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:

Rain, Rick Yune, Naomie Harris

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rain	...	Raizo
Joon Lee	...	Teenage Raizo
Jonathan Chan-Pensley	...	Yakuza Henchman
Ill-Young Kim	...	Yakuza Mohawk
Yuki Iwamoto	...	Yakuza Couch
Ben Miles	...	Maslow
Naomie Harris	...	Mika
Sung Kang	...	Hollywood
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 | kung fu | martial artist | martial arts | clan | 

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Taglines:

Prepare to enter a secret world of assassins.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Fantasy | 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 [France]

Country:

Germany USA

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 USA:

$13,316,158, 29 November 2009, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$38,105,077, 7 February 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.,Legendary Entertainment,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

After Raizo (Rain) is captured by Interpol and chained to the wall, one of the agents looks at him and says, "He looks like he should be in a boy band." Rain started his career in the boy band Fanclub.

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Goofs

In the hotel, Mika tells Raizo that she doesn't smoke. Later in the movie when Raizo is recovering on the bed, Mika is seen smoking. However, this due to her doing what Raizo had earlier done for her, masking her scent with smoke from a cigarette.

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Quotes

[Ozunu's face is slashed by Raizo]
Ozunu: Kill him!

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Crazy Credits

Part of the closing credits take place in a montage of spinning ninja weaponry, blood splashes and blurred ninja arenas.

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Connections

Referenced in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010)

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Soundtracks

Frohe Schritte
Performed by BKL-Brockdorff Klang Labor

User Reviews

Bloody good entertainment

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. There is a lot of bloodshed in this martial arts fest.

The story of the movie is good and keeps going at a good pace, so you never feel bored. 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. There are lots of really cool weapons being used in the movie as well.

There is just one bad thing to the movie, and that is why would an ancient clan of Japanese ninjas speak English? It makes no sense, as Japanese people are bound to traditions. But of course, I suppose this is kept in English to reach a wider audience. But had they actually done it in Japanese, there would be a much more wholesome feel to the movie. 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. The dialogue is straight to the point, no clumsy, half-hearted dialogue going on here, which also helps the movie to keep going.

So if you like ninja movies and action movies, this is definitely a movie you cannot allow to miss out on. Top notch action from beginning till end. But do take notice that there is a lot of blood in this movie!