When I came out of the screening of NINJA ASSASSIN my first thought was “Oh dear, what has happened to the Wachowski siblings?” (I’m not sure we can still call them brothers). They started off so well, then after the success of the first of THE MATRIX films it’s been all downhill. The less said about the two MATRIX sequels the better; SPEEDRACER was a fun, but hyperactive, kids’ movie; on the production side, V FOR VENDETTA was a reasonable adaptation of Alan Moore’s Thatcher-era graphic novel, and now the same team is back together for an East-West martial arts movie.
The basic premise of the story, by Matthew Sand and J Michael Straczynski (the multi-awarding screenwriter, creator of Babylon 5, and Marvel scribe), is (from the press release):
Raizo (Rain – Korean pop star and heart throb) 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. 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 (Naomie Harris) 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 (Ben Miles), 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 (Rick Yune), 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 Berlin, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan.
So far, so so. Usually in martial arts movies the story is secondary to the action. The problem is, the onscreen action is so heavily staged most of the time that is not believable. Most of the people performing the action are not real martial artists, but extremely carefully choreographed actors. To this is added less than convincing CG effects. That combination worked well in THE MATRIX, but that was supposed to be a simulated world where the impossible was possible. The general knowledge is that ninjas are ruthless and sneaky, and that is portrayed from the film’s outset. The main problem with the film is, for the most part, it comes across as totally implausible and filled with plot holes and inconsistencies that leave you going, “Come on!”
Then someone told me about Benjamin Fulford (Google his name and Ninja – here’s one result) and suddenly the film’s story became all the more relevant, especially given the Wachowski’s predilection for things Japanese and subversive. However, it didn’t improve the movie, and Fulford’s story is much more interesting.
NINJA ASSASSIN is in cinemas now Warner Bros.