Ninja Assassin Surprises

Not in the way you would think though

BY COLIN ENQUIST

Sometimes you need to shut your brain off, let it recharge. You need to enjoy yourself, laugh, weep, cheer or observe people beat each other senseless. Tread carefully; Ninja Assassin does not really fit into any of these categories though. Sure this film will be filed under “the pointless action pieces” category but it is a little more then that.

Saying Ninja Assassin has a cohesive plot might be a stretch. It was surprising as hell though. Opening with an action sequence I really could have done without was making me rethink my choice of film for my Saturday night. Sure it set up many ideals about ninja’s and their role in today’s society, but it just felt like they could have done this much better. Then the next scene changed my perspective, doing a complete 180, it looked like a conspiracy film with ninja’s was about to break Hollywood barriers. Looked was the key word in that last sentence. The story potential was sitting right in front of Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski (who was given re-write duties and only had 60 hours to complete it, Straczynski only slept for 7 hours over that span) but they seemed to miss it. But did I really go see Ninja Assassin for the story? No, but at one point it appeared like a story was going to be a bonus.

So why did I see Ninja Assassin? Three reasons:

Rain – Having heard so much about him and seeing his performance in Speed Racer, I wondered if he could carry a film on his own as Raizo, one of the world’s deadliest assassins. To be honest, that question is never answered with this film, as Rain surprisingly had very little screen time. I still see the potential (which the Wachowski brothers saw in Speed Racer) though and will give his next film a shot, whatever that may be.

The Wachowski Brothers – They directed this film, so why would I not go see it! Wait…what…sorry…damn it! Well my plans were already made when I found out they only produced the film and I could not cancel on friends now could I? My expectations were brought considerably lower after this disappointing revelation.

Martial Arts Films – Being a sucker for any martial arts film (that is not made in America), I was intrigued. Ninja Assassin felt like it was going to bend (to some extent at least) the typical mold for a Hollywood martial arts film.

So did it?

Ninja Assassin will not revolutionize any part of the way we look at cinema but it was different. Still not sure if it was for the better yet. It seemed, at least to me, the action sequences were borderline cheesecake or really well done, not leaving much ground in between. The choice of weaponry made for some interesting fight scenes. Also makes me wish I could throw a Kusarigama (Raizo’s choice in weaponry) around without cutting myself to tiny bits!

One choice that director James McTeigue makes is very questionable, the uses of blood spatter. It was not quite used to the effect that Kill Bill used the technique but more along the lines of some anime films. It seemed like they put more focus on the blood spatter over the fight choreography. On the other hand, during the fights in the shadows, it did help differentiate who was getting sliced and diced.

Not sure if I would recommend this film but it is entertaining. Ninja Assassin is maybe worth a watch once, on a night where your brain needs a rest. No terrible acting in this film, as Noami Harris, Ben Miles and martial arts film legend Sho Kosugi have the only parts in the film where acting is necessary. If you can look past minor plot holes and predictable scenarios then Ninja Assassin just may have good enough action to amuse you.

Oh, one last thing, a message to any studio or director. If you are going to cast Rick Yune, use him in the film, do not cover his face and give him one line to say multiple times!

3 out of 5