Ninja

'Ninja' isn't a film to watch if you want ground-breaking, thought provoking cinema. However, if you're in the mood for a fast-paced action movie that features martial arts experts kicking the living daylights out of one another, look no further. It's very silly, very violent and at times comes across like a live-action version of a bloodthirsty anime, but it makes for an entertaining evening in front of the telly.

Originally released in 2009, it had the misfortune to come along around the same time as 'Ninja Assassin,' a similarly themed movie with a much bigger publicity budget. This may well have led people to dismiss 'Ninja' as a direct to video knock-off, but it's actually much better than that. This isn't a top level production by any means, but it is way more competent than the atrociously cheap movies that get churned out by Asylum Studios or the Sci-Fi channel. 'Ninja Assassin' is the superior film, but 'Ninja' is easy to recommend and well worth a watch.

The film focuses on Casey Bowman (played by the King of DTV action, Scott Adkins), a westerner raised in a Japanese Dojo. While on a trip to New York, Casey finds himself targeted by an evil secret society and a former rival turned Rogue Ninja. Soon he's fighting his way across the city, taking on gun-toting goons in order to safeguard a chest full of priceless heritage items. And it moves so quickly, there's no time to take a breath and notice how little sense the storyline makes. The secret society are trying to do something with the oil industry and the stock market, but it's not clear if they're a religious order, a cabal of financially motivated evil businessmen or just a band of heavily armed thugs with a taste for the theatrical. The script is hammy, the lead character gets surprisingly few lines and there's more than a faint whiff of cheese about the whole thing.

However, none of that really matters. The focus here is on the fight scenes and 'Ninja' delivers the goods. This is a movie where cars flip over and explode for no reason, limbs get severed and blood fountains from sword wounds in high arcs. Adkins is so adept at leaping into the air and kicking people in the head that the laws of gravity don't seem to apply and his climactic battle in the backstreets of New York is an adrenaline pumping finale.

So yes, it's daft popcorn munching fun. This is a B-movie flick that sets out to deliver an entertaining series of action set-pieces held together with a flimsy plot and it succeeds admirably. The few stabs at deeper mysticism are no more than the fast food equivalent of Eastern Philosophy, but if you want to see a man thrown out the window of a moving train and into the path of another train, 'Ninja' is your film.

The plot is pretty weak in this movie, and lacks a really intense story, despite trying so hard to be intense. It gets by on some incredible fights with Scott Adkins, and quite frankly, I bet I'm not alone when it comes to people watching this movie, simply because of Adkins. It starts off a little slowly in the first half. Tsuyoshi Ihara provides some great intensity, and some good villainy, but it lacked the proper excitement for me. Once the second half begins, things really begin to heat up. The action is so strong, you tend to block out the average story. If Adkins's subway fight sequence isn't enough for you, then Adkins's going completely ballistic in the finale, by making many martial artists look foolish will definitely hit the spot. This guy is incredible, and if given the chance, he could be the action star the genre has lacked since the heyday of the 80's action heroes. I wouldn't call it a great performance, but he acquits himself decently. If you're not blown away by some of Adkins's moves, I really question your judgment. His love story with Mika Hijii isn't anything groundbreaking, but it's moving enough. Speaking of Mika Hijii, she's far from a damsel in distress. Not only does this woman kick major ass, but she takes a beating like a champ. I cringed in some of those scenes, but she held her own big time. It's pretty violent, if you like that sort of thing. I personally like violence. The finale is a bit over the top with the dramatics, but it does the job

Final Thoughts: See it for some of the terrific action scenes. Scott Adkins won't let you down. As long as you keep in mind that it's not a great movie, you should be able to find mild enjoyment. I didn't mind it. I'm actually curious about the upcoming sequel

5.3/10

So at one point, the leader of a cult that really has little bearing on anything in this movie proclaims, "We control the life blood of this planet!"

Wait, what? It's not just that it makes little sense. It makes no sense whatsoever. Not much of this movie does.

But hey, you want a tight plot that makes sense and gives you pause to think? Netflix "Glengarry Glen ****ing Ross." This ain't that.

You want to see a ninja cut a man's arm off with his ninja sword and the man goes "Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!" while blood spurts out of his stump, then this is the movie for you.

You want to see a stacked gravure idol as a dojo master's daughter who always needs to be saved just because she's a stacked gravure idol and even though she's a ninja, too, then this is the movie for you.

You want shurikens, poison blowgun darts, a ninja flying suit, and an SUV that rolls over and blows up spectacularly for NO FREAKING REASON, then this is the movie for you.

You want to see two ninjas have swordfight on the rooftop of a skyscraper with the Empire State Building in the background and you say, "This is the most awesomest thing ever!" in your best Peter Griffin voice, then babe, this is the ****ing movie for you.

You want sense? Read Jane ****ing Austen. You want ninjawesome, grab this baby, some chips and a Stella Artois and you're set for the night, brochacho.

"Ninja" does something that is hard to do.... it updates something from the past but still retains a nostalgic feel about it. Sometimes it felt like it was 1985 and I was a kid sitting on the living room floor eating popcorn and watching American Ninja. But then I see Scott Adkins do an amazing aerial kick and I know I'm not watching Michael Dudikoff. "Ninja" takes a similar formula and story from those ninja movies from the 80's and combines it with a hard hitting and acrobatic fighting style seen in today's martial arts movies. This movie was a lot of fun and if you grew up watching ninja and martial arts movies in the 80s like me, you will definitely enjoy it.

A westerner young ninja named Casey Bowman (Scott Adkins) is trained since chidhood to be a deadly Ninja , studying Ninjutsu in Japan , then he is asked by the Master (Igawa) to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu , an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja . But an angry revenger called Masazuka (Tsuyoshi Ihara) is nowadays seeking a merciless vendetta for his old mates and taking on the former master who trained him . As the ominous Masazuka to return demanding vengeance against the veteran Sensei . Things go wrong when Casey's girlfiend , Namiko Takeda (Mika Hijii) , is captured. At the end the terrible happenings leading to a lethal confrontation with the old fellow Ninja , our tough-fisted hero and other Ninja assassins . A silent warrior. A deadly past. A lethal mission. Revenge will rise . From the shadow of the night, a warrior is born not the weapon but the hand that wields it. Raised to become an assassin... until betrayal made him a target . Prepare to enter a secret world of heartless assassins .

It's a westernized oriental action film with an interesting mingle of suspense , brutal martial arts , sword-play , ancient ritual with typical code of honour and bloody combats . The gory plot is simple and plain , a nasty Ninja confronts the clan that raised him , and starring Casey/Scott Adkins being forced into action and steadily butchering his relentless enemies , while inching ever closer to the long-awaited bloody reunion with the infancy contender. This a nail-biting thriller with ustoppable action , including impressive fighting with a lot of blood and gore . It's a mindless but enjoyable story for martial arts aficionados of the old style , but adding some new technical being made by means of wires , cables and digital computer generator . Abundant fights as swords struggles in which arms , body parts and beheading are slice off here and there and limbs are slit open everywhere or blasted apart . Of course , highlights of the film are the breathtaking and groundbreaking fights with lots of blood dropping here and there . Cruel, savage murders and blood splatter , make only recommended for those adults no squeamish and with strong stomach enough to take it .The motion picture was professionally directed by Isaac Florentine .

This film belongs to ¨Ninja sub-genre¨ that achieved splendor in the Eighties : The first movie was ¨Enter the Ninja¨ (81) by Menahem Golan with Franco Nero , Menahem Golan was director of the first film , and was to direct its sequel also , but shortly before production was to start he decided to turn over directing chores to Sam Firstenberg . It was followed by the martial arts features ¨Ninja II¨ or ¨Revenge of the Ninja¨ (1983) with Shô Kosugi , Keith Vitali , Kane Koshugi and ¨Ninja III , the domination¨ with Lucinda Dickey and again Sho Kosugi . These pictures were well produced by Cannon -Golan and Globus- and all rightly directed by Sam Firstenberg . Following others also directed by Sam Firstenberg for Golan-Globus' as ¨American Ninja¨ , ¨American Ninja II and III¨, ¨Forced vengeance (82)¨ and ¨Avening force (1986)¨ most of them starred by low-grade expert on karate genre and Ninja sub-genre Michael Dudikoff . Following this 2009 ¨Ninja I¨ by Isaac Florentine , along with ¨Ninja II¨with Scott Adkins and Kane Koshugi . Furthermore , ¨Ninja Assassin¨ by James McTeigue with Rain , Naomi Harris .