Product Details

• Actors: Naomie Harris, Rain
• Directors: James McTeigue
• Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (151 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002VECM3Q
• For more information about "Ninja Assassin [Blu-ray]" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Those of You that Want a Completely Honest Review, March 11, 2010

By 

Kuro Tsurugi "TheStrongestThereIs" (Tokyo, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ninja Assassin [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

1. Are you a fan of the ninja mythos? If yes, continue
2. Do you like awesomely executed choreography and to be Entertained? IF yes, go on
3. Are you one of those people that sit back and watch ALL movies looking to be enlightened on the meaning of life and anything that doesn't make you think disgust you? If yes, Stop, you don't belong here. If yes, Continue...

When this movie was being thought up, there was one thing on the mind of the director. "How can I bring back the love of ninjas that I had as a young child?" His answer was to create this movie and update the premise of the ninja with the many cool things that have been done with the genre since the old days of Sho Kosugi's Revenge of the Ninja. This means, take all of the mythological aspects of the ninja:
Shadow walking (or melding with shadows)
The mind of a Ninja (Classic training Sequences that exist in all Martial Flicks
Wicked Sword play and creative use of weaponry
Agility beyond what normal humans have
Add in a little Ninja Magic and Jutsu
= ENTER NINJA ASSASSIN

As with all great movies and concepts this film excels at one thing in particular, Mixing Genres. Within the first 5 minutes of the story, you will realize that you aren't dealing with a strict action movie. There is a great blend of Horror, Suspense, Comedy, and down right Awesomeness. As with all action movies there are some things that people consider weak with the plot but lets not get ahead of ourselves. If you go into an action movie looking to see Schindlers List, you will be disappointed. This movie was made strictly to entertain. If it does not do that for you, then you have no blood in your veins or you should go see twilight and look at the debauchery of vampire myth and swoon over the skin of a killer. Seeing Sho Kosugi again after all these years is amazing, and to see that he is still just as awesome as he was in the 80s when I was a child is Inspirational. Everyone does their job in the film acting wise, and After months of training and choreography and turning his body into a killing machine, Rain pulls it all together. I have actually read the script for this movie and there are some things that I hope are included with the blu ray. The ideas that are touched on in the film would make great stories in themselves and I for one hope that this implies that the Ninja Renaissance is upon us. Its been too long.

The only thing you get from this movie is visceral action, classic ninja cinema, and a plot that fits the moment.

A lot of people went into this movie thinking that they were going to go see the next Matrix film, as they do with any film that has the Wachowskis banner on it somewhere. This has lead to a lot of films by them and their protege McTiegue being overlooked. The biggest crime being the bad press that Speed Racer Received even though it was one of the best family movies ever. Buy Ninja Assassin and you will not be disappointed.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rain makes one Awesome Ninja!, December 10, 2009

By 

Shawn M - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ninja Assassin [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

OMG, I had no idea Rain was playing Raizo until the day before I went to watch the movie. I have to say that I was pleasantly suprised by his transformation from boy band hotty to Hot Ninja Assasin! I know he must have worked his butt off to get that body lean enough to do some of the actions in this movie. If you love blood/gore and ninja action then you will definately enjoy this movie. The synopsis was mentioned in the previous review so I won't go into that again, but I will say that the working chemistry between Rain and Naomi in this movie was relaxed and not ackward like in some movies in this genre like kiss of the dragon or Romeo must die where I get the feeling the actor/actress is acting rather than in a natural state of being. Sounds weird but I definately noticed the difference. I hope to see Rain in more lead roles, he makes one hellofa ninja.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Ninja Action Film That Still Needs a Better Story and Director, April 1, 2010

By 

Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Ninja Assassin (DVD)

"Ninja Assassin" opens with a very bloody action sequence, in which a gang of Japanese yakuza mobsters are murdered by a deadly ninja. The assassin's attack is much faster than Uma Thurman's heroine in "Kill Bill Vol.1." The killer (or killers) is silent and almost invisible and the gangsters have no chance from the beginning. The scene ends with severed heads and limbs in a pool of blood. We don't know why they should be killed, but we do know we are in for an extremely gory action flick.

But we have to wait for that action to happen. The over-the-top violence is followed by the not-so-impressive storyline, in which Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) investigates a series of assassinations that she suspects are related to a mysterious clan of ninjas. In the meanwhile, we are introduced to a man named Raizo (Rain), who lives alone in an apartment room almost bare of furniture.

"Ninja Assassin" is a modern-day version of Grade-B ninja action movies, with special effects and martial arts stunts. Ozunu, a very strict leader of the clan, is played by Shô Kosugi, star of the cult ninja films during the 1980s. Hero's name Raizo reminds us of Ichikawa Raizo, Japanese actor best known for his role of the swordsman Nemuri Kyoshiro. The film is helmed by James McTeigue, director of "V for Vendetta."

The intention of the producers (including Joel Silver, Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski) is clear - a cool and edgy ninja action film updated for the new generation. Sadly they forgot one thing: action. The stunts themselves are decent, but set-pieces are marred by choppy editing. The narrative is uneven and awkward with too many flashbacks. Actors did a fine job, but James McTeigue is not ready for this kind of big action flick, relying too much on CGI-created blood and weapons.

Though it is one of the critically bashed films released in 2009, "Ninja Assassin" is not as bad as you might be led to believe. The idea of modern ninja action film is not bad. It only needs a better director.