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Ninja Assassin is a modern take on an old story.
Ninja Assassin
Director: James McTeigue
Stars: Rain, Naomie Harris, Sho Kosugi
Classification: 18A
Rating: *** 1/2
Martial arts, anime appeal and modern action filmmaking is alive and well in Ninja Assassin, the latest by director James McTeigue (V for Vendetta).
A modern take on an old story, the movie shows blood-spitting ninja fight sequences with manga-like exaggeration. And who doesn’t like ninjas?
McTeigue opts for flashy visual effects and darkened artistry, mixing up a traditional genre with modern-day action, complete with secret agents, Europol and a brigade of armed agents with machine guns.
The ripped and conflicted protagonist Raizo is played by Korean pop star Rain, who proves he can chop the part in a martial arts flick, however modernized with acrobatic moves and blood-gore effects.
They couldn’t resist throwing in a reference to his boy-band past when an agent makes a comment on his looks.
The storyline gets a little convoluted when Europol gets involved in the ninja-genre story of frayed loyalties and retribution.
The setting jumps to Berlin where forensic researcher Mika Coretti, played be Naomie Harris (28 Days Later), defies the orders of her superior when she discovers a money trail that leads to the elusive assassins of the east.
She quickly becomes the target of the deadly Ozuno Clan who seem to have considerably enhanced qualities, moving like shadowy figures with silence and stealth, until they face the main character Raizo.
Raizo’s back story is solid in martial arts style, an orphan who is trained to be a killer, enduring harsh discipline in training sequences, a conflict of loyalty and forbidden love.
Martial arts master Sho Kosugi plays the ruthless father of the Ozuno Clan, adding presence to the genre, delivering lines of wisdom.
Although the movie packs some serious action punch with fight scenes that are wickedly vivid and bloody, there are a few moments that reveal its weaknesses, from cheesy one-liners to borderline acting.
But if Quentin Tarantino’s style can be said to stay true in the retro realm, McTeigue ventures into new territory by molding old influences like film noir, B-movie horror, anime and martial arts into a modern action film in Ninja Assassin.
Director: James McTeigue
Stars: Rain, Naomie Harris, Sho Kosugi
Classification: 18A
Rating: *** 1/2
Martial arts, anime appeal and modern action filmmaking is alive and well in Ninja Assassin, the latest by director James McTeigue (V for Vendetta).
A modern take on an old story, the movie shows blood-spitting ninja fight sequences with manga-like exaggeration. And who doesn’t like ninjas?
McTeigue opts for flashy visual effects and darkened artistry, mixing up a traditional genre with modern-day action, complete with secret agents, Europol and a brigade of armed agents with machine guns.
The ripped and conflicted protagonist Raizo is played by Korean pop star Rain, who proves he can chop the part in a martial arts flick, however modernized with acrobatic moves and blood-gore effects.
They couldn’t resist throwing in a reference to his boy-band past when an agent makes a comment on his looks.
The storyline gets a little convoluted when Europol gets involved in the ninja-genre story of frayed loyalties and retribution.
The setting jumps to Berlin where forensic researcher Mika Coretti, played be Naomie Harris (28 Days Later), defies the orders of her superior when she discovers a money trail that leads to the elusive assassins of the east.
She quickly becomes the target of the deadly Ozuno Clan who seem to have considerably enhanced qualities, moving like shadowy figures with silence and stealth, until they face the main character Raizo.
Raizo’s back story is solid in martial arts style, an orphan who is trained to be a killer, enduring harsh discipline in training sequences, a conflict of loyalty and forbidden love.
Martial arts master Sho Kosugi plays the ruthless father of the Ozuno Clan, adding presence to the genre, delivering lines of wisdom.
Although the movie packs some serious action punch with fight scenes that are wickedly vivid and bloody, there are a few moments that reveal its weaknesses, from cheesy one-liners to borderline acting.
But if Quentin Tarantino’s style can be said to stay true in the retro realm, McTeigue ventures into new territory by molding old influences like film noir, B-movie horror, anime and martial arts into a modern action film in Ninja Assassin.
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