You certainly can't accuse Ninja Assassin of not living up to its title, but the filmmakers clearly never thought beyond that point.
Ninja Assassin (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:9
Rotten:22
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: Overly serious and incomprehensibly edited, Ninja Assassin fails to live up to the promise of its title.
Australian Rating: TBC
Genre: Action/Adventure
Australian Theatrical Release:
Feb 5, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $0
Synopsis: Raizo is 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... Raizo is 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 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, 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, 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. --© Warner Bros [More]
Starring: Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Sho Kosugi
Starring: Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Sho Kosugi, Rick Yune
Director: James McTeigue
Director: James McTeigue
Screenwriter: Matthew Sand, J. Michael Straczynski
Producer: Joel Silver, Grant Hill, Larry Wachowski, Andy Wachowski
Studio: Warner Bros.
Reviews for Ninja Assassin
Ninja Assassin lives in the moment, a visceral gouge of a picture, and sections of it move so fast -- and are so intriguingly, dimly lit -- that you have to use your imagination a bit to discern what's happening.
If a film that's as over-the-top violent and gory as Ninja Assassin can't get an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America's ratings board, it's unlikely any film will.
It's brisk and exciting and exuberantly obvious filmmaking, but it knows how to light up every bloodthirsty pleasure center in your brain, and does so with gusto.
No prize, [but] at least it barrels ahead without trying to humanize its comic-book characters or deliver a ludicrous V for Vendetta-style political message.
Heads may roll, torsos get severed and geysers of blood spurt, but no amount of CGI'd gore can save 'Assassin' from being dramatically lame, visually impaired and kinetically flat-footed.
Nearly incomprehensible, the picture devolves quickly into an array of shaky cam, epilepsy-inducing editing, and blatantly fake CGI bloodshed the color of red paint.
It's a ninja story for goodness sake, but McTeigue and his writers are on the prowl for something epic, puncturing the potential of the film by taking it all so very seriously.
The credits for Ninja Assassin list two screenwriters and one director. But it's fair to say the movie has come straight out of a box.
If Ninja Assassin boasted sexual content equivalent to its level of violence, it would be rated NC-17 and repulse even the most dedicated perverts
This amateurish action flick is so lacking in personality or punch, it ought to be titled "V for Video Store Discount Bin."
Let's be honest, killing is this film's business... and business is good.
The egregious overuse of CG and the too-dark cinematography is unconscionable.
Uncertain of what it wants to be, Ninja Assassin will likely disappoint action fans with excessive CGI gore, and gore fans with excessive uninspired action.
The rotten cliches pile up faster than the bodies in this Z-movie disaster. A total dud start to finish.
An action film that only works as long as there are ninjas on-screen slicing and dicing each other, and not so much when anyone opens their mouth and speaks.
McTeigue can barely shoot straight, and the editing is so hack-y, you have to take the stunts and fight choreography on faith.
Latest News for Ninja Assassin
November 24, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
This week at the movies, we've got martial arts mayhem (Ninja Assassin, starring Rain and Naomie Harris); family-friendly hi jinks (Old Dogs, starring John Travolta and Robin... More...
November 23, 2009:
Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More ![]()
Always one of the busiest producers in Hollywood, Joel Silver has plenty to talk about right now -- including "Lobo," "Sgt. Rock," "The Losers," and the just-around-the-corner... More...
October 07, 2009:
New: Brand New Trailer and Poster. ![]()
More...
August 15, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
More...
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