Synopsis
Raizo 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. He is the Ninja Assassin.

In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti 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, 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, 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

Paeter's Rating:
Quality:  
Relevance:  

Old School Martial Arts with Cool Ninja Action
Fans of old school martial arts movies with their unrealistic violence (guy gets stabbed 10 times and keeps on fighting like nothing happened) will enjoy this throwback at that level of realism. With a lot of action and blood spraying everywhere, this is a visually intense movie. At first. But the shocking combat violence that starts the movie and had me on the edge of my seat gave way to repetitive CGI blood splattering that was over the top, fake and devoid of emotional intensity. How many times can you really be shocked by a pint of blood squirting out of a single wound? Add to this the fact that the blood looks extremely digital and you've got an experience that seems to be shooting for "style over substance", but doesn't even quite get that right.

I will say that many of the action scenes are a real pleasure to watch, despite the blood FX. The cast is composed of people who can execute fight scenes extremely well and the movie shines in this department. If you want some cool, violent, ninja action, you won't want to miss this flick. Sound effects and complimentary CGI give the action some comic book, over the top flavor that is mostly cool, rather than fake. (But yeah, still a little fake.)

Character without Substance
Anything beyond that will likely escape you, however. The script, despite being co-written by comic book giant J. Michael Straczynski, drops the ball by giving us an unneeded b-plot that centers on a female international police-type person investigating the hidden world of Ninjas. She is naturally caught up in a dangerous world she had no idea existed and blah blah blah... Her character is never given any substance and so I couldn't have cared less about what was happening to her. They would have done much better to spend more time on the protagonist, a Ninja who defected from his clan of assassins and is now on the run from them. His back-story had far greater potential and some very good moments. Straczynski's comic book banter came through with a few cute one-liners, but the actors didn't seem to know what to do with them, making them feel out of character and out of place for the movie.

The cast, as I mentioned, is composed of many very good stuntmen, but no strong actors. The "B-plot" actors did alright much of the time, but gave me no reason to invest in them. Our "good-guy ninja" had little personality, but a good plot thread to keep me interested.

This movie is highly unlikely to lead to worthwhile conversation. One character briefly states that "everything has a heart", even plants and trees. This, along with obvious elements of revenge and a misguided sense of "honor" in the Ninja clan might act as springboards for conversation, but the movie is not written well enough to provoke any significant thought and is ultimately a fun but forgettable experience.

Rating
Ninja Assassin is rated R for strong bloody stylized violence throughout, and language.

Paeter is the creator of Spirit Blade Productions, a company dedicated to producing sci-fi and fantasy content grounded in a Biblical Christian worldview. He is also the host of The Spirit Blade Underground Podcast, which features his movie reviews, conversation about "geek culture" and a line-by-line study of the Bible. Paeter lives with his family in Mesa, Arizona, and is an active member of Red Mountain Community Church, where he previously served as the Pastor of Music and Worship. Paeter is a firm believer in freedom, given by God's grace, regarding a Christian's options in entertainment, but also believes that not all forms of entertainment are healthy and therefore discernment is vital. Learn more about Paeter and his work at his website www.spiritblade.net.