NINJA ASSASSIN Review

Badass is not enough to describe how awesome NINA ASSASSIN is. Bruce Lee would be proud. Step aside Tony Jaa (Ong Bak) there’s a new martial art hero in town and his name is Rain. Swift, stealth, bloody and brutal, you’ll never know what hit you. NINJA ASSASSIN is… one of the coolest, pulse-pounding action flicks of the last decade, it’s the most stylized since 300. Well choreographed, stunning FX, this movie will satisfy the desires of every action fanboys out there. Don’t think too much, don’t stay in the dark, cause that’s when they’ll come for you.

Raizo (Rain) is one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them…and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge. In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) has stumbled upon a money trail linking several political murders to an underground network of untraceable assassins from the Far East. Defying the orders of her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), Mika digs into top secret agency files to learn the truth behind the murders. Her investigation makes her a target, and the Ozunu Clan sends a team of killers, led by the lethal Takeshi (Rick Yune), to silence her forever. Raizo saves Mika from her attackers, but he knows that the Clan will not rest until they are both eliminated. Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive…and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan.

NINJA ASSASSIN may not be completely about Ninjas but it does play on most myth we’ve heard about Ninjas, at least the stereotypical pre-conceived notion that Westerners have always had about Ninjas but what makes this movie fun to watch is that it amplifies itself to excite today’s audiences, it aims to please and nothing more. Those of us who grew up watching all kinds of martial art action films from the classics to Van Damme will watch NINJA ASSASSIN and will feel like we’re watching an ‘orgy’.

One kick-ass shot after another. The way they use every Ninja weapon possible will blow your mind. We’re talkin’ 5-10 Ninjas attacking Raizo (Rain) but unlike Jason Statham who somehow could always manage to kick 20 people in one scene, Raizo can get hurt and often times he’ll find a way to escape and fight another day, not because he’s a coward but because he’s aware of his limits and well, those Ninjas are crazier than anybody that Statham ever encountered on screen.

That said, NINJA ASSASSIN is not pure stuntwork like Jaa’s films. Part of collaborating with producers Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix) is the importance of incorporating FX in the right dosage and it’s effective. In a way, NINJA ASSASSIN even seems like it’s paying homage to 300 and Sin City because there are sequences and cinematic set pieces, reminiscent of a graphic novel adaptation.

Matthew Sand came up with the story for NINJA ASSASSIN, the story which I think is just as engaging as the fights. But it is not without flaws, it’s a bit silly to imply that only female would want to escape the harsh life of ninjas. And it’s great to emphasize the heart but the effect will wear out if you keep mentioning the subject too often.
However, the ‘betrayal begets blood’ resonates loud and clear. The clan demands revenge and so does Raizo vice versa but Raizo understands that he can’t fight all of them by himself, not until the time and the assistance are right.

The graphic violence level of NINJA ASSASSIN is without mercy. Some may come off as over the top but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Some I think would be interesting to watch if it were in 3D. Director James McTeigue’s previous work, V For Vendetta was more philosophical, NINJA ASSASSIN on the other hand is more about kill or be killed, plain and simple.
These are fictional characters raised to be more than just humans ever since they were children, to neglect pain, to defy the laws of biology and physics, to unleash their skills with nothing less than perfect. To have such deadly characters but a violence level that’s not up to par or pushes the edge would be unsatisfying.

Actingwise, I think Rain does a fantastic job as the Raizo, I now have newfound respect for the training that he had to go through to prep himself for the role. You would wish you could apply the same great amount of dedication when facing physical challenges. Maybe it’s just me but for some reason, Rain’s voice or the way he says his lines, being that he plays a man with a few words, somewhat reminds me of Clint Eastwood back in his cowboy days. But actor Ben Miles who plays lead investigator and Naomi Harris who plays Mika, are 2 terrible actors. It’s as if NINJA ASSASSIN hired 2 mediocres from SAW franchise. Where is Zoe Saldana or even Thandie Newton when you need them?
But then again, the movie is not about them, it’s about Raizo and a clan of ninjas who are out for his blood. So just sit back, brace yourself and be amazed.

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