Certain historical figures and groups capture the attention of people throughout time, ensuring that their legacy will be more notable than their contemporary presence ever could have been. There is perhaps no better example than the ninja, who have been occupying the imagination of creators and audiences worldwide for generations.
Ninjas were known as simple peasant spies who enacted assassination, subterfuge, and guerilla warfare during a particularly oppressiveperiod of feudal Japan. Despite their humble real-life origin, the ninja of the big screen are superhuman warriors with abilities far beyond imagination. The concept has remained compelling on the big screen in countless new and interesting formats.
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Enter the Ninja
The 1980s were the heyday of ninja cinema. People old enough to remember browsing their local video store for a fun cheesy action film can undoubtedly recall the countless masked faces they passed by on every aisle. One of the biggest producers of silly action films throughout that era was Cannon Films, who are credited with everything from theDeath Wishfranchise to the earlycareer of Chuck Norris. Another feather in their cap comes in the form of this hilarious ninja film and its two sequels. Released in 1981,Enter the Ninjawas the starting point for the ninja boom of the 80s, and its sequelsRevenge of the NinjaandNinja III: The Dominationcontinued the trend. The film follows Cole, a martial artist who defends his best friend from the harassment of a wealthy oil baron. When that aristocrat hires his own ninja, a martial arts matchup becomes inevitable. This film is hilarious today, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had in the no-budget showdowns of 80s Hollywood ninjas.
Izo
The great Takashi Miikehas made a lot of creative decisions over the years that have left fans and newcomers totally baffled. His magnum opus, the 1999 horror classicAuditionhas plenty of unusual elements, but it’s a by-the-numbers cinematic experience next toIzo. Miike’s 2004 film follows Okada Izō, a real assassin who lived in the mid-1800s and has gone on to be a lead character in several works of fiction. This story finds Izō at the moment of his execution, whereupon he is transported without explanation to the modern day. Izō wanders from one inexplicable scene to the next, meeting gods, demons, and abstract concepts along the way. This film is not really a story, it’s a tone poem.Miike demands his viewersallow the film to wash over them. This can makeIzosimultaneously insufferable and completely engrossing. It’s a weird film, maybe even a bad one, but it’s a must-see for fans of Japanese cinema.
Five Elements Ninjas
This 1982 Hong Kong action film combines two filmmaking elements that have always seemed like perfect partners.Wuxia wire-fighting techniquesare exactly what on-screen ninja action was waiting for. This film follows Hao, a dedicated student of Chinese martial arts. When his sensei and all of his classmates are slain by ninjas, Hao must learn the secret ways of ninjutsu to defeat the powerful warriors and avenge his people. This is a classic Hong Kong action film with all the trappings. Legendary director Chang Cheh brings Lo Mang, one of his greatest stars and frequent colleagues to this project, and they’re both in top form. Fans of any stripe of Asian martial arts cinema owe it to themselves to check out this blending of multiple disciplines.Five Elements Ninjasmight be the best of the countless ninja films to come out of the 80s.
Ninja Assassin
In 2008, the Wachowskis were hard at work at theircriminally underrated take onSpeed Racer. On that project, they met South Korean pop musician Rain, who starred in some excellent ninja-inspired action scenes for the film. After the fun they had with those scenes, the Wachowskis came up with a full-length film based entirely around those overblown action scenes. After a last-minute rewrite, that idea became the 2009 action blockbusterNinja Assassin. This film was not reviewed well, and it’s not a transcendent piece of filmmaking. It is, however, a masterful elevation of the ninja action movies of the 80s, married to the VFX wizardryof the Wachowskis' body of work. It’s a messy film, but it’s a lot of fun.
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear
The same year asNinja Assassin, Isaac Florentine directed his own strange little ninja film. That film’s 2013 sequel, however, is a better experience overall. It follows an American martial artist who guards the secrets of an ancient ninja clan.Ninja: Shadow of a Tearfeatures some excellent fight scenes,courtesy ofKill Billchoreographer Tim Man. This is the kind of film that a hardcore fan of other ninja films throws together. It may not have the budget ofNinja Assassin, but there’s a clear love of the genre that comes through in Florentine’s work. Fans of the ninja action subgenre will love bothNinjaandNinja: Shadow of a Tear.
