Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)
Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American stealthily tracks the killer from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon with the help of a wise and crafty sensei. His only clues: a series of victims whose necks bear the distinctive mark of strangulation by barbed wire. Fighting to avenge as well as to survive, Casey must sharpen his razor-like responses and take his battle skills to the next level, even using deep meditation to fake his own death. His target: the sinister drug lord Goro, who is flooding the streets with deadly meth cooked at his remote jungle factory. To prepare for his ultimate confrontation, Casey must finally become an invisible warrior worthy of the name Ninja. But just when his prey is cornered, an unexpected twist shows Casey that his battle is only beginning: he truly can trust no one.
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When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Casey Bowman (Adkins) is a master Martial Artist who runs a dojo with his wife Namiko (Hijii). Casey is truly livin' the dream: a great wife, a great life, and a baby on the way. But his dreams of the future are shattered when Namiko (and her unborn baby) are murdered. Vowing revenge, Casey will stop at nothing to find the perpetrators. This leads him to the dojo of fellow Martial Arts practitioner Nakabara (Kosugi). The two men then come to the conclusion that the super-evil Goro (Sugata) is the mastermind behind all the mayhem. Operating out of the Golden Triangle, Goro commands an army of goons and is said to be untouchable. Naturally, that doesn't stop Casey from embarking on his ultimate revenge mission. Will he avenge the deaths of his wife and child? Find out today! Ninja 2 (Or Ninja: Shadow of a Tear, its more poetic title) is awesome. There are many elements that make it so enjoyable and entertaining - there is minimal CGI, the fight choreography (by Tim Man) is excellent, you can actually see all the fights, Scott Adkins is a great hero you can truly get behind and is a rock-solid Martial Artist, and, perhaps most importantly, the plot is old-school action at its finest. The movie is truly a throwback to the 80's Ninja Boom, but unselfconsciously so. It would have ruined things if the great Isaac Florentine made this "ironic" or "post-modern", but that's what makes him great: it probably never entered his mind to do so. It's all about exciting, well-executed fights and grand revenge.Of course, there is the time-honored barfight, the Prerequisite Torture of the hero, and the wacky taxi driver. Things we never tire of seeing if they're done right. Thankfully, Florentine and Adkins understand action through and through, and they deliver a winner with all of what you want and none of what you don't. The evil baddie is named Goro, recalling the Mortal Kombat character, and Kane Kosugi is onboard as well. And if all else fails, Adkins can just flash his million-dollar smile. But even if he didn't, his badass Martial Artistry would carry the day.Florentine's whooshing camera is still on display, and Scott Adkins speaks Japanese. And it's nice to see that, in 2013, goons still haven't learned. When they attack the hero, and he dispatches them in violent style, they still keep coming at him. Or their fellow goons think they can beat him. Apparently, word hasn't yet gotten around the goon community that you shouldn't mess with Casey Bowman. A marked improvement over the first film, Ninja 2 delivers the action goods with style and aplomb. At the rate the series is going, we would certainly welcome a Ninja 3.
OK for action because of main Actor. But Director is really bad at cheating. He doesn't even know how to create the area of his story line. No need to say, he has never been there as well. I am from that country. It's a total abusing my country. Almost nothing is correct in the scenes. I repeat Mr. so-called Director, Isaac Florentine. What a shame! You should not be in movie business. If I could report to some authorized parties, I would request to ban or remove this movie. It is just a bad cheating movie. Sorry for my words. Dear IMDb board, Please do not post it if my review is against your regulations. Just bear in mind this movie is giving wrong information about a country. That's it.
Ninja: Shadow of a Tear continues the story of Casey Bowman (Scott Adkins), an American raised in a Japanese dojo. Since the events of the first film, Casey has settled down to run the dojo after the demise of his master. But now a new threat rears its head as his pregnant is murderer while he's out for groceries. Fueled by rage, Casey travels to Thailand in order to avenge his wife.This film works as a sequel. It continues the storyline instead of just telling the exact same story with new villains, the old cast is back and the story stays faithful to the characters. Furthermore, Adkins is still very believably in his role, both physically and mentally. The tone of the film is perhaps even darker than in the original, and it show's in Adkins' acting. His brooding and occasional bouts of rage feel justified - not just merely cheap tricks to make him seem more antiheroish - especially when his true character shines through most of the time.The action and the fight scenes are still the best part of this franchise. Adkins is a skilled martial artist and the film makers have a good eye for shooting the fights in a way that makes them seem exciting and new. There's flair to them, but no so much that it seems unrealistic.Ninja: Shadow of a Tear is easily recommended for all those that enjoyed the first film and want to see more. It's also a good martial arts action film in general.
I've long thought that Isaac Florentine is one of the best action movie directors out there, enough that I greatly anticipate each new movie he manages to put out. I thought that the original "Ninja", which he directed, really delivered the goods. So when I heard that there was a sequel coming out, you can bet that I couldn't wait to watch it. As I type this, it's been a few minutes since I watched the movie. What did I think? Well, I will admit that the movie is not perfect. The biggest problem with the movie is the script. There's not much of a story here - there's just enough to make an excuse for an action sequence every few minutes. There are also a few minor murky parts in the plot that make for some unclear elements (though it's possible that more explanation was removed in the editing room.) The characters, from the hero to the villains, are pretty weak when it comes to character development. And the "big twist" revealed in the final few minutes is painfully predictable - you'll see it coming long before it unfolds.Despite these problems, the movie manages to redeem itself, mainly with the action sequences. The action choreography is first rate - swift, exciting, and brutal are the words to describe the mayhem, mayhem that keeps rearing its head frequently. The Asian locations add a feeling of authenticity to the movie, more so than the first movie (where Bulgarian locations were used to depict Japan and New York!) There's more eye candy than brain candy here, but sometimes you want to watch a movie where you don't have to think that much. If you are in such a mood, then this movie will more likely than not satisfy.