Ninja (2009)

A westerner named Casey, studying Ninjutsu in Japan, is asked by the Sensei to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu, an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja.

Director:

Isaac Florentine

Writers:

Boaz Davidson (story), Boaz Davidson

Stars:

Scott Adkins, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Mika Hijii

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Adkins	...	Casey Bowman
Tsuyoshi Ihara	...	Masazuka
Mika Hijii	...	Namiko Takeda
Todd Jensen	...	Det. Traxler
Togo Igawa	...	Sensei Takeda
Garrick Hagon	...	Professor Garrison
Miles Anderson	...	Temple
Valentin Ganev	...	Klimitov
Atanas Srebrev	...	Detective Vukovich
Fumio Demura	...	Shihan Dai
Masaki Onishi	...	Ryuu
Nikolai Sotirov	...	Adamovich
Kenji Motomiya	...	Akira
Asen Asenov	...	Big armed man
Ivailo Dimitrov	...	Bodyguard

Storyline

Casey, a Westerner studies Ninjitsu in Japan. And in their Master's possession is an Ninja armor with some legendary weapons which goes to a deserving person. Masazuka, another student thinks he is that person but the Master has an affinity for Casey. One day Masazuka attacks Casey and Casey defends himself scarring Masazuka. Masazuka would be banished. He would then become an assassin, who works for a group criminals called The Ring. Masazuka would return demanding the armor but the Master still refuses. The Master tells Casey and his daughter, Namiko to take the armor to America were it can be kept from Masazuka. After killing the Master, Masazuka follows them to Anmerica and tries to get it. Casey is erroneously arrested for crimes committed by Masazuka. He eventually abducts Namiko and demands turn the armor to him. Casey tells him if he wants he'll have to fight him for it.

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Plot Keywords:

master | armor | ninja | assassin | ninjitsu | 

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Taglines:

A silent warrior. A deadly past. A lethal mission.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Thailand]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese Russian Spanish

Release Date:

22 October 2009 (Malaysia)

Also Known As:

Nindzsa

Filming Locations:

Bulgaria

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Millennium Films,Millennium Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fumio Demura, who choreographed the fighting for the Karate Kid series as well as doubled Pat Morita, makes a brief appearance in the film.

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Goofs

When Casey and Namiko go onto the train, the medallion hoodie is following them outside. Just before he stops, a red metal pillar is visible. In the next scene, there is no red metal pillar.

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Connections

Followed by Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)

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Soundtracks

Way Of The Tropics
Written by Stephen James Edwards
Performed by Rocky Dawuni

User Reviews

Not a great film by any means, but Scott Adkins is a thing of beauty

The plot is pretty weak in this movie, and lacks a really intense story, despite trying so hard to be intense. It gets by on some incredible fights with Scott Adkins, and quite frankly, I bet I'm not alone when it comes to people watching this movie, simply because of Adkins. It starts off a little slowly in the first half. Tsuyoshi Ihara provides some great intensity, and some good villainy, but it lacked the proper excitement for me. Once the second half begins, things really begin to heat up. The action is so strong, you tend to block out the average story. If Adkins's subway fight sequence isn't enough for you, then Adkins's going completely ballistic in the finale, by making many martial artists look foolish will definitely hit the spot. This guy is incredible, and if given the chance, he could be the action star the genre has lacked since the heyday of the 80's action heroes. I wouldn't call it a great performance, but he acquits himself decently. If you're not blown away by some of Adkins's moves, I really question your judgment. His love story with Mika Hijii isn't anything groundbreaking, but it's moving enough. Speaking of Mika Hijii, she's far from a damsel in distress. Not only does this woman kick major ass, but she takes a beating like a champ. I cringed in some of those scenes, but she held her own big time. It's pretty violent, if you like that sort of thing. I personally like violence. The finale is a bit over the top with the dramatics, but it does the job

Final Thoughts: See it for some of the terrific action scenes. Scott Adkins won't let you down. As long as you keep in mind that it's not a great movie, you should be able to find mild enjoyment. I didn't mind it. I'm actually curious about the upcoming sequel

5.3/10