Misplaced Pages

#929070

41-521: Ninja Assassin is a 2009 martial arts film directed by James McTeigue from a story and script by Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski . The film stars Rain as a disillusioned assassin looking for retribution against his former mentor, played by Sho Kosugi . Ninja Assassin explores political corruption, child endangerment and the impact of violence. The film was produced by The Wachowskis , Joel Silver and Grant Hill under Legendary Pictures , Dark Castle Entertainment and Silver Pictures . It

82-436: A weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 34% based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". While critics generally panned the film as a melange of gore scenes without a convincing plot, some critics commended the film's numerous action scenes. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B" on scale of A+ to F. Mick LaSalle of

123-588: A city skyscraper in Berlin. There, Lord Ozunu orders him to execute a kunoichi traitor. Remembering Kiriko's death, Raizo slashes Lord Ozunu's face with his kyoketsu-shoge and fights against his fellow ninjas. Barely surviving, he falls off the rooftop and into a river. After years, Raizo recovers and trains on his own to intervene in, and foil, all of Ozunu's assassination attempts. Meanwhile, Europol agent Mika Coretti has been investigating money-linked political murders and finds out that they are possibly connected to

164-486: A large impact on the spread of practice of Traditional Chinese and Japanese Martial Arts in English-speaking countries. Martial arts films have been produced all over the world, but the genre has been dominated by Hong Kong action cinema , peaking from 1971 with the rise of Bruce Lee until the mid-1990s with a general decline in the industry, until it was revived close to the 2000s. Other notable figures in

205-441: A much wider audience than his previous affairs. He also acted again as second assistant director in a small Australian television film. McTeigue broke into mainstream Hollywood in 1994 as the second assistant director for No Escape and the big budget film Street Fighter . In 1996, McTeigue again acted as second assistant director on an American television film and a small Australian film being completed that year. In 1997, he

246-493: A significant movie genre in themselves. Like westerns for Americans, they have become an identity of Chinese cinema. As the most prestigious movie type in Chinese film history, kung fu movies were among the first Chinese films produced and the wuxia period films (武俠片) are the original form of Chinese kung fu films. The wuxia period films came into vogue due to the thousands of years popularity of wuxia novels (武俠小說). For example,

287-462: A tracking device for emergencies. The Ozunu ninjas infiltrate the Europol safe house, where Raizo is being held, in an attempt to kill him and everybody inside. Mika frees Raizo and they both manage to escape, but Raizo suffers near-fatal wounds. Mika then takes him to a motel to hide. Resting in the motel, Mika implants the tracking device into Raizo, as the ninjas remain in pursuit. Unable to fend off

328-406: A wall to escape and encourages Raizo to join her, but he chooses to stay. Branded as a traitor, Kiriko is captured and later executed in front of Raizo by their elder ninja brother Takeshi, who impales her through the heart. Years later, an adult Raizo is instructed by Lord Ozunu to complete his first assassination to kill a group of gangsters. After the mission, Raizo meets the rest of his clan atop

369-729: Is an Australian film and television director. He has been an assistant director on many films, including Dark City (1998), the Matrix trilogy (1999–2003) and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and made his directorial debut with the 2005 film V for Vendetta to critical acclaim. Since Vendetta he has collaborated with the Wachowskis an additional four times as director on The Invasion (albeit uncredited), Ninja Assassin and Sense8 , and as producer of The Matrix Resurrections . He first became involved in

410-514: Is awash in blood. It spurts and sprays in geysers. And it never lets up. There's a brutal (and admittedly very cool) fight scene every five minutes... But let's be honest, killing is this film's business... and business is good." Ninja Assassin opened at #6 at the North American box office earning $ 13,316,158 in its first opening weekend. The film grossed $ 61,601,280, of which $ 38,122,883 was from North America. In Japan, this film opened on

451-621: Is considered revolutionary in American cinema for raising the standard of fight scenes in western cinema. In the Chinese-speaking world, martial arts films are commonly divided into two subcategories: the wuxia period films (武俠片), and the more modern kung fu films (功夫片, best epitomized in the films of Bruce Lee ). However, according to Hong Kong film director, producer, and movie writer Ronny Yu , wuxia movies are not to be confused with martial arts movies. Kung fu films are

SECTION 10

#1732791156930

492-538: The San Francisco Chronicle described the film as "a gorefest, a borefest and a snorefest." Joe Williams of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch opined that "this amateurish action flick is so lacking in personality or punch, it ought to be titled 'V for Video Store Discount Bin.'" Entertainment Weekly ' s Chris Nashawaty wrote "...this slick slice of martial-arts mayhem from the producers of The Matrix

533-736: The American Film Institute , the success of Bloodsport (1988), starring Van Damme, helped the resurgence of the martial arts film genre in the United States. In the 2000s, Thailand's film industry became an international force in the genre with the films of Tony Jaa and the cinema of Vietnam followed suit with The Rebel (2007) and Clash (2009). In more recent years, the Indonesian film industry has offered Merantau (2009) and The Raid: Redemption (2011). The Middle East has also participated in

574-646: The Mingxing Film Company . The film pioneered the martial arts film genre, and was the first kung fu action film ever created. The film is based on the popular Chinese novel "The Romance of the Red Lotus Temple", which is set in the Qing Dynasty and tells the story of a group of martial artists who band together to defend their temple from raiders. The film is notable for its action sequences and fight scenes, which were groundbreaking for

615-550: The 1980s, you know that Sho Kosugi is the ninja; he is the man," asserts McTeigue. Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg provided filmmakers US$ 1 million in funding, and Germany's Federal Film Fund provided an additional US$ 9 million to the film's funding. Principal photography began in Berlin, Germany at the end of April 2008. Filming took place in Babelsberg Studios and on location throughout Berlin. McTeigue cited various influences in filming Ninja Assassin such as

656-854: The March 6, 2010 in only one movie theater in Shinjuku and then also opened on the March 20 in Osaka. Ninja Assassin earned 2,214,000 yen (Approximately $ 25,672 U.S.) during its first opening weekend in Shinjuku. On June 9, 2010, Rain was awarded the "Biggest Badass" award on the MTV Movie Awards for his work in Ninja Assassin . Ninja Assassin was released on DVD , Blu-ray Disc and streaming formats on March 16, 2010. Martial arts film Notable actors who have contributed to

697-462: The Ozunu, she hides outside the motel until Special Forces arrive to help her. By the time they arrive, the ninja have already kidnapped Raizo, bringing him before Lord Ozunu for execution. During the transport back to the Ozunu, Raizo uses his ninja techniques to heal his own wounds. Europol Special Forces and tactical teams led by Maslow storm the secluded Ozunu retreat (nestled in the mountains) using

738-424: The Ozunu. She defies her superior, Ryan Maslow, and retrieves secret agency files to find out more about the investigation. Mika meets Raizo and convinces him to see Maslow for protection, as well as to provide evidence against the Ozunu. However, Raizo is arrested by Maslow and abducted by Europol agents for interrogation. Although feeling betrayed, Mika is assured by Maslow that he is still on her side and gives her

779-506: The Wachowskis being uncredited. In 2008, he did second unit directing work on the Wachowskis' Speed Racer . McTeigue directed Ninja Assassin , produced by the Wachowskis, which was released in 2009. The same year he was said to be directing a reboot of the Superman film series, a rumour that he neither confirmed nor denied, but Warner Bros. ultimately gave the job of rebooting Superman to Zack Snyder . In 2012, he directed

820-413: The Wachowskis' initial dissatisfaction. Martial Artist turned actor Sho Kosugi had previously starred in a number of ninja movies playing ninja villains and heroes several times in the 1980s, and had become a cult icon, hence his role as the antagonist Lord Ozunu, named after En no Ozunu , a 7th-century Japanese mystic and one of the developers of ninjutsu . "If you've ever watched any ninja films from

861-480: The action director may rely more on stylized action or film making tricks like camera angles , editing , doubles , undercranking , wire work and computer-generated imagery . Trampolines and springboards used to be used to increase the height of jumps. The minimalist style employs smaller sets and little space for improvised but explosive fight scenes, as seen by Jackie Chan's films. These techniques are sometimes used by real martial artists as well, depending on

SECTION 20

#1732791156930

902-422: The film for the iPhone devices. The film was released in the United States on November 25, 2009. The film was not well received by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes 26% of 117 critics gave the film positive reviews, with an average rating of 4.40/10. The site's consensus reads "Overly serious and incomprehensibly edited, Ninja Assassin fails to live up to the promise of its title." On Metacritic , which assigns

943-496: The film industry in the late 1980s, acting as production runner or production assistant in a number of small Australian films. In 1991, his role became assistant director , being the third assistant director in another Australian film, The Girl Who Came Late . In 1994, he was the second assistant director in Country Life , a film adaptation based on Michael Blakemore's National Theatre production of Uncle Vanya , which had

984-515: The films Panic in the Streets (1950), The Getaway (1972), Badlands (1973), Ninja Scroll (1993), and the anime Samurai Champloo (2004–2005). Actor Collin Chou was originally cast for an undisclosed lead role after Jet Li turned down an offer to appear in it, but Chou later left the role. On November 5, 2009, Warner Bros. Entertainment released the video game application based on

1025-430: The first assistant director for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones , which was released in 2002. Following this, he was also the first assistant director for both Matrix sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions . In 2005, McTeigue made his directorial debut with V for Vendetta , written and produced by the Wachowskis. After spending so much time on The Matrix film series, they gave

1066-424: The first assistant director, a friend of McTeigue who told him about the project, had to drop out and The Wachowskis made McTeigue first assistant director. The film was released in 1999 and became a huge success. The following year he acted as first assistant director on the popular Australian film Looking for Alibrandi , as well as The Monkey's Mask . In 2000, McTeigue worked with George Lucas and became

1107-413: The first time to distract and kill Lord Ozunu. Mika, seemingly fatally wounded, is in fact saved by a quirk of birth: her heart is actually on the right side of her chest . With the Ozunu defeated, Europol leaves. Raizo stays behind in the ruins of the Ozunu retreat. Climbing the same wall Kiriko did in the past, he looks out at the surrounding countryside and breathes with a smile, feeling his freedom for

1148-458: The first time. Ninja Assassin was directed by James McTeigue , who had previously worked with producers The Wachowskis and Joel Silver on V for Vendetta four years prior. The Wachowskis were inspired to make the film by actor Rain's impressive ninja-based fight scenes in their 2008 film Speed Racer . The initial screenplay was written by Matthew Sand, and was rewritten by J. Michael Straczynski only six weeks prior to filming due to

1189-547: The former type are commercially successful and well received by fans of the genre. One of the earliest Hollywood movies to employ the use of martial arts was the 1955 film Bad Day at Black Rock , though the scenes of Spencer Tracy performed barely any realistic fight sequences, but composed mostly of soft knifehand strikes . Martial arts films contain many characters who are martial artists and these roles are often played by actors who are real martial artists. If not, actors frequently train in preparation for their roles or

1230-501: The genre include Zhang Ziyi , Tony Jaa , Bruce Lee , Jean-Claude Van Damme , Jet Li , Toshiro Mifune , Donnie Yen , Jackie Chan , Michelle Yeoh , and Sammo Hung . The first ever martial arts film was a Chinese film released in 1928, The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (also translated as "The Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery"), a silent film directed by Chinese film director Zhang Shichuan and produced by

1271-513: The genre include Jackie Chan, Jet Li , Sammo Hung , Yuen Biao , Donnie Yen , and Hwang Jang-lee . Sonny Chiba , Etsuko Shihomi , and Hiroyuki Sanada starred in numerous karate and jidaigeki films from Japan during the 1970s and early 1980s. Hollywood has also participated in the genre with actors such as Chuck Norris , Sho Kosugi , Jean-Claude Van Damme , Steven Seagal , Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee), Wesley Snipes , Gary Daniels , Mark Dacascos and Jason Statham . According to

Ninja Assassin - Misplaced Pages Continue

1312-524: The genre with actors such as Youssef Mansour who became famous in the 1990’s for his Egyptian films that relied on martial arts. Women have also played key roles in the genre, including such actresses as Michelle Yeoh , Angela Mao and Cynthia Rothrock . In addition, western animation has ventured into the genre with the most successful effort being the internationally hailed DreamWorks Animation film franchise, Kung Fu Panda , starring Jack Black and Angelina Jolie . The Matrix (1999)

1353-533: The opportunity to McTeigue to direct, first showing him a copy of the Vendetta graphic novel during post-production of The Matrix Revolutions . Warner Bros. expressed dissatisfaction with the way Oliver Hirschbiegel 's The Invasion shaped up and brought in McTeigue for an additional 17 days of filming based on rewrites by the Wachowskis. The film was released in 2007, with the involvement of McTeigue and

1394-657: The style of action in the film. During the 1970s and 1980s, the most visible presence of martial arts films was the hundreds of English-dubbed kung fu and ninja films produced by the Shaw Brothers , Godfrey Ho and other Hong Kong producers. These films were widely broadcast on North American television on weekend timeslots that were often colloquially known as Kung Fu Theater , Black Belt Theater or variations thereof. Inclusive in this list of films are commercial classics like The Big Boss (1971), Drunken Master (1978) and One Armed Boxer (1972). Those films had

1435-587: The thriller The Raven , a fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, in which the poet and author pursues a serial killer, whose murders mirror those in Poe's stories. He partnered again with the Wachowskis to direct the Mexico City, Mumbai and parts of the Reykjavik units on their Netflix science fiction drama Sense8 , which debuted in 2015. McTeigue also directed two episodes. Over

1476-475: The time and helped establish the martial arts film genre. Asian films are known to have a more minimalist approach to film based on their culture. Some martial arts films have only a minimal plot and amount of character development and focus almost exclusively on the action, while others have more creative and complex plots and characters along with action scenes. Films of the latter type are generally considered to be artistically superior films, but many films of

1517-410: The tracking device on Raizo. Turning the night into day by saturating the sky above with powerful flares, the military forces are able to fight the ninjas on their own terms. In the confusion, Mika frees Raizo from his bindings. He proceeds to kill Takeshi and confront Lord Ozunu in a sword duel. Mika interferes to help but gets stabbed by Lord Ozunu. Enraged, Raizo uses a "shadow blending" technique for

1558-425: The vicinity of their target. Raizo is one of the orphans. The Ozunu Clan's training is extremely brutal, especially for Raizo since he is to be the next successor of the clan. The only kindness he ever feels is from a young kunoichi named Kiriko, with whom he eventually develops a romantic bond. As time goes by, Kiriko becomes disenchanted with the Ozunu's routine and decides to abandon it. One rainy night, Kiriko climbs

1599-915: The wuxia novels of Jin Yong and Gu Long directly led to the prevalence of wuxia period films. Outside of the Chinese speaking world the most famous wuxia film made was the Ang Lee film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), which was based on the Wang Dulu series of wuxia novels: it earned four Academy Awards , including one for Best Foreign Film. Martial arts westerns are usually American films inexpensively filmed in Southwestern United States locations, transposing martial arts themes into an "old west" setting; e.g., Red Sun with Charles Bronson and Toshiro Mifune . James McTeigue James McTeigue (born 29 December 1967)

1640-446: Was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures . Ninja Assassin premiered in theaters across the United States on November 25, 2009, and received mixed to negative reviews from critics. The Ozunu Clan, led by the ruthless Lord Ozunu, trains orphans from around the world to become the ultimate ninja assassins to offer assassin service to rich clients. The clan charges 100 pound worth of gold for their services and always kill any witnesses in

1681-555: Was the second assistant director for the WWII film Paradise Road as well as The Well , that year he also worked as first assistant director for the television series Big Sky . The following year he was the second assistant director for the American science-fiction film Dark City as well as the Australian film The Sugar Factory . In 1999, McTeigue was intended to act as second assistant director for The Matrix film until

Ninja Assassin - Misplaced Pages Continue

#929070