Film review: Ninja Assassin delivers action with every punch

“Ninja Assassin”
Warner Bros. Pictures

I am an action movie fan. I readily admit it. Growing up watching TV shows like “Kung Fu” or movies such as “The Killing Fields” from a young age, I learned quickly the difference between campy and impressive when it came to fight scenes. “Power Rangers” is campy. “The Bourne” series is not. I put “Ninja Assassin” is the same category as Matt Damon’s action-spy thriller trilogy. However, the plot isn’t the high point of the movie, which is set to hit theaters Nov. 25 in the U.S. and Jan. 8, 2010, in the U.K. The storyline definitely plays second fiddle to the fast-paced action scenes. If you can handle the gore — think gruesome Quentin Tarantino style movies like “Kill Bill” — then you’ll love watching each swipe of a blade, kick and punch as it’s delivered.

Moviegoers won’t have to wait long for the action to start. There is no buildup to the action. Within the first few minutes minutes of the movie, the ideology of ninjas is presented, and then you’re just along for the ride.

The story follows Raizo (played by Korean pop sensation Rain), an orphan taken in by the Ozunu Clan and trained to be an assassin. The clan’s existence is old and considered mythical by many until Berlin-based Europol agent Mika (Naomie Harris) brings it to light thanks to her snoopy research abilities that trace the clan’s involvement to political assassinations around the world. But Mika isn’t the only one on the run from the clan; Raizo is, too, after he fled following the merciless slaying of someone he held dear. The only twist is Raizo’s goal isn’t to vanish so he’s never found. His goal is revenge at the precise moment when he can do the most damage. Mika and Raizo become tangled up in Europol and the clan’s plots as they try to stay alive. It leaves moviegoers wondering who is telling the truth and if Mika and Raizo miraculously will stay alive like all heroes in good Westernized movies do.

There are mystical elements to the movie as well, though. After all, we’re dealing with the ideas of East Asian cultures and myths — “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” anyone? — but as long as moviegoers keep that in mind, they’ll swallow what the plot throws at you as it unfolds. The storyline really just gives an excuse for the exacting mayhem that ensues. The meat and potatoes of the film is the action.

Rain’s performance is praise worthy. His presence onscreen is quiet, yet captivating, and he truly impresses with his fighting abilities. He performs all his own stunts and makes it look effortless (click here for a clip of his training). That’s hard to come by in this day and age where superstars are just a pretty face with stunt doubles who do the “dirty work” for them. The way he and the other ninjas handle knives and any other blades they find handy make fighting with guns seem childish and clumsy. Female fans everywhere will not doubt be more swayed by Rain’s physique as he exacts his revenge one ninja at a time shirtless is most scenes. The sound effects in the movie as the blades whiz through the air or make contact with flesh adds to the experience. Of course, this is a tribute to the Wachwoski brothers’ ability to capture the motion of action onscreen that makes use of more than one of the five sense like they did in the “Matrix” trilogy. All in all, it’s a solid action flick sure to appeal to fellow action movie buffs, even if the plot is lacking in areas.

For the movie’s official Web site, click here.