An American orphan raised in Japan on the art of ninjutsu must return to New York City to protect an important chest of historical weapons from an old arch enemy in Ninja.
Martial arts movies can cover a lot of genres within their own realm. Comedy, action, biopic, and in very rare cases, somehow both absurdity and realism. Enter Ninja, a film that somehow toes the line between those two things in a way that never feels tired or redundant. With a tight runtime and an even tighter script, Ninja is fun, entertaining, absurd, realistic, action packed… and just a little shallow.
In a unique turn of diversity amongst martial arts films, Ninja comes from the minds of Boaz Davidson and Michael Hurst, and is directed by Isaac Florentine. None of these men are Japanese, despite the film focusing on their culture, and watching the film now, over 15 years later, the mildly exploitative plot feels slightly dated. However, not only does it somewhat address this feeling within the story itself, the franchise also managed to correct course with the sequel, highlighting more Asian actors in pivotal roles. Which is fantastic, because the team behind the camera definitely know how to weave a good story and tell it with a fitting lens. While some of the scenes feel a bit cheaply done, and the framing could be more professional at times, it’s a modest complaint against an otherwise enjoyable movie.
And a large part of that enjoyability is thanks to Scott Adkins, who has well earned his status of high praise and respectability amongst his martial artist peers. Adkins is charismatic, smoldering and scene stealing with not only his skill as an actor, but his prowess in martial arts. He’s respectful of the culture, and makes every fight sequence both ridiculous and intense. Backed up with a slightly underbaked performance from Mika Hijii, and bookended by an equally overdone Tsuyoshi Ihara, the cast feels right at home, hitting a sweet spot of characters that are fun, albeit a little “action movie flat.” Weirdly enough, however, it works.
The stunts and choreography are well done, but the cinematography could’ve used a little more attention. Sets feel a little bland and staged from time to time, too, but it’s not enough to distract from enjoying the film. A lot of these issues almost feel like the constraints of budget, too, rather than any type of laziness on behalf of the crew. And while I would love to have seen what a more “John Wick” stylized version of Ninja would’ve looked like, with a wider color palette and perhaps more intense shadows, the issues almost add to the film’s charm in a way. And, of course, there’s always Scott Adkins to look at if you find yourself bored. Yes, he’s also sometimes shirtless.
All in all, while Ninja isn’t the most original or the most polished film on the market, it’s still an enjoyable piece of taut, over-the-top storytelling and action that’ll keep you interested until the final frame, so long as you don’t mind a little far-fetched movie logic mixed into your finale.
