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Movies / Opening / Ninja Assassin
Ninja Assassin

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Ninja Assassin (2009)

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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.

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1 - 4 of 8

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Reviews for Ninja Assassin

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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You certainly can't accuse Ninja Assassin of not living up to its title, but the filmmakers clearly never thought beyond that point.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
11/24/09
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

Can be ridiculously exhilarating.

Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | comment Comment
11/24/09
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Common Sense Media

Parental Content Review

Full Review Source: Screen It! | comment Comment
11/24/09
Jim Judy
Jim Judy
Screen It!

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.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
11/24/09
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com

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.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
11/24/09
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

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.

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
11/24/09
Katey Rich
Katey Rich
CinemaBlend.com

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.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment 1 Comment
11/24/09
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

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.

Full Review Source: MSN Movies | comment 1 Comment
11/24/09
Kathleen Murphy
Kathleen Murphy
MSN Movies

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.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
11/24/09
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

The epitome of excellence in film entertainment.

Full Review Source: Outtakes With Fiore | comment 6 Comments
11/24/09
Fiore Mastracci
Fiore Mastracci
Outtakes With Fiore

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.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
11/24/09
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com

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.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
11/24/09
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe

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

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment 1 Comment
11/24/09
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

This amateurish action flick is so lacking in personality or punch, it ought to be titled "V for Video Store Discount Bin."

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
11/24/09
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Let's be honest, killing is this film's business... and business is good.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment 2 Comments
11/24/09
Chris Nashawaty
Chris Nashawaty
Entertainment Weekly

The egregious overuse of CG and the too-dark cinematography is unconscionable.

Full Review Source: Horror.com | comment Comment
11/24/09
Staci Layne Wilson
Staci Layne Wilson
Horror.com

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.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment 2 Comments
11/24/09
David Thomas
David Thomas
Filmcritic.com

The rotten cliches pile up faster than the bodies in this Z-movie disaster. A total dud start to finish.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment 1 Comment
11/24/09
Geoff Berkshire
Geoff Berkshire
Metromix.com

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.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
11/24/09
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

McTeigue can barely shoot straight, and the editing is so hack-y, you have to take the stunts and fight choreography on faith.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
11/24/09
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips
Chicago Tribune
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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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 Opens in new window
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. Opens in new window
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August 15, 2009: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
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