NINJA Movie Review-Danny Templegod

Ninja

I had mid level expectations for Ninja, but was amazed at the quality of material presented on a budget scale probably one tenth that of Ninja Assassin. Not perfect by any means, Ninja however, is as close as a low budget martial arts film can get.

The movie starts of in a Dojo in Asia. The students train without incident , but soon the film reveals the rivalry between the two main characters. A huge fight ensues and the aggressor is banished from the school after using a real weapon in a sparring session. The antagonist vows revenge, because he wants to be the leader of the school and hold the key to the dojo's sacred Ninja weapons. The weapons have the power to kill, heal and see in total darkness.

The plot is basic, and that is actually to the movie's advantage. The audience knows who the good guys and the bad guys are without any confusion. The fight scenes are excellent, maybe not all in true ninja style, but who cares. In Ninja you can actually see the action and the camera angles are wide enough that it can be enjoyed. There is no quick cuts, and even the darkest scenes are lit properly. There is a female character in this film and she has fighting ability, but what I like she is not invincible. She needs help, even though her skills are solid she is just over-matched a few times. It is refreshing to see a bit of realism in that a 5 foot tall 100 pound woman just cannot usually (I know a few who can ) overpower a 200 pound 6 ft tall guy.

Scott Adkins is the man, that is all I can say. He has the charisma and intensity like no other true martial artist in recent memory. This is not somebody with a few months training. His moves are fluid, tight, and on target. I see a bright future for this guy, he should get more big budget lead roles.

A few friends of mine asked me to compare this to The Tournament, which I reviewed on the kungfucinema.com site. They are both great, but so different it would be like comparing apples and turkey breast. My statement rent them both, and if you like them buy them. Unfortunately Ninja does not come to US dvd until March 9, 2010. For me this is a recommended buy all the way I rate it 8 out of 10!!

More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182921/
Pre Order Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-Scott-Adkins/dp/B002XTBE5Q/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1259547270&sr=1-9