If you’re looking for a big hunk of eighties ham and cheese perfected by Michael Dudikoff with “American Ninja,” you have to look no further than the 2009 ham and cheese feast known as “Ninja”! From start to finish this movie is based around some of the hammiest acting I’ve ever seen and is centered on some truly cheesy storylines that have about as much originality as a Jean Claude Van Damme Movie. Hell, the little boy in me loved the whole ninja mysicism behind Scott Adkin’s starring vehicle matched with the blundering storyline that was about predictable as you can imagine if you have your eyes wide open throughout the first twenty minutes, but for all intents and purposes the Isaac Florentine actioner is not intent on being a masterpiece of action cinema.
In fact just about everything Nu Image Entertainment puts out is meant to just get the job done in the way of action or fantasy fare and move on with their lives. Yoroi Bitsu is a sacred dojo upon which many gifted ninjas have been born and raised but within the confines of the sacred land there arise two ninjas warring over the inheritance of it. One man is named Casey, a young American orphan whose own skills dwarf even the master’s, while the other is a crooked and violent rogue named Masazuka who was expelled after the outcome for ownership of the dojo turned violent. Now with the world’s officials being assassinated during conferences and big meetings, Casey is on the hunt to find out who among his brethren is assassinating the world’s superiors and stop Masazuka once and for all.
Adkins has a Ben Affleck charm that makes him a hero who doesn’t have to do much throughout the course of “Ninja.” In fact all he really does is scowl, nod his head, gleam, and fight while the seasoned cast around him does the rest. Adkins doesn’t have much acting ability to him, but that’s not necessary once the plot begins moving at a speed that’s almost impossible to keep up with. Most times I found myself struggling to pay attention during the high speed story and well paced tale of revenge. And Adkins has that ability to command the screen by merely performing well calculated stunts and wonderful choreography as Florentine stages some truly excellent fight scenes including one that sets on a train cart between Adkins, Mika Hijii and a slew of baddies, all of whom take to being given some of the best on screen villain deaths in a while.
“Ninja” is exactly the type of martial arts movie I miss, a free for all of broken necks, twisted limbs and a hero who doesn’t have to turn in an Oscar winning performance to show he can kick some ass. “Ninja” simply gets the job done. And sometimes that’s all I want from an action film. I want to be entertained, I want to be stimulated, and sometimes I don’t need high art to come from a movie with ninjas. Far better than “Ninja Assassin,” Nu Image’s ninja follow-up is an entertaining ham and cheese sandwich that will really live up to its promises of ass kicking and blood splatter.