Shinobi Review

Ah, the ninja. There's just so much to love about these shadowy figures, so much cinematic potential, and yet there are far, far more bad ninja films than there are good ones. The last major ninja hopeful was Ryuhei Kitamura's Azumi, a film that promised much but misfired badly with its clumsy plot, hugely unsympathetic characters and meandering, unfocused run time. So there was some trepidation going in to Shimoyama Ten's Shinobi. Yes, the trailers looked fantastic but that was equally true of Kitamura's film. Happily this film delivers, and delivers large. Filled with absolutely breath taking cinematography, a strong cast and excellent special effects Shinobi stikes a pitch perfect balance between the romance and action aspects of its story, neatly striking the mid point between art house and glossy multiplex. While it could stand to be tightened up just a little bit - particularly at the end - it just does everything so well and looks so damn good while doing it that it's hard to fault Shimoyama for stretching things out a bit.

In the early going Shinobi sets up as a ninjafied version of the Romeo and Juliet story. The story begins in the early Tokugawa era in the remote mountains of Japan. Secluded deep in the woods are two hidden villages, the home to two warring clans of shinobi, ninjas so highly trained that they have developed supernatural powers. These clans, the Koga and the Iga, have been enemies for centuries, their hate running so deep that three generations earlier the Shogun forcibly imposed a treaty upon them. Though their hatred runs as deep as ever the clans are forbidden to battle with the lone exception being if they are employed in the service of other warring clans, a situation that result in the clans automatically taking up opposing sides in any battle solely for the chance to face one another.

Born into this culture of hostility are Gennosuke, played by the always strong Joe Odagiri, and Oboro, played by the stunning Nakama Yukie. The two meet by chance and fall in love. As their relationship grows through a series of covert meetings the young lovers becoming increasingly frustrated with the society that obviously will not allow their relationship to ever come to fruition but, hoping for a change in the future, they pledge to marry.

But when the change comes it is not what they would have hoped. The Shogun has brought a fragile peace to the land, a peace he believes is threatened by the constant hostilities between the Koga and the Iga clans. And so a plan is hatched to take the shinobi out of the equation entirely. The clan leaders are summoned to the castle and charged with a special mission. The Shogun, they are told, is unsure about who should succeed him. To make the decision there will be a contest. The ban on inter clan warfare will be lifted. The Koga will represent one of the Shogun's sons, the Iga the other. Both clans will submit the names of their five strongest warriors and those groups will meet to do battle in two days time. Whichever clan wins will have the honor of choosing the next Shogun. As ploys go this is an obvious one, a manouver clearly intended to eliminate the strongest of the shinobi, but the clans are so bloodthirsty that they either do not notice or do not care. Except for two, Gennosuke and Oboro, both of whom are named on the lists. Will the lovers be able to bring peace to the clans or will they be forced to fight one another to the death?

The first thing that strikes you about Shinobi is just how good it looks. This film is flat out gorgeous from beginning to end, shot on a grand scale with every frame flawlessly composed. The lighting, cinematography and sets are all absolutely astounding. This is an absolute visual marvel, absolutely stunning to look at.

The next thing you will notice is how the film strikes a balance between romance and action. While the promotional materials tended to lean towards the romance side of things - and you can hardly blame them when your film's stars look as good as Odagiri and Nakama - the film is far more balanced between the two elements, moving easily from one to the other, expertly using the budding relationship to add some emotional whallop to the inevitable violence while using the action to keep the emotional story from bogging down. Shimoyama dances nimbly from one element to the next, smoothly shifting gears and pressing all the right buttons along the way.

And what of the action? Stunning. While the return to non-assisted martial arts has been a welcome development in Hong Kong and Thailand Shinobi proves that CG boosted action can be just as compelling when done well. And this film does it very, very well. The shiobi's powers are many and diverse. Tak Sakaguchi's Yashamaru shoots razor wire cables from his flowing sleeves, wires he can use either to sever limbs or launch himself from place to place. There's the shape shifter, the feral beast, the poison woman, knives attached to chains, metallic claws, flying needles, spinning discs, all manner of mayhem. Each shinobi has a very specific skill and each of those skills are put to excellent use at different points throughout the film. The action sequences are plentiful, very well choreographed, and perfectly executed.

Thanks to the stunning cinematography and large scale sets - the Shogun's castle and both villages are beautifully detailed - Shinobi is a film undoubtedly best appreciated on the big screen. But, failing that, the DVD release is excellent. The transfer is very crisp, very clean, and very detailed and the English subtitles are clear and easy to read.

In closing, Shinobi succeeds everywhere that Azumi failed. Where Kitamura's film frustrated, Shimoyama exhilerates. This is one not to be missed.