Viewed in
2009
Premise
Rain stars as a former ninja, bent on revenge against his former clan.
Who should watch
Those who like ninja movies.
Thoughts
A fun, violent action flick.
The action was very well done, and quite creative at times. I hope it is not much of a spoiler, but it does answer the question, who wins between a fight between a SWAT team and a ninja clan? Personally, I like the shadow stuff, when they use shadows and deception to take out enemies.
How violent was it? The first casualty was not a decapitation, it was a partial-decapitation, with tongue flailing about. My friend and I agreed that this was the most blood we have seen since the first two 'Kill Bill' films. I'm not sure if ninja movies are supposed to this gory.
Rain did fine as the lead. His English was easy to understand, and I believed him as a skilled warrior of the shadows. Having airbrushed, sweaty, rock-hard abs in the majority of his scenes helps maintain that illusion.
The main flaw was the lack of creativity in the characters. Nobody was charming or interesting. Thankfully the movie makers knew this, and kept the non-action scenes to a minimum.
Another issue was how incredulous the story was. Maybe it comes with the territory as a ninja movie, but it would be nice if they tried. Halfway through, with a horde of ninjas barreling down at them, Rain tells his companion to make a fast escape, 'we have no time'. I promptly laughed out loud as Rain needed to take a moment to put on and adjust his jacket, just to look cool.
Thanks to the budget and good use of special effects, this was definitely the best produced ninja movie in memory. Time will tell if it really is the best ninja movie of all time. My friend believes 'American Ninja' was still the best. Nevertheless, ninja fans should enjoy this gratuitously bloody movie.
What I would change
Less gore in the first scene.
