Ninja Assassin (2009)

Ninja Assassin is a movie starring Rain, Rick Yune, and Naomie Harris. 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:

Fear not the weapon but the hand that wields it.

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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

The character Ozunu is played by Sho Kosugi, who starred in several popular low budget ninja movies in the 1980's, such as Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, and Ninja III: The Domination.

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Goofs

Raizo is making tea. The teapot whistles. But when Raizo takes the teapot from the stove, there is no whistle on the teapot's spout.

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Quotes

Mika Coretti: So, you said you found something?
Ryan Maslow: Yeah, I was digging around to see what I could come up with and I found this. A report, friend of mine in Moscow tipped me to it. It was written during the height of the Cold War by a high-ranking KGB Agent named Aleksei Sabotin. In it he raises the possibility that a number of political assassinations were conducted by an ancient but very sophisticated network he calls The Nine Clans. Mind you, he doesn't call them ninjas.
Mika Coretti: What happened to him?
Ryan Maslow: [jokingly] The ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The opening title appears in a spray of blood.

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Connections

Referenced in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010)

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Soundtracks

Labyrinth
Performed by Oomph

User Reviews

Amazing action sequences, enough blood to keep fans satisfied

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 !

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