultimate ninja assassins. One of these orphans, Raizo (Rain), was forced to train as an assassin for the clan. The training was both brutal and hard especially for him because he was to be the next successor of the clan.
The only kindness he was ever shown was from a young kunoichi named Kiriko, with whom he eventually develops a romantic bond. As time goes on, Kiriko becomes disenchanted with the Ozunu's routine and wishes to abandon it for freedom. One rainy night, Kiriko decides to make her escape and encourages Raizo to join her; however he decides to stay. Branded as a traitor, Kiriko was caught and later executed in front of Raizo by their elder ninja brother Takeshi, impaling her through the heart.
As a result of Kiriko's death, Raizo begins to harbor resentment and doubt towards the Ozunu. Kiriko's death opens his eyes and he begins to see faults within the clan and sees that what he's been taught to do wasn't right. Some time later, Raizo is instructed by Lord Ozunu to complete his first assassination. Afterwards, Raizo meets the rest of his clan atop a city skyscraper in Berlin. There he is instructed by Lord Ozunu to execute another kunoichi traitor like Kiriko. Upon remembering Kiriko's death and finally having had enough, Raizo cracks. He rebels against Lord Ozunu by cutting his face with a kyoketsu-shoge and engages in combat against his fellow ninja kin. Barely surviving, he falls off the roof of the skyscraper and into a river. For the years that are to come, Raizo recovers and trains on his own to intervene and foil all of Ozunu's assassination attempts in hopes of bringing down the clan that took everything from him.
Meanwhile, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) has been investigating money-linked political murders and finds out that they are possibly connected to the Ozunu. She defies her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), and retrieves secret agency files to find out more about the investigation. Mika meets Raizo and convinces him to see Maslow for protection as well as to provide evidence against the Ozunu. However, Raizo is arrested by Maslow and abducted by agents from Europol for interrogation.
Although feeling betrayed, Mika is assured by Maslow that he is still on her side and gives her a tracking device for emergencies. The Ozunu ninja infiltrate the Europol safehouse where Raizo is being held in an attempt to kill him and everybody inside. Mika frees Raizo and they both manage to escape, but Raizo suffers near-fatal wounds. Mika then takes him to a motel to hide. Resting in the motel, Mika implants the tracking device into Raizo, as the ninjas remain in pursuit. Unable to fend off the Ozunu, she hides outside the motel until Special Forces arrive to help her.
By the time they arrive, the ninjas have already kidnapped Raizo, bringing him before Lord Ozunu for prosecution. During transport back to the Ozunu, Raizo uses his ninja techniques to heal his own wounds. Europol special forces and tactical teams led by Maslow storm the secluded Ozunu retreat (nestled in the mountains) using the tracking device on Raizo.
Turning the night into day by saturating the sky above with powerful flares, the military forces are able to fight the ninjas on their own terms. In the confusion, Mika frees Raizo from his bindings, where he proceeds to kill Takeshi and confront Lord Ozunu in a sword duel. Mika interferes to help, but is stabbed by Lord Ozunu. Enraged, Raizo uses a 'shadow blending' technique for the first time to distract and kill Lord Ozunu. Mika, seemingly fatally wounded, is in fact saved by a quirk of birth: her heart is actually on the opposite side of her chest. After Europol leaves, Raizo stays behind to tend to the ruins of the Ozunu retreat. He later climbs the same wall Kiriko did while trying to escape in the past, and looks out at the surrounding countryside, recognizing his freedom for the first time.

Tags: dark, boring, cruelty, murder, gothic, neo noir, violence, flashback, good versus evil, revenge

Review:
First off I would like to say that anyone who thinks this movie sucks because it has very little plot is an idiot.Now let me tell you what Ninja Assassin isn't.Its not a serious thinking movie, it's not a Gandhi, it's not a Saw type movie.And it isn't a Twilight that's for sure.The reason why Ninja Assassin is so friggin cool is because you know that the people making this movie had one thing in mind...
This is by far the best ninja movie I have seen.Right from the very beginning this movie is up in fast pace, action-filled and soaking in blood.
Of course the story is straight forward and have no surprise twists to the plot - but an action movie of this caliber doesn't need plot twists.The martial arts choreography and fighting scenes are brilliant, fast and hard punching.
And also, again why would a Japanese clan take in non-Japanese children and train as ninjas?Anyway, the cast of the movie is good, and it is refreshing to see new faces to the martial arts scene.
If the Wachowski brothers' Speed Racer was the ultimate tribute to family friendly classic cartoons, Ninja Assassin is the ultimate tribute to 80s martial arts B movies like "Enter the Ninja", video games like "Ninja Gaiden" and the Ultra-violent anime genre titles like Ninja Scroll.(Already noticed the name "ninja" in all the titles mentioned?
Raizo (played by Korean star Rain) is an orphan raised by a cruel master Lord Ozunu(played by Sho Kosugi, famous for his starring roles in, what else, 80s ninja movies like "Enter the ninja".) to be part of a secret clan of ninjas that have been responsible for countless assassinations over the centuries.
Now on the run, hunted by both his former comrades and a special international task force, Raizo finds an unlikely ally in the form of Mika Coretti, a Europol agent who is close to exposing the secret existence of the Ninjas and hence targeted for assassination.Simply put, the unoriginal storyline is highly predictable and filled with B movie clichés from stem to stern.
The acting is passable; nothing better than the level of a TV series, but the script manages to have a couple of witty lines of dialog.Though Ninja Assassin is no work of storytelling perfection, it delivers what it promises: lots of fights and lots of violence.
Limbs are lobbed off, stomachs are split open and heads are busted as the movie slashes its way from one fight scene to the next, delivering scenes of wicked weapons and bloody carnage that make even Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre look like a tame PG film.
Blood flows like rivers as Raizo proceeds to disembowel enemies en masse; definitely not for the squeamish.On a whole, Ninja Assassin feels like a hack-and-slash video game come to life from the first skirmish to the climatic showdown involving modern day special forces taking on an army of ninja warriors .
I was really worried about them messing the genre up by being too modern..but i think it was a really good effort...i'm really into a lot of old school samurai, king fu, and martial art movies, and this one was about as good as a modern day ninja film could be...lot's of gore and violence, which is great to me, simply because too many movie water down the violence in an attempt to draw in younger audiences, but this film knew exactly who their target audience was...and received a standing ovation as a result...if u are expecting something fun, definitely check it out......
Raizo (Rain) just escaped from his clan and wants to protect Mika, one of the two agents, as a way to redeem himself from all the sins he's done.As this story spins and runs, we get to see a young orphan (Raizo) grow up in a Ninja clan lead by his sadistic master who brutalizes his students to prepare them for the path that a ninja have to walk.All in all this movie was hands down an awesome Ninjitsu experience, with enough blood to keep fans satisfied.8/10 !For information on all martial arts visit my website: MartialArtScene.
Sho Kosugi is excellent as the master ninja, and a great choice for throwback fans of much better Ninja films like Revenge of the Ninja (last time I saw it I was 8 years old so...) .
Rain (the hero ninja) barely says a word through the movie and when he does he sounds a lot like another immortal swordsman, Christopher Lambert.Unfortunately the Wachowski siblings seem to be getting much worse at special effects.
Each decapitation is enhanced with buckets of blood that will make any Tarantino fan giddy with dark and kind of disturbing joy.If you're looking for a realistic Ninja movie (I know I am) I guess you'll have to Watch Leon again and pretend he's Asian.
But you don't come into a movie called "Ninja Assassin" looking for Mamet-like dialogue, do you?
And when he's laying waste to dozens upon dozens of pajama clad ninjas in some fairly slick & well-choreographed fight scenes (that comes maybe 50 minutes into the movie) you almost find yourself enjoying the film.
You'll then realize how stupid all of this is, and how there's absolutely nothing entertaining about CGI fight scenes in a live-action martial arts movie.
Tho there are kids in it doing martial arts (which are pretty good actors as well) Don't bring yours to see this movie, unless you don't mind them watching the hyper violence, which the public I screened the movie with enjoyed quite much; those swords are pretty sharp, trust me.by the end the audience had applauded, cheered, LOL, and where very quiet in those sad moments of Raizo's childhood.Certainly recommend it..
Faust at least attempted to analyze the plot of the movie, although the reviewer believes that plot was miniscule, the writer at least acknowledged the existence of one, most reviewers of this film claimed to not be able to find a plot to "Ninja Assassins".
But sadly, I was incorrect.After a ridiculously awesome and gory opening scene setting the stage for what is to come, Ninja Assassin jumps headfirst into the story of Raizo (Rain), a ninja living in Berlin who wants to claim revenge on the makeshift ninja orphanage that raised him.
And even looking at it simply as a genre flick made simply for people to either laugh at its stupidity during a drinking game at home, or the type of movie people go to see to be wowed by the sheer amount of carnage on screen, it simply fails to live up to any measure of decency that any good movie should.I was impressed by how much story the filmmakers manage to stuff into the film, but after an hour of watching a half baked storyline padded out with heavily effects driven action sequences, the film just became more boring than anything else.
Some scenes are just so horribly written that one wonders why anyone ever thought it was a good idea to make this movie.For anyone who argues that the action sequences that drive the film are what make the film acceptable, think again.
If you are an hardcore action lover who enjoys humor + cables + sword + blood , then Ninja Assassin is a sure watch.
I think I expected a bit of a throwback to the classic 80s ninja movies but it really took it beyond that realm and made into something new and awesome.Director James McTeigue (V For Vendetta) took a simple script and created a serious take on a laughable genre, providing great action scenes that made me actually clap out loud with the rest of the audience - an amazing feat if you consider the lack of any recognizable actors..
"Ninja Assassin" is a gore and cartoonish action movie that follows the violence of Takashi Miike.
The plot is flawed, the characters are poorly developed but the action makes this movie worthwhile watching with violent fights like in a video-game, great choreography and lots of gore.
Watching a few scenes near the end of this movie felt like an anime movie come to life in live action format.
Ninja assassin was an excellent action movie.
They paint a beautifully intricate personal story that richly enhances this "action film," taking it to a higher, noteworthy level.All that we know and didn't know about Ninjas is illustrated in epic form while the true-to-classic fight scenes are strong, athletic, and artistic with steely precision.
A wafer thin plot martial arts movie with pretty well choreographed action scenes.
Look out for the climax scene with cool martial arts display with a background of fire and flames.Minuses: Little or no story Nil character development Silly dialogues Nothing new or innovative in terms of action ( we have seen the same thing many times before)I give it a 5/10....
Well after the opening sequence, I was reassured.The good thing about a movie called "Ninja Assassin" is that no normal person would expect any kind of plot.
The fight sequenced are beautifully choreographed with buckets of blood & dismembered body parts; so if you are the least bit squeamish, look for a quiet love story because this isn't it.James McTeigue previously directed one of my favorite movies, "V For Vendetta" which is much better than this but he still proves to be a very talented director, especially when working with the Wachowski's who were producers of Ninja Assassin.The main cast members, Rain as Raiza(the hero) and Naomie Harris as Mika(damsel in distress) are both very good in their roles.
But personally, if the Wachowskis had went through a lot of work for this movie I think they should might as well have directed this themselves because what critics really didn't like about this movie was of how sloppy director James McTeigue handled the (impressively choreographed, I might add) fight scenes, and while I thought the fight scenes looked well handled enough, I like this movie enough to feel hurt that it got mediocre reviews.So in a nutshell: "Ninja Assassin" delivers the stylish fights it promises, followed by a fair enough story with interesting enough characters played well by talented actors..
Under the supervision of his mentors (Wachowski Bros.), director James McTeigue made an excellent work with the film adaptation of V for Vendetta 5 years ago; and more recently, his film Ninja Assassin makes tribute to another support of "geek" culture: martial arts cinema.The result may not be great, but it is definitely very entertaining thanks to its over-the-top violence and exuberant energy.McTeigue directs Ninja Assassin with a good combination of solemnity and lightness.As a fan of the "gore", I was delighted with the exaggeratedly graphic violence and the frequent rains of blood.Besides, I also liked to see that the screenplay has some subtle touches of humor.The screenplay has some inconsistencies, but McTeigue's direction is so dynamic that that is not very noticeable.Korean super-star Rain makes an adequate work on the leading role, and the choreographers take good advantage from his competent physical development.Besides, I also liked the narrative economy from this film, because it ignores any filling or obstacle on its road to the frenetic action scenes.In summary, Ninja Assassin is a very entertaining experience, and it deserves a recommendation because of that..
This is an action movie that really worths 8 out of 10, provided that you do not have any odd expectations.Lets starts with the fight scenes: they were amazing to watch, something between combat and dancing.The blood was an innovation of the director as it was always computer generated, exactly like on video games.
You can't expect to have actors who have an excellent body, who can fight and play in ninja manic action scenes, with a nice aggressive face and additionally to act like Daniel Day Lweis.
I guess this was a sacrifice for the fight/action scenes, EXCEPT Shô Kosugi who was really great for his part the tough trainer, a very experienced actor, staring in some eighties ninja movies.The plot was the weakest part.
Some of the talking between the police officers that revealed what is going on with assassinations from ninjas, simply did not make a lot of sense.My conclusion: if you do not mind poor plot and average acting this movie is as good as the Ninja sub-genre has gone so far..
this movie was awesome...i wont try to tell you with big words what i think about the movie, just simply tell you that its a bit graphic but great action!!!...i notice that the blood shade was different than old school ninja movies...back then when someone used to get their arms or heads chopped or sliced the blood would shoot out on a spray type of stream!
hahaha..;though i'm a more 'story' fan, i must admit i had a fun time watching this hard core, gore filled action movie.
i have read about this movie here some yr ago and downloaded watched it just because its full lightning speed action movie- full of fights best cast crew...opening scene is enough to say about this in a minute ninja kills some ten ppl, film full of action-blood-body parts throwing around......but still you love this film -there's love story too in between..
However, if you want blood splatter everywhere, body parts being sliced off and some crazy action and fight scenes, this movie is for you.ZombieSteak.com - Discover a new world of horror films, designed just for you..
We really only need Mika's story and Raizo's training.The Wachowski brothers have produced this film, and they have carried on their protégé, James McTeigue, from his previous film, "V for Vendetta." Like "The Matrix" movies, "V for Vendetta" asked a number of philosophical questions.
He sticks with her because she is his connection to the Ninja Clan he seeks for revenge.Not much of a story and to be honest the dialog in this movie is pretty sh!tty too, as well as the acting that comes with it.
Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan.The great thing about Ninja Assassin is that the film-makers know who their audience is and they deliver the goods.
When a film is called "Ninja Assassin", you know what you're signing in for; a lot of martial arts, a lot of blood, some kind of honor/revenge related plot, a ton of fighting scenes, basically, mayhem.
But much to my surprise, unlike other similar films, Ninja Assassin does have a solid plot and the back story of the main character, Raizo, is quite interesting even if it might feel a bit cheesy to western audiences.
His fighting skills worked well on screen, and you do grow to like him.It was also nice to see everyone's favourite ninja pop up, master Sho Kosugi, and get some on screen action also!Ninja Assassin isn't perfect, but it does what films were meant to do...
But after he betrays his clan he becomes a target by them.There's a Europol agent played by Naomie Harris who's trying to bring down the clan for their ties to killing government officials.There's a lot of good old fashioned yakuza pieces put into the movie but added with a lot of new stuff with all the over the top action scenes and special effects.Where they show Raizo training with the clan as a child is some of the most grueling stuff someone can go through.The movie is not enough for the weak at heart, it gets very gory at certain points in the film..
Don't listen to metacritic or rotten tomatoes just throw a rotten tomato back in their faces.I personally think that the martial arts in this flick are fantastic.I remember one scene where he was (Raizo played by Rain)was using his signature kusari-gama type weapon just cutting through limbs arms heads(etc.)in a 300 type film.
and boy, does Ninja Assassin deliver in that respect!!!Produced by, amongst others, Joel Silver, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski, the film is packed to the rafters with impressively choreographed, hyper kinetic, CGI enhanced fight scenes, as renegade ninja Raizo (Rain) battles for his life against his brethren, who are more than a mite miffed that he has betrayed their clan.
But even so, Ninja Assassin is one of the greatest ninja films of all time, filled to the brim with blood, gore, and intense fight scenes that will grab your attention.
No. But don't let that get in the way; this is a good movie and should be seen by anyone who loves a good action movie with non-stop, martial arts-filled violence and well-choreographed fights.7.5/10 Stars.
After i saw the Red-band trailer, i immediately wanted to watch it, it was violent and looked awesome and Shô Kosugi had a role (as Ozunu, the villain)!Rain (the main actor, who plays Raizo) never had experience with martial arts and he trained for this role, i have to say that his training was 100% worth it.The violence is bloody and gory (even the first scene will prove it), strangely, i wasn't "annoyed" by the use of CGI blood (as i usually do).I hope for more movies like this in the future, we must have more Ninjas on our screens.....violent like this, possibly !.
I'd expected a movie with a standard plot but with good action and cool weapons and ninja's.
Just saw the movie and was thoroughly disappointed.The story line is non-existent, action sequences have been done in many films before.
Quick, i want you to name me a ninja movie.......no no no, not a kung-fu martial arts type movie like say "Hero" or "Kill Bill".
"Ninja Assassin" is the best action/fantasy movie of 2009, even though it didn't have a large audience.
The movie is about a secret clan of ninja assassins that kill for the highest bidder.