Blu-ray Review: Ninja Assassin

Release Date: March 16th, 2010
Running Time: 99 minutes

The Film

Everybody loves ninjas. It’s a scientific fact that ninjas are some of the coolest warriors ever. The age-old question of “who would win in a fight, a ninja ___” has fueled countless dorm room arguments, so with a title like Ninja Assassin fan expectations were understandably set very high. But there is more to filmmaking than action sequences, and that is where many martial arts films have faltered. Ninja Assassin’s blood-splashed hurricane of violence is ultimately undermined by a mediocre, forgettable plot. The Blu-ray disc is certainly one to show off your system, but the listless special features hurt an otherwise excellent presentation.

Korean superstar Rain takes on his first US leading role as Raizo, a young man trained by the ninja Ozunu Clan to be an assassin. The training, led by Lord Ozunu (Sho Kosugi), is relentless. Failure is met with extreme physical punishment. The only reprieve Raizo has is from gentle interactions with a fellow student named Kiriko (Anna Sawai). But when Kiriko tries to escape she is caught and executed by Raizo’s rival, Takeshi (Rick Yune), causing Raizo to despise Ozunu and his brethren. After his first assassination, Raizo turns on Ozuno and disappears to plot his revenge.

Raizo takes up residence in Berlin where he continues to train until the day Ozunu and his Clan makes their move. Meanwhile Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) is running an investigation that seems to point towards ninjas, an accusation that draws smirks from her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles). Mika digs deeper and causes the Clan to attempt to kill her, but Raizo comes to her rescue. Their two fates intertwined, Raizo and Mika will have to work together to take down the Ozunu Clan before they find themselves on the wrong end of a sword.

Ninja Assassin was a very mixed experience for me. There was so much that blew me away and yet an equal amount of material that was beyond banal. First and foremost, this is a gory film, and this is coming from someone who loves a good splash of the red stuff. This is simply the best ninja violence I have seen in a long time (except for a few bad spots of obvious CGI). The opening scene sets the violence bar incredibly high, and the rest of the film delivers in spades. The fight choreography is brutally efficient, and you get a true feel of the silent but deadly, invisible nature of ninjitsu. Rain gives a star-making performance even if his acting is a bit stiff. This is a pop star/dancer turned actor and he does a great job selling himself as a master ninja. A physical force, he completely owns his chain weapon and dismantles foes with chilling skill. Coupled with a striking visual style, Ninja Assassin is as sleek as they come.

The story, however, is a major weak point. Without being too harsh, I have to say that it is very boring. The cops aren’t needed in the story at all. The camera should have stayed with Raizo all the way through. Anytime he was off screen and the story focused on Mika I instantly tuned out. Also, the storytelling method of using flashbacks is somewhat awkward. Instead of getting his past out in a quick burst, we learn about Raizo throughout the entire film, never really understanding his motivations until the end. I would have preferred to have that information all in one chunk instead of disrupting the revenge story with constant flashbacks. But I guess when you have a major rewrite done in mere days then this will be the result.

Despite my reservations with the story, Ninja Assassin is still a landmark in the genre and a must-watch for martial arts fans.

The Disc

The video is presented in a 2.35:1, 1080p High Definition transfer. The crimson reds of the spurting blood look fantastic. It isn’t the most colorful film outside of the flashbacks, but when the rest of the spectrum does show up the colors appear natural. Black levels are especially noteworthy and complement the dark cinematography. Fine detail is insane considering how the image is filled with shadows. Blood drops, bits of sweat, reflections in blades—all of it is clearly defined. There is no softness or digital enhancement problems, but depth isn’t as fully realized as it could be at times. My only issue with the detail is that some of the CGI blood effects are too obvious. Lastly, compression artifacts are nonexistent, and video noise is extremely rare.

The audio is offered in an English DTS HD 5.1 master lossless audio track and French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with English/French/Spanish subtitles. This is a reference quality display of sound design, even if the mix is far from realistic. Directional effects, pans, and atmosphere are all fully utilized through the clang of weapons, rending of flesh, and shurikens hurled across the screen. The pans are especially smooth and make you feel like ninjas are creeping around you! The rear channels are omnipresent ensuring a complete immersion in the film. Bass is sufficiently deep and dialogue is balanced.

The Extras

The sparse selection of special features is a disappointment, especially for this type of film where fans would love to dissect every fight sequence in detail.

“The Myth and the Legend of Ninjas” is a 20 minute featurette and the best segment on the disc. Though riddled with clips from the film, it is still a good look at the history, pop culture popularity, fighting techniques, and weapons of ninjitsu through interviews with historians, ninja masters, and cast/crew.

“The Extreme Sport of a Ninja” is a 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette with cast/crew interviews. It is a bit too promotional for my tastes considering this is the only look at the production, but good information is still given about the stunts, action sequences, and camera techniques.

“Training Rain” is a 10-minute featurette on the intense training and action choreography Rain underwent to make him, and his body, a convincing representation of a ninja. Love or hate the film, you cannot deny Rain’s dedication.

The “Additional Footage” section (8 minutes) contains 4 scenes, only one of which I found interesting because it unveiled a bit more about Raizo’s past.

A 5-minute “exclusive” sneak peek is offered for the upcoming Clash of the Titans remake.

Lastly a standard definition DVD is included as well as a Digital Copy.

Final Thoughts

Ninja Assassin is a flawed but still brutally enjoyable film that martial arts fans cannot miss. However, casual fans may want to consider the thin plot and lack of special features before deciding to purchase the Blu-ray.