Ninja Assassin

Directed by: James McTeigue
Screenplay by: Matthew Sand, J. Michael Straczynski

Cinematography by: Karl Walter Lindenlaub

Editor: Gian Ganziano, Joseph Jett Sally

Cast: Rain, Rick Yune and Naomie Harris

Year: 2009

Basically, 'Ninja Assassin' is a live action anime film. None of the characters or story elements are anything new or really thought provoking in any way, but I appreciate the mind-numbing action and spectacle these films bring (once in a while). A film with this much cartoonish violence and unintentionally hilarious dialogue is best viewed in the company of a bunch of friends, or in a theatre packed with chop-socky geeks like me.

In my opinion, the infusion of CGI enhanced weapons, ninja moves and buckets of candy apple red blood hurt the film rather than make it more entertaining. I felt these jazzed-up parts actually took out all of the sense of danger and physical peril for the characters that you might find in a Jackie Chan film, for example.

Anyhow, you should know very well what to expect sitting down to a film called 'Ninja Assassin' and on the plus side, it delivers everything a title like that promises to be.

3 out of 5