Ninja Assassin (2009)

A young ninja turns his back on the orphanage that raised him, leading to a confrontation with a fellow ninja from the clan.

Director:

James McTeigue

Writers:

Matthew Sand (screenplay), J. Michael Straczynski (screenplay),

Stars:

Sung Kang, Naomie Harris, Rain

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sung Kang	...	Hollywood
Randall Duk Kim	...	Tattoo Master
Jonathan Chan-Pensley	...	Yakuza Henchman
Ill-Young Kim	...	Yakuza Mohawk
Yuki Iwamoto	...	Yakuza Couch
Ben Miles	...	Maslow
Naomie Harris	...	Mika
Rain	...	Raizo
Linh Dan Pham	...	Pretty Ninja (as Linh-Dan Pham)
Fang Yu	...	Laundromat Manager (as Yu Fang)
Adriana Altaras	...	Landlady
Shô Kosugi	...	Ozunu (as Sho Kosugi)
Kylie Goldstein	...	Young Kiriko (as Kylie Liya Goldstein)
Sungwoong Yoon	...	Young Raizo
Eleonore Weisgerber	...	Mrs. Sabatin

Storyline

Trained since childhood to be a lethal killer, Raizo has since turned his back on the Ozunu clan that raised him and now seeks revenge for their heartless murders. Teaming up with Europol investigator Mika, Raizo steadily butchers his enemies while inching ever closer to the long-awaited bloody reunion with his former master.

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Plot Keywords:

ninja | clan | europol agent | assassin | revenge | 

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Taglines:

Prepare to enter a secret world of assassins.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody stylized violence throughout, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Asesino Ninja

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£187,285 (UK) (22 January 2010)

Gross:

$38,105,077 (USA) (5 February 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Legendary Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director James McTeigue cited the crime thrillers Panic in the Streets, The Getaway and Badlands and the martial arts features Ninja Scroll and Samurai Champloo as influences for the film.

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Goofs

When Raizo is training in his apartment, after the final katana spin, the camera shows Raizo face-on and you can clearly see he has an empty hand.

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Quotes

Mika Coretti: [about the tracking device she implanted in Raizo] You knew?
Raizo: Just because I was lying down doesn't mean I couldn't feel you. And I forgive you.

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Crazy Credits

The opening title appears in a spray of blood.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: 2012/The Messenger/Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Heroes"
Written and Performed by David Bowie

User Reviews

Liked it

Lots of blood and guts (you know it's going to be bad when the first scene involves decapitation and blood spurting everywhere) but all around I enjoyed the movie. I went in with an open mind, after only seeing one movie trailer I didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised I liked it as much as I did. If you're not into very violent movies, this isn't for you. It was action packed and pretty intense, squeezing in an actual storyline with all the gore was pretty seamless. The fight Choreography was fantastic and the cinematography was beautiful (reminiscent of the Kill Bill series as far as blood and choreography). The last fight scenes have to be my favorite out of any action/martial arts film and had me in awe. The lead actor (Rain) does a good job and the overall storyline was fairly well written. I read that the screenplay was rewritten in 50some hours, I'm not sure what it was before but the outcome was decent. All in all, a good flick and I recommend it highly.