The Abs of a Ninja Assassin

I can’t emphasize this enough. It’s just Rain and the abs. Nothing about the plot and other whatsoever’s. Wahahaha. Ok, so I am being such a 'perv' again.

I caught on the movie Ninja Assassin, showcasing the slim and towering figure of Rain (Bi)— probably one of the few Korean stars that anyone who has the slightest interest in the KPop entertainment industry would at least know. Rain personally became famous to me because of the hit Korean drama that was previously shown in the Philippines, Full House. While I don’t think that he (and almost all Korean actors) is good-looking, Rain takes my breath away when he dances. And the “breaded” bod? Come on, *drools*.

Die-hard fans of the singer-performer might find his character in the movie slightly awkward, having gotten used to hearing him sing his fast, rapper-like songs and watch his dance moves. The character simply changes his fast Korean song renditions to very short English one-liners, and his soft dance moves to bloody, attempting-to-be-rough kicks and sword-held swifts of the hands. But since they are fans, it would take just five seconds to remind themselves that it is Rain that they would want to see and nothing about special effects and movie plots ever matter.

Rain is “Riso”, an orphan fatefully sent to the long-running Azuno clan in Japan who trains children to be ninjas. The clan, for hundreds of years, has hidden in the “shadows of darkness”, simply awaiting orders from high-profiled masters of the world, so they could send their highly-trained assassins for merciless killings.

While he is inside the walls of the Azuno clan’s compound as a teen-- to learn how to endure unbearable pain and to generally erase all feelings of compassion and sympathy-- he is taught what a heart is by feeling this slight affection to a girl co-trainee, Kiriko. This is the closest to a love story that we can get in the movie. For when Riso’s girl gets killed as punishment for escaping the compound and after Riso performs his first kill, he defies the clan and escapes. The clan’s search for Riso and Riso’s revenge for his girlfriend by protecting a researcher who has learned a great deal about ninjas, have eventually lead to the non-stop chases, jumps and kicks, sweat and bloodsheds, not to mention kitchen-like limb cuts.

I would have to say that there were unconvincing digital and cinematic effects in some of the fight scenes, particularly the limb slashing in the opening part of the movie, as well as the fight scenes and car chasings on the streets between Riso and the villain ninjas. The fight scenes on the street made my head ache a bit, for I just found it hard to figure out how the stunts were being executed. They were close to annoying, and they were definitely not well-done on screen. It was slightly compensated though, when the movie led me to Riso and his father-trainor executing quick, credible kicks and sword exhibitions in the latter part of the film. I just loved the yellow-orange effect of the fire on Rain's severely cut and wounded body :-).

I just won't ever forget how his tough skills as a ninja suddenly turned the circus-like kind of magic in the end. When the researcher gets killed as she gets in the way of Riso and his mentor's highlighted fight, Riso touches the researcher's heart and lives.

"Her heart is special". Uh-huh.

All in all, the movie's okay, especially if you're into the martial arts. The plot is not really complicated. Some digital and cinematic effects were just a bit lopsided for me. This is Rain's first time to lead in a Hollywood movie, and it's not bad for all the efforts done by the Korean superstar (yoohoo, someone's a bit biased). I mean, to achieve such body and be able to speak in English... I am actually curious about Rain's future in the American movies.