Ninja Assassin follows Raizo (Rain), one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them…and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge.
In Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) has stumbled upon a money trail linking several political murders to an underground network of untraceable assassins from the Far East. Defying the orders of her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), Mika digs into top secret agency files to learn the truth behind the murders. Her investigation makes her a target, and the Ozunu Clan sends a team of killers, led by the lethal Takeshi (Rick Yune), to silence her forever. Raizo saves Mika from her attackers, but he knows that the Clan will not rest until they are both eliminated. Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive…and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan.
Ninja Assassin stars Korean pop star Rain (Speed Racer) as the central character, Raizo; Naomie Harris (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End) as Europol researcher Mika Coretti; Ben Miles (V for Vendetta) as Europol Agent Ryan Maslow; legendary martial arts performer Sho Kosugi (Revenge of the Ninja) as the ruthless leader of the Ozunu Clan; and Rick Yune (Die Another Day) as Raizo’s rival, Takeshi.
The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Karl Walter Lindenlaub, production designer Graham ‘Grace’ Walker, costume designer Carlo Poggioli and editor Gian Ganziano. The Wachowski brothers’ longtime stunt coordinators Chad Stahelski and David Leitch are also on board as second unit co-directors.
Ninja Assassin is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation in association with Legendary Pictures and Dark Castle Entertainment, and a co-production between Rocklock Films and Fünfte Babelsberg Film.
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"Just like Ronseal – it does exactly what it says on the tin"
Let’s be honest – you’re not going to expect a lot from a film entitled ‘Ninja Assassin’ are you? Sure, you’re going to anticipate a liberal sprinkling of ninjas, with the odd assassination here and there, but I don’t think anyone is going to be surprised if the plot and acting aren’t quite up to Oscar standard. In this regard, ‘Ninja Assassin’ doesn’t pull any surprises. There are ninjas by the bucket load, one of the highest body counts I can remember from recent films and not a lot else.
I’m not going to dwell too long on either the plot or the acting, because quite frankly no one is going to see this film for either of those reasons. In short, Raizo (played by Korean pop sensation Rain, for which this film is essentially a vessel) is a bad ninja turned good, seeking revenge for the death of his long lost love. Along the way he bumps into Europol agents Mika (Naomie Harris) and Ryan (Ben Miles) and all hell breaks loose. The good guys win, the end.
With that out of the way, only two things remain – the ninjas and the assassinations. As you’d expect from a film boasting the Wachowski brothers (of The Matrix fame) amongst its producers, the fight scenes are pretty damn good, exploding onto the screen with real pace and venom. The ninjas are pretty cool too, bestowed with an almost ethereal quality, almost like a modern day Nazgul, as they swarm all over the place. It’s such a shame therefore, that the CGI blood, and there’s a LOT of it, looks so fake – think the final battle from Blade and you wont be far off.
For fans of the genre, ‘Ninja Assassin’ is probably worth a watch, but by lacking in the fundamentals of plot and acting ability, doesn’t really offer anything for the average Joe.
