Shinobi no kuni

In Iga, called the "land of stealth," ninjas spend all their time fighting and killing, with no more regard for humanity than animals have. The imperious warlord Oda Nobunaga has been invading and taking over province after province, but even he is wary of attacking Iga. The greatest ninja in Iga is Mumon, whose name means no-gate because no gate can be held against him; but Mumon (Satoshi Ohno) himself is quite a light-hearted guy whose main question about doing anything is "who will pay me?" When he is paid enough to kill the younger son of the Iga ruler, the older son swears vengeance and sets in train a series of events to bring Iga and Oda to the battlefield…. Evidently Satoshi Ohno, beyond being an actor/ninja warrior, is a dj and the leader of a J-pop band, and his breezy style for much of this film provides a great sense of ease, even comedy, but the underlying message of the film is far more harsh and, well, sad. An interesting mix of style versus substance, and definitely a different take on the Japanese historical film. The ending just might break your heart, though.

We are all familiar now with the nature of Japanese jidaigeki (period drama) epics set in the age of the samurai. By going back to what appears to be relatively simpler times when everyone knew their place in the social order, films like Yoji Yamamoto's Twilight Samurai (2003) and The Hidden Blade (2004) try to remind us that what is really important in life is respect for order, attention to duty, and acting with honour and loyalty. Director Yoshiho Nakamura, known for somewhat off-beat dramas, presents a more modern and comic outlook on the jidaigeki epic in Mumon: The Land of Stealth, where there is only one thing that is important to the citizens of Iga; it's all about the money.

Skirmishes are an everyday occurrence in Iga, the Land of Stealth, home of the ninja. Which makes you think that they would know by now that Mumon (named after the fact that 'No gate' is closed to him), the greatest ninja in the land, is pretty much invincible, so there's not really much point in taking him on. If they did that however, life would be fairly dull (and there wouldn't be much of a film), but life is cheap in 1579, and the ninja love nothing more than a good fight. As long as they are being paid for it.

The opportunity of a handsome pay-packet comes their way with the news that the warlord Nobunaga Oda has been conquering neighbouring provinces. Ise has just fallen and, vastly outnumbered, Iga is sure to follow. Rather than being concerned, Iga's Council of Twelve see it as an opportunity to make some money and decide to invite Nobunaga Oda into Iga, where - for a modest salary - they will even build a castle for him in the heartland of the country. Oda however has warned his son, who has taken up command of Ise - on no account to make war with Iga as it is nothing but a "swamp of rabid beasts", but headstrong junior thinks he knows better and ignores his father's advice...

Filled with comedy and irreverence, if Yoshihiro Nakamura's Mumon is not what you traditionally expect from a samurai film, it at least delivers where it matters most; in the spectacular fight scenes that inevitably ensue. Battle sequences and individual duels are thrillingly choreographed and intensely staged, with hordes of flying ninja warriors leaping around, appearing out of rocks, trees and from underground, without over-reliance on CGI. Just as importantly however, director Nakamura doesn't indulge in sepia-tinted nostalgia but rather - amidst all the comedy - has something relevant to say about the 'ninja warriors' of today, where it is indeed all about the money.

If you like Ninja movie, then consider watching this one. It was not an ordinary Ninja we used to watch. With its historical background, Mumon showed us the side of Ninja colony that we might not know yet. It has fair amount of comical action, also hilarious facial expressions that even though you don't understand what they say, you'd laugh. The cast can't be better, their fluid move for fighting scene is superb. You'll understand their feeling without understanding what they're saying. Watch it till the end, you'll find Mumon not just giving you good laugh, but a deep thought in the end; 'are we human enough?' Give this movie a try if it showed in your country, since it was not made world wide, only to several Japanese movie event.

Do you really know about Ninja? If you like Ninja, Samurai or Japanese manga, this is a must see film which you can realize what an ancient ninja and colony would look like. From cheesy tricks to matermind battle, here you see how the ninja fought to live, the royal samurai spirit, and unbearable comic like anti-hero, Mumon!

'Mumon' is based on a ttrue historical record of a war in the Japanese Warring State period between the Ninja and Samurai, written by Japanese best seller writer, Ryo Wada.

Don't be fooled by the casual entry, you'll be caught by director Nakamura's tricks to unveil the true drama and message of this story.

The more you see the more you'll discover!

Based on Japan actual historic event, this movie adaptation from Ryo Wada popular novel of the same name, is totally worth watching for. This sword slashing, dagger clashes action movie is so well balanced with humour that it lighten the story plot. However, the hidden messages magnify itself throughout the frames.

Be it the main character or supporting one, every character in the movie spice up the drama. You can feel the emotions for each lost, win, fight and be prepare to blown away by the sleek, well trained and intense hand movements of characters. No red,gore bloodshed too.

This is definitely different from any ninja movies out there, exposing the fact of these brute ninjas. A great work from Director Yoshihiro Nakamura, cast lists and staff roundup.

MUMON - The Land of Stealth. Awesome movie to be watched.