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Ninja Assassin (2009) More at IMDbPro »

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89 reviews in total

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75 out of 101 people found the following review useful:
really good movie, 20 November 2009

Author: dusouljah from United States

Great movie, A lot of good action, and fun all around. 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.....

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39 out of 54 people found the following review useful:
awesome, 25 November 2009

Author: rivertam26 from United States

Who knew that the most insanely violent, ridiculously brutal and psychotically gory film of the year would be Ninja Assassin. Look there's not much to it think 300 with Ninjas or Braveheart with less emotional involvement and ninjas. It's quite obvious that the people responsible for this film set out to make the most ass kicking Ninja movie ad they even one uped themselves. i remember when I was younger Ninjas were kinda cool but since than they've lost their flair and so has the martial arts genre in general this one brings all that back with a hellacious gut punch. Visually the film is incredible. It's unlike anything you've ever seen. The fighting is quick, furious and the story although not completely involving is involving enough so that we kinda like the characters. What the film does explosively well is decapitate, disembowel and explode it's victims across it's blood soaked screen. Imagine slow motion shots of a man diving out of the way of 100's of ninja stars, slicing people in half with samurai swords and being born out of shadows literally. It's an exciting piece of cinematic brilliance. i can't speak for the actual quality of this film despite the visual flair but I don't think anyone seeing Ninja assassin will be going in with a too critical eye. It delivers on its title and the trailer's promises and more. It's just freaking crazy as hell.

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61 out of 100 people found the following review useful:
only 1 ninja was harmed during the making of this film, the rest of them were killed, 25 November 2009

Author: The-Arbiter from United States

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... Have a ton of Ninjas kill each other. Ninja Assassin is a fun guys night out type movie, at least that's how I saw this movie. Though some people walked out booing I walked out cheering because I came in and honestly just wanted a huge body count and a ton of blood and boy did they deliver.

My only major critique was the CGI blood... Though there were gallons of it coming out they could have stepped it up some more...

In a way this movie was like Rambo...Equal budget of 50 million, unbelievable carnage and pure fun... But the difference is that its acrobatic, its hacking slashing, gallons of blood and Ninjas with blades on chains = )...

So all in all a solid 8/10 for me.

PS. Watch out for the opening scene and the police station scene because those scenes are epic awesome.

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31 out of 44 people found the following review useful:
Wicked weapons, killer moves and Bloody battles at its all-time Best., 26 November 2009

Author: xamtaro from Singapore

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? well, what a coincidence!). It is violent, it is bloody and packed to the gills with action. Every thing else ends up playing second fiddle to the fights.

Unfortunately, "every else" also includes the story which is, a hodgepodge of very familiar elements. 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. Through a series of flashbacks (intercut with scenes of a half naked hunky Rain training with some vicious looking weapons), Raizo's tragic story is fleshed out. We see his tormented childhood days as a ninja trainee; his only emotional refuge, an orphan girl who, like Raizo, is part of the clan. One day, his friend tries to escape from the harsh ninja way of life and is executed, prompting a change of heart in Raizo who eventually betrays his clan after a narrowly botched mission. 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. It is a definite step down from the philosophical Matrix trilogy or the sophisticated and political V for Vendetta.

Characters are, at best, cardboard cut outs and at worse painfully bland. None of them come across as emotionally engaging. Raizo is especially underdeveloped despite being the main character. His internal motives for his betrayal are never fully explored and the cheesy romance bit, not to mention the whole big about "the heart' feels like a tacked-on afterthought. 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. The fight choreography is well executed with a good mix of slow motion and frantic close-ups. Special effects and CGI are used to effectively give the movie a very comic book-like feel (not surprising since the Wachowski brothers are avid comic fans and one of the screenplay writers is also a comic book writer). Thankfully some erratic camera work (especially during the scene where Raizo is being chased through a busy street) does not feel distracting but enhances the frantic and lightning fast pace of the fights. 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 . Some cheesy bits here and there require a certain suspension of disbelief but the film's portrayal of ninjas in general is gritty and realistic yet preserves their mysterious and legendary status. It is refreshing too to see that Raizo is not some invincible killing machine as he does tire and he does take his fair share of hits, even going down a couple of times.

Forget Naruto and all those brightly dressed, magic power spewing ninjas of recent anime. Ninja Assassin is the butt-kicking, face slashing answer to all that. A respectable re-imaging of a dated genre and 99 minutes of non-stop violent escapism once you look past its narrative flaws.

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14 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Liked it, 5 December 2009

Author: valexander69 from United States

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.

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36 out of 66 people found the following review useful:
Pure Ninja Awesomeness, 23 November 2009

Author: ahooa77 from United States

Rain is not only hot and funny in it but you can tell the amount of training he had was tough, Sho Kosugi gives a great performance (& in English) as leader of the clan.

In general a great production & direction, it gives praise to the classics of it's genre. 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.

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Ninja...Assassin....any questions?, 2 December 2009

Author: Robert W. (Robert_duder@hotmail.com) from Ontario, Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I read several reviews that were harping on the film and making comments about how many people walked out of the theater after the first 15 minutes. If any human being actually went into a film called Ninja Assassin and walked out in 15 minutes...they deserve losing their ticket money. How can you possibly go into a film called Ninja Assassin even if you had no idea what the plot was and be disappointed because the film gives you exactly what the title says it is. So I went in with the expectations of seeing Ninjas and Assassins and low and behold that is exactly what I got. But imagine my shock when it turned out that critics were once again wrong!! The film actually does have plot, and in fact they give a solid back story on the main character, set up a really solid story and deliver the most blood splattering, ridiculously over the top violent film I've seen all year and sometimes that's just fun!! Are there gaping plot holes? Yes of course. Is some of the story cheesy, a little but hey I expected the entire film to be nothing but cheese and much to my surprise it was remarkably serious with decent performances and some very classically artistic special effects. Well worth the price of admission for a solid action flick with a throw back to Ninja films of old.

Korean music star Rain heads the cast as the outcasted Ninja trainee Raizo. Rain moves like a dancer, and his martial arts is literally pure poetry making this film less cheese and more stunning just by his work. His quiet brooding character isn't exactly full of flare but he still makes a decent hero although he feels a little empty. I'm not sure he's come to his own in acting. Naomie Harris is lovely, and plays Europol Researcher Mika. Much like the character of Raizo she isn't given a lot to work with but she has a good screen chemistry and her and Rain make a good team. She actually almost makes it believable she could go up against unstoppable Ninja's with a gun and pure wit. Ben Miles plays a sadly small role since I think he could have done something with the role. He plays lead Europol agent Maslow and I just felt like I wanted to know more about his character but he's basically supporting at best.

Director James McTeigue certainly has an action career ahead of him. Having worked on the Matrix series, Dark City, and a Star Wars sequel he certainly has some great experience under his belt. He also scored big with V for Vendetta which was brilliantly made. You can see McTeigue's style even in this film with the incredible way the Ninja's move in the shadows without making it seem cheesy or chock full of CGI. The story which critics harped on claiming none existed is not full of depth but it is still there. On top of that we get a complete background on the main character and where he grew up and how he was trained to be what he is. The battles were brilliant and blood was flying everywhere. The death scenes were ridiculous and over the top but still horrendously gore filled. This is truly a red blooded action flick that will leave you cheering. Will it walk away with awards? Definitely not but is it worth the price of admission? Hands down yes! An awesome action flick which is harshly critiqued. 8.5/10

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8 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Amazing action sequences, enough blood to keep fans satisfied, 1 December 2009

Author: MartialArtScene from Canada

This movie is as cool as ninja can get ! The action sequences are jaw dropping, the choreographies are stunning, the chases are pulse accelerating.

The story begins in a building where a yakuza henchmen is getting himself a tattoo. As they argue about trivial things, the clan receives a letter with black sand inside. The tattoo master warns them about their imminent death, but they laugh at him. The next scene is one of the goriest one I've ever seen. The ninja hired to assassinate them makes salsa out of their body. Ninja Assassin.

The plot is centered around two federal agents who are on their way to reveal the secret ninja society. Their lives are in great danger as this secret must be preserve at all cost by the clan. 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

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
my type of film, 6 December 2009

Author: lora28 from United States

This was my type of film. Non stop action, interesting and believable martial arts scenes and other aspects I won't mention because they could be spoilers. I found the story realistic and believable. I felt the lead actors were excellent. I was really impressed with Rain. I had never heard of him before this movie. When I researched him I found out that he was in Speed Racer (I have the DVD, but had not watched it)and so I watched the movie and enjoyed his part in that one also. I can't figure out why the major critics didn't give this movie high marks, however several critics mentioned that NINJA ASSASSINS is redundant leading me to believe they didn't understand the movie at all. The lead character is a NINJA who kills other NINJAS and other NINJAS are trying to kill him.

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16 out of 28 people found the following review useful:
Escapist and Bloody "Ninja Assassin", 27 November 2009

Author: jon.h.ochiai (jochiai@socal.rr.com) from Los Angeles, CA

Teen ninja protégé Raizo (Joon Lee) confesses to the love of his life, fellow student Kiriko (Anna Sawai), "I have no heart…" in "Ninja Assassin". Raizo has sacrificed all to transform himself into the perfect weapon. His Sensei Ozunu (the great Sho Kosugi) reminds the grown Raizo (charismatic Rain), the orphan he trained as a son, "Never forget who you are." The Way of the Ninja is merciless and unforgiving, and Kiriko's life is forfeit. Raizo, now renegade, seeks only vengeance upon the Ozunu Clan. The perfect assassin must now become benevolent protector and avenging angel? Raizo discovers who he really is.

This is the paradox of Director James McTeigue's bloody and stylish "Ninja Assassin". Although the story by Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski glosses upon this internal conflict in a standard issue vengeance tale, the spectacular bloody mayhem, and Rain's cool presence overcome much of the routine narrative exercise. "Ninja Assassin" does not always make sense, but it is captivating to watch. Whether it is blindfolded Raizo wielding his chain and blade against sword wielding rival Takeshi or Raizo fighting to the death in a burning clan compound, the movie is engrossing.

Rain as Raizo has a commanding screen presence. I don't think Rain is a trained martial artist. However, he is a trained dancer, handsome with a shredded body. Working with martial arts choreographer Chad Stahelski (student of Dan Inosanto), Rain generates a graceful deadly fighting style. McTeigue's quick cut editing may mask some of the martial arts precision, or may be this is just his kinetic visual style. The sword fighting is more kung fu than bushido, but the effect is slick and powerful. Martial arts master Kosugi as Ozunu displays the more traditional katana technique in the climactic duel with Raizo. "Ninja Assassin" has visually stunning and bloody martial arts fighting scenes.

Set in Berlin, Europol Agent Mika Coretti (intrepid and spirited Naomie Harris) believes that the recent series of brutal political assassinations are the work of a mythical Ninja Clan. Her boss Maslow (solid Ben Miles) is reluctant to engage Mika's theory; however, he too discerns a shadowy conspiracy. When Mika get too close to uncovering the Ozunu Clan, Takeshi (strong and malevolent Rick Yune) and his ninja seek to kill her. Raizo (Rain) is forced to protect Mika, who inadvertently interferes in Raizo's revenge and his deadly score to settle with Takeshi.

Raizo is now compelled to protect Mika with his life. During the Ninja attack at Europol Headquarters, he tells Mika, "They won't stop until you're dead." Mika finally gets that Raizo is the only one who can save her. Aside from some trite attempts at skewed martial arts wisdom about pain and vanquishing weakness, "Ninja Assassin" is a decent hero story. Raizo is sympathetic in his transformation. Trained to be the perfect shadowy assassin, one must know that he is not really a good guy. Rain as Raizo is compelling in this paradox. Raizo's vengeance is very human, but as noble protector he becomes hero.

"Ninja Assassin" ultimately works despite itself. Director McTeigue brilliantly avoids tripping over himself by allowing the visceral action to morph and evolve. And Raizo is not some invincible cartoon—he is brutally bloodied in his horrendous battles. "Ninja Assassin" is thoroughly engrossing escapist fare.

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