Ninja - Pfad der Rache

Don't snob the movie because of the title. While I have seen my fair share of Dudikoff starring Ninja movies, I'd rather watch something like this. Scott Adkins therefor is being called the new van Damme and not Dudikoff for a reason. And while this movie does not have any big surprises in it (you will be able to know where this is going, waiting for the next action scene to start), it is highly enjoyable.

Especially during the well choreographed fight scenes. Which sometimes are very long takes (no cutting away and therefor even more difficult to perform and get it right). There is also some trickery involved while shooting those scenes and if that was done on set and not afterward, the movie deserves even more respect than it already has gotten from me.

The original 'Ninja' seems to be regarded by both its star and his fans as a lesser Scott Adkins vehicle. I for one absolutely loved its uncomplicated, goon-slaying action, especially the bit where a guy gets kicked out of a train and into the path of another train. That said, the sequel - Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear - is painfully superior in almost every respect.

It's disappointing that the character Namiko, who played a major role in the first movie, gets offed within the first ten minutes, but otherwise this is a perfect genre flick. The storyline is more focused, the action scenes are better and the whole thing is nicely wrapped up in ninety minutes of efficient, throwing-star violence.

American Ninja Casey Bowman's wife is brutally murdered and the only clue is the distinctive wound on her neck. In the depths of his grief, he goes looking for her killer and winds up travelling to Myanmar to take on a fearsome drug lord.

The acting is not exactly awards-worthy, but nobody comes to a genre-piece like this expecting high thespian art. This is a film with the focus on kicking people through walls, shooting blow darts into necks and impaling henchmen on Katanas. It's fast-paced, violent, beer-swilling fun. Nothing complicated, just perfect Friday night entertainment. Order some Pad Thai from the local takeaway, kick back and watch Scott Adkins murder half the Golden Triangle.

The last time martial arts king Scott Adkins and action filmmaker extraordinaire Isaac Florentine worked together, their output was fantastic. UNDISPUTED III was one of the best fight flicks ever made and remains the high standard for other karate movies to strive for. In the three years since, Adkins has continued to make a name for himself both inside and out of movie theaters, while Florentine hit a bit of a low point with his Christian Slater vehicle, but fans have unanimously wondered what sort of film the two of them would deliver if paired together again. Would it top the previous UNDISPUTED? Well, now that ol' Scott and Isaac have finally produced their fifth collaboration, I can answer that question...somewhat sadly, in the negative. No, in my opinion, NINJA II is not the equal of "U3." It is, however, a vast improvement over its flawed prequel and is without a doubt the best pure martial arts movie of 2013.

The story: upon the murder of his beloved Namiko (Mika Hiji), the returning Casey (Adkins) attempts to track down her killer - a quest which leads him into the dangerous urban sprawl and deadly jungles of Myanmar.

I think this is the kind of movie Florentine was trying to make the first time around, when he made NINJA. Improvements on the production values and the general presentation of the ninja (no more ridiculously impossible physical feats) are superficial pluses to a generally more down-to-earth movie: the villains and rivalries feel more personal this time, and the shifting environmental settings make for a more interesting aesthetic presentation. With that said, the major flaws plaguing the movie are still production-related and creative ones. The automatic subtitles are slightly off, unnecessarily announcing "Myanmar (formerly Burma)" twice and in at least one situation unnecessarily announcing what a character is saying even though it's in English. Additionally, for a movie with the word "ninja" in its title, there is disappointingly little ninja-ing: Scott's the only real representative of the shadow warriors this time around, and doesn't suit up until the final 25 minutes. Subjectively, I also question the cultural sensitivity behind casting Indian actor Mukesh Bhatt: I love his performance, but laughing at him playing a goofy, subservient taxi driver in an American movie is kind of uncomfortable.

The fight content so ample that it's a genuine surprise whenever Adkins' character *doesn't* resolve a situation by fighting. It's also, for the most part, top-notch. While I don't think it's the blow-for-blow equal of "U3," a friend of mine might comment that the filmmakers definitely took notes while watching The Raid: Redemption. There's so much going on here that I like. Virtually every fight features satisfyingly long shots, filled with lengthier technical exchanges than in a Shaw Bros. movie. While the one-against-many brawls are unanimously one-sided, none of the one-on-one encounters - comprising about half of the total fight scenes - are squash matches. There's a cool variety of fighters, too: Guinness record-setting kicker Ron Smoorenburg, karate-parkour star Jawel el Berni, RAGING PHOENIX-veteran Patrick Tang, and that second generation ninja himself, Kane Kosugi. Choreographer and on screen fighter Tim Man exercises his craft fully by accurately portraying kickboxing, defensive karate, kobudo- and kali-style weapons fighting, some grappling, and a smattering of Adkins' signature tricking. Viewers who particularly love Scott's backflips and flying moves may be disappointed that they're a bit toned down here, but personally, I can't get enough of the grounded hand-to-hand stuff, particularly the ten-star final match. Florentine's record for this kind of action remains unblemished.

Dramatically, the movie is on the upper end of average for the DTV sphere. Adkins remains more than serviceable throughout, though his reaction to finding Mika Hiji's character dead was a bit weak. Kane Kosugi is solid, though he cycles between how strong his accent should be. The surprise standout performance comes from aging villain Shun Sugata, whose only fault is that he doesn't have more scenes to show off his theatrical talent (seriously, I think he only has about three). Writer David White, one of Florentine's regulars, doesn't deliver any particularly memorable dialog but deserves credit for a surprising twist at the end of the story. The movie ends on an uncharacteristically bitter note for Florentine, though I get the impression that this was done potentially so the protagonist may yet find closure in a potential third film.

Should an additional installment of the franchise be on its way, I'd line up now to see it. In setting the standard so ridiculously high, both the star and the filmmaker may struggle to live up to their previous masterwork, but it's reassuring that Adkins and Florentine give the impression that they're all for making a great effort towards it. I can't think of any reason not to recommend buying this movie, so go for it.

The first Ninja film didn't impress me much, but this follow up is definitely an improvement. Ninja: Shadow of a Tear follows American ninja master Casey Bowman, who loses his wife and unborn child after a home invasion. Vowing revenge Casey breaks plenty of limbs and faces tracking down the killer to a drug factory in Burma... before discovering a horrifying secret....

Derivative revenge plot aside, this film was actually pretty good. Scott Adkins was convincing in this role, and some of the fight scenes were genuinely awesome. I also didn't see the final twist coming, which is always a plus. Story wise we have seen all this before, but to be honest nobody watches a film like this for the plot. It has it where it counts - non-stop brutal beatdowns and great fights. You will know if this is to your taste or not...

Ninja: Shadow of a Tear is an incredible sequel to the excellent first film but this time it's drenched more in gritty realism than the comic book style of the first. There's still a retro old skool feel to this but it's faster paced & more furious this time as our hero, Casey has settled down with his pregnant wife but when she is suddenly murdered, Casey goes on an all out mission for revenge & it's a brutal quest with non-stop frantic action. Scott Adkins is Amazing again, his films are always so Awesome & so well made with so much style & this sequel has it all in spades!!! Once again directed with superb skill by Isaac Florentine who loves working with Adkins & seems to really bring out the very best of Adkins martial arts skills & his emotional performances, here Casey goes to a much darker place & becomes a more Vigilante anti-hero than he was in the first film where he was more a warrior proctor type. Adkins is the most skilled fighter I've seen in the Action genre & i grew up watching all the greats such as Van Damme, Schwarzenegger, Seagal, Stallone & Snipes but Adkins seems more real & more intense than those Action Legends & it's a shame he hasn't hit the big time yet like Jason Statham has?

Ninja 2 is a more polished looking flick than the first but it's definitely less bloody & the main villain is still way better in the first flick but what we do get here is much more incredible fight sequences that are mind blowing to watch. This is the fastest I've seen Adkins move lol he's as quick as the old greats like Jackie Chan or Jet Li he's that good. I think i probably still like the first film more because i loved the old Comic book style & the very 80's Ninja flick vibe that reminds me of the Awesome Ninja Turtles flicks but obviously way more violent but, Shadow of a Tear is a fantastic sequel & this time i got vibes of old skool Charlie Bronson flicks such as Death Wish 2 (The whole mugging/wallet sequence) & i loved it as it felt like pure old skool violent action & that's what Scott Adkins does. A brutal, bone-crunching, fast & furious Revenge Action Thriller with some of the best fight sequences ever put on film & a blistering intense performance from the king of badass, low-budget Action Cinema.