Ninja Assassin (2009)
Action, Thriller |
Ninja Assassin is a neo-noir martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin looking for retribution against his former mentor, played by ninja film legend Sho Kosugi.
Ninja Assassin explores political corruption, child endangerment and the impact of violence. The Wachowskis, Joel Silver, and Grant Hill produced the film for Legendary Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment and Silver Pictures. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
The Ozunu Clan, led by the ruthless Lord Ozunu, trains orphans from around the world to become the ultimate ninja assassins. 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 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.
Director: James McTeigue
Writers: Matthew Sand (story & screenplay), J. Michael Straczynski (screenplay)
Stars: Rain, Rick Yune, Naomie Harris, Sung Kang, Shô Kosugi, Ben Miles, Kylie Liya Goldstein
►Cast:
| Rain | … | Raizo |
| Joon Lee | … | Teenage Raizo |
| Jonathan Chan-Pensley | … | Yakuza Henchman |
| Ill-Young Kim | … | Yakuza Mohawk |
| Yuki Iwamoto | … | Yakuza Couch |
| Ben Miles | … | Maslow |
| Naomie Harris | … | Mika |
| Sung Kang | … | Hollywood |
| Linh Dan Pham | … | Pretty Ninja (as Linh-Dan Pham) |
| Fang Yu | … | Laundromat Manager (as Yu Fang) |
| Adriana Altaras | … | Landlady |
| Shô Kosugi | … | Ozunu (as Sho Kosugi) |
| Kylie Liya Goldstein | … | Young Kiriko |
| Sungwoong Yoon | … | Young Raizo |
| Eleonore Weisgerber | … | Mrs. Sabatin |
| Wladimir Tarasjanz | … | Aleksei Sabatin |
| Randall Duk Kim | … | Tattoo Master |
| Kai Fung Rieck | … | Teenage Takeshi |
| Anna Sawai | … | Teenage Kiriko |
| Thorston Manderlay | … | Agent Zabranski |
| Richard van Weyden | … | Battuta |
| Mina Ghousi | … | Kid with Envelope |
| Hans Hohlbein | … | Mika’s Neighbor |
| Rick Yune | … | Takeshi |
| Stephen Marcus | … | Kingpin |
| Nhi Ngoc Nguyen-Hermann | … | Girl on Roof |
| Guido Foehrweisser | … | Lead Europol Agent (as Guido Föhrweisser) |
| Tim Williams | … | Europol Cell Guard |
| David Leitch | … | Europol Door Guard |
| Wolfgang Stegemann | … | Europol Pointman |
| Steffen Groth | … | Europol Guard |
| Jens Neuhaus | … | Europol Guard |
| Patrick Pinheiro | … | Maslow’s Aide |
| Matthias Schendel | … | Task Force Agent |
| Johannes Ahn | … | Medic |
| Hélène Cardona | … | Europol Agent (voice) |
| Paul Leonard | … | Jamison |
| Alexander Yassin | … | Indonesian Shopman – Istanbul |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia