The action in Ninja: Shadow of a Tear puts the film right up with a majority of the martial arts films I’ve seen and even bests some for its fighting sequences. The stylish karate choreography reminds me a lot of the Jet Lee films that keep the energy high and relentless. Although the story is rather clichéd, it’s not the script that makes this film good, but some very cool fight scenes that keep it interesting and fun to watch. If you are into movies of this genre, than seek out a copy of Ninja: Shadow of a Tear now on Blu-ray.
The film opens giving some of the background on the beginnings of the Ninja fighting style used in WWII. Flashing forward to modern day we find the continuing story of Casey Bowman (Scott Adkins) now a teacher in a local dojo in Japan and he has married Namiko (Mika Hijii), his love interest from Ninja I. Mika is now pregnant and the couple seems very happy together.
Not looking for trouble, but it finds him, Casey gets accosted as he leaves a jewelry store. Thinking it was only an attempted robbery he goes home to his wife where he presents her with a special necklace. During night Namiko wakes up Casey with a craving for chocolate and gets him to go out to a local store. He returns and finds Namiko dead and quickly notifies the police. At the funeral an old friend Nakabara (Kane Kosugi) shows up and he invites him to his dojo in Thailand to get his mind off of his loss. Still distraught and wanting revenge for the death of his wife, he decides to go to Thailand where clues are leading to the killer.
The story plays out with a lot of fight action that becomes extreme using excellent choreography. Director Isaac Florentine keeps his story moving along introducing characters and putting them into some almost inescapable situations. He also adds a few unexpected twists that develop from the clues earlier dropped in act one. I like his use of the many weapons of the Ninja that seem endless right up to the final battle.
The acting on the part of the main characters is stellar quality and their physical attributes really help them play out their characters in this film. Scott Adkins has the best flying kick spin in the business and he shows it here. As per the special bonus features, no wires are used with Scott doing the stunt work. He may never be a Bruce Lee, but he surly fills the void left by the master of the flying kick. With 36 film/TV titles under his belt including Zero Dark 30 and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, he’s an actor that should be kept working for a very long time.
Isaac Florentine’s no novice when it comes to hand to hand combat with 25 credits to his name like Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, Undisputed 3: Redemption and the first Ninja (2009). He chooses the right actors to fill the rolls, puts together an excellent crew and works his magic in post production. I like his work in the genre and look forward to his next project.
Ninja II Shadow of a Tear has some very nicely laid out bonus features that are worth a watch.
BONUS FEATURES:
- “Featurette” this nicely packed special shows how they did the stunts, fighting techniques, weapons used all with commentary by Director Isaac Florentine, stars and producers.
- “Behind the Scenes” shows the crew at work filming the scenes with several cameras including hand held, crane shots and on tracks.
- “Cast & Crew Interviews” this little bonus provides a closer look into the personalities of the actors and their bosses.
The video quality is extremely good on the Blu-ray. The whole 16×9 television is filled with the 1.78:1 aspect ratio that gives the film an extra boost. None of those dreaded black bars top and bottom for this action flick.
The audio using the 5.1 TrueHD or the 2.0 stereo is extremely good. The slashing of the knife blades gives off a clearly ominous whizzing sound in some of the fights, blades ring as they slice and dice and kicks swish as Scott Adkins beats up on his opponents.
Specifications and additional film information:
Cast: Scott Adkins, Ron Smoorenburg, Vithaya Pansringarm, Mika Hijii, Kane Kosugi
Director: Isaac Florentine
MPAA Rating: Rated R for violence and brief drug use
Genre: Martial Arts, Action, Thriller
Running Time: 95 min
Video Release Date: December 31, 2013
Language: English
Format: Blu-ray
Audio: 5.1 TrueHD or 2.0 Stereo
Video: 16×9 Full Frame Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Number of Discs: 1 disc
Distributed by: Millennium Entertainment
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
