NINJA ASSASSIN

NINJA ASSASSIN is a straight-ahead action movie about Raizo, a former Ninja assassin who works to stop the clan of Ninjas before they can kill Mika, a Europol researcher. As a boy, Raizo was kidnapped and trained in Ninja martial arts to be an assassin mercenary. Raizo is taught not to care for others, nor to have pity on anyone. He is turned into a killing machine.

As a teenager at the training compound, Raizo befriends a young girl who tries to escape but is caught and executed in front of Raizo. The memory of her and her compassion on him when he had injuries deeply affects him.

As an adult, when Raizo is told to execute another fellow Ninja who tried to escape, Raizo kills the other Ninjas instead and leaves the clan. Now, he works to stop the mercenary Ninja assassins at their own game.

Europol researcher Mika uncovers the fact that, whenever there is a major assassination, a trail of money points to a secret organization of Ninja mercenaries. As she investigates, the Ninja assassins come after her, but Raizo protects her.

In the climax, Raizo protects Mika, and Mika, in turn, protects him. Razio enacts his revenge on the clan leader and the man who executed his young friend. With the clan now gone, Raizo is able to be free from his tortured past.

NINJA ASSASSIN is an action movie, pure and simple. The characters follow the archetypes of similar martial arts movies with not much originality added. The directing is very well done, and the pace quick. Very little time goes by when there isn’t onscreen fighting of one kind or another.

The source of the Ninja’s powers is attributed by one character as a “demon from hell,” and they exhibit mystical powers to heal themselves and others. They show superhuman powers in their ability to move invisibly and to vanish at will – not to mention gravity defying martial arts moves.

There is an extreme amount of graphic violence including quite a number of heads and other body parts being chopped off by swords and other Ninja weapons. Blood is everywhere, and, in the end, the hero is covered in blood from his own wounds as well as the wounds of his enemies.

With its Eastern mysticism and New Age elements of special occult powers, combined with the nearly constant violence, NINJA ASSASSIN is unacceptable viewing for media-wise, discerning movie lovers.