Shinobi - Heart Under Blade
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Movie Reviews of Shinobi - Heart Under Blade
Movie Review: Enjoyable And Entertaining: A Fun Watch!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Shinobi-Heart Under Blade," is a fun and entertaining film. Suspension of disbelief is a necessary ingredient for the film; and if you have viewed Azumi 1 & 2, or Takeshi Kitano's film "The Blindswordman Zatoichi," then you will enjoy this film. I was given this film by a friend as a Christmas present, and just recently viewed it; and I must write that I found it highly enjoyable. There is CGI in the film, but it did not bother me, considering the abilities of the various ninja's depicted in the film would more or less require its use. Also, the story itself is based from Japanese manga, called "Basilisk." And although I have not had a chance to look at these, I might someday. Just thought that I would pass this along.
The film is set in 17th-century Japan. In the film there are two Shinobi ninja tribes whose villages have been at war for hundreds of years. The two tribes are called the IGA and the KOUGA. They have been forced to obey a decree by the Shogun who has unified Japan, and therefore has outlawed these two factions from fighting. Two of the ninja's from the different tribal clans have fallen in love: They are Oboro (Yukie Nakama) and Gennosuke (Jo Odagiri) however, both must keep it a secret. The Shogun however, sees the danger that these two warring ninja clans are to him, and decides that a tournament be held. Five ninja warriors from each of the two clans must face off in a battle to the death. These different ninja characters are extremely colorful. Each possess an ability in fighting that makes this film interesting. As I wrote in the beginning, this is not an Akira Kurosawa type film, such as "Seven Samurai," therefore, suspension of disbelief is necessary.
Moreover, you will not find the depth of character development in this film that you would in a Kurosawa film: so what! the film is a fun watch anyway. I would have liked to have seen more a bit more depth in the characters in the film, however, I can live with this, as the film was entertaining enough for me to enjoy. However, the acting in the film is very good. Since the film comes from comic and anime origins, the characters do not disappoint the viewer. The film seems a bit comic-book at times, but that is one of the reasons I think I enjoyed the film so much more. And besides, the visuals I believe were done incredibly great. Also, while not like your typical Japanese film, in terms of swordplay, the film is still enjoyable: remember this does derive from Manga.
In the film these two ninja clans that send their ninjas understand the implications of their fight: the winners will serve the Shogunate, the loser will be vanquished. All of the fights take place while enroute to the capital, while the leader of one of the clans tries to persuade the emperor to change his mind. (Jo Odagiri) and (Yukie Nakama) give good acting performances in the film, which in turn makes this a better film. Once can see clearly that this film is adapted from 'Romeo and Juliet,' to some degree. Once again, this is an enjoyable Japanese film, not to be taken seriously, or on par with some of the great Samurai epics of the past, just an enjoyably entertaining film. Also, I thought some of the characters' powers were very interesting, as it departs so much from much of Japanese cinema, in contrast to Chinese cinema, where this is so prevalent. All in all, a delightful and fun film. Enjoy it, and don't take it too seriously. [Stars: 4.5]
Movie Review: It Is The Shinobi Way To Make One Sick Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I put this movie on my wish list a while ago and to be honest I didn't know anything about it and forgot about it after some time. I was sitting at home looking for stuff to watch on one really boring night and out of nowhere I see Shinobi on my now favorite TV station the AZN Network. Shinobi is a very simple but strong film and the time will fly by watching it. If you don't know Shinobi is adapted from the book "The Kouga Ninja Scrolls" like the anime Basilisk and both use a lot of the same character names. A Shinobi is a ninja with inhuman powers that put them on a entirely different level than normal ninja. The movie is set long ago when two ninja clans had to fight each other in a last man standing battle. The Iga clan and the Koga clan both produce powerful Ninja.
5 Shinobi are picked from both clans and the 5 will fight until one is left standing. The true problem is that this film is more of a Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story. The two leaders of the clan are secretly in love and have been keeping this secret for a while. Now that they must go to war with each other the two try and forget about their love and fight like they were trained to do. There is a lot of risks in Shinobi that could destroy the film if done wrong or cheap. The fight sequences are out of this world and very well done. The film uses crazy special effects to increase the power of the shinobi and also show their godly talents. To explain best it is definitely something you would expect only animation could create or a video game. I know that might sound a little impossible but somehow this director and his crew made it look very realistic and exciting. There is little martial arts if any so don't expect that.
The acting was good but it's not totally what stood out so it wasn't strong enough to mention. The story itself is simple like I said but still the culture and history make it more interesting. The settings and cinematography were amazing, very clean, and colorful. I only wish that I could've seen this on the big screen. All of the characters were cool and original with great weird personalities. Overall I could understand that some people might take away from this movie seeing the weird cinematography as a fault, the acting or even the simple story. I understand that but I thought this movie was fine and if anything the fights could have had more stylish choreography. Hey if you get to watch this all I can say is make sure your imagination is really running so you can super enjoy it.
Movie Review: Go beyond the action and SFX.
Summary: 5 Stars
'Shinobi' is one of the most memorable Japanese films in recent times, and has strong recall due to the story, the characters, and the effects. This is a technical masterpiece--the special effects, though a bit noticeable at times, do not distract from the cinematography and instead compliments it. The story does not drag, rather, it immerses you slowly into the fleeting world of the ninja. The actors, led by Joe Odagiri and Yukie Nakama, give convincing and powerful performances.
However, most critics are disappointed with this movie based on several points:
- The story was dragging, short, and too emotional: While it is true that there were some unreasonably long scenes, one has to remember that this is an Asian film, and Asians have a tendency to focus more on the drama and emotions. Westerners who have little exposure to Asian films (aside from the hardcore action 'Kung-Fu' types) will surely have a hard time understanding this. And please note the title: "Heart Under Blade." This was a romantic film, and heavy with Asian values.
- The action and fight scenes were too short and characters killed early in the story: "Shinobi" is actually a movie version of "Basilisk", a popular manga about the last remaining ninja tribes during the Tokugawa Shogunate. Thus, most of the Japanese audience were already acquainted with most of the characters. Also, take note of the Japanese emphasis on the brevity and transitory nature of life, which is the point of the tale and the period wherein the age of the ninja was at its twilight.
- This is not an action film: True. The focus of this tale is not the war between the Iga and the Koga tribes (it instead emphasizes the pointlessness of the conflict), but the tragedy of fateful love.
This is first and foremost a Japanese film, and being a Japanese film it reflects Asian values which you should always bear in mind when watching Asian action films. And as with most great Asian films, there is always that underlying theme of sacrifice. Once you can appreciate this movie on these terms, only then will you understand why "Shinobi" is a masterpiece.
Movie Review: Lovers Fight, but the Love Never Dies
Summary: 5 Stars
The Good Things
*Excellent action, special effects, and fight scenes. Very fantastic and imaginative.
*Excellent photography and cinematography. Good production design (customes, make-up, props).
*Good story. Has some drama and a big love story, but is not overly melodramatic. If you've seen "Basilisk," this is basically the same plot.
*A great cast of imaginative and well-acted characters (was also pleseantly surprised to see the "Ninja Scroll"'s Kangero in there!).
The Bad Things
*Ummm....
Definately one of my top favorite ninja/samurai movies of all time! I was expecting a long drawn-out melodrama, but was pleseantly surprised with the film's action scenes and photography. Highly reccomended to anybody looking for a good Asian fantasy epic.
DVD and Blu-ray have great picture and sound quality, and include English dubbing and subtitles. Both versions include a number of featurettes. If you see an all-region disc (region 9, I think), it may have good quality, but will only have English subtitles and no special features.
Movie Review: Excellent film!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
IF you are a fan of ninja movies with heart and soul, then...look no further. This film carries some of the finest performances I have ever seen in a movie. I have become a fan of Japanese cinema for the heart, soul, and passion that goes into making these movies. Once again, Tak Sakaguchi steals the show, even in his limited screen appearances. Joe Odagiri is great as well. The plot moves at a decent pace while development of each character falls into place with each new scene.
Action packed with a great music soundtrack and well placed cinematography that gives the viewer an oppurtunity to feel exactly what the characters are feeling. Watch this movie before yuou judge it...give it a chance to bring you intothat world, and understand it.