Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005)

Thanks for the memories!

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The film was recommended by a martial arts fan, and in a sense it IS a MA film, but it is so much more.It is a tale of history; of legend; of star-crossed lovers; of ignorant politicians and rulers; of human nature; of sacrifice, of true love; and ultimately of the potential of the human spirit.Great cinematography, acting, direction.I don't know how I missed it when released but I have seen it once and I can honestly say I will never forget it.It is up to individual viewer to decide how much of the Shinobi legend is fact and how much is fiction. Whatever you decide, it will not prevent your enjoyment of the film.Recommended.

I don't know if the people reviewing this film are suckers for really corny movies with poor action combined with a sort of uh, seriously? plot, but i certainly am not.That description, i admit, makes my 5 rating seem high. But let me qualify - i expected this to be a martial arts movie with a romance plot, and my expectations in such a genre are not high in the sense that i was in the mood for a movie of the sort. If i had wanted to see a movie and popped this in, i might have thought worse of it, but that was not the case.The plot itself is rather corny but that's acceptable, of course, and i don't really think that corny alone hampers a movie's merit. What gets me about this flick is that the corniness is not topped off in typical fashion, but rather this sort of strange, disturbingly illogical finale (in the sense that it is really just a bad, dissatisfying ending if you think about it, but is presented as a good ending). Also, it reeks of Hero but in a crappy way.The other part of the movie that lacks is the very poor special effects. I believe this is a problem with Japanese cinema in general - they seem to be, often, behind American, European, Chinese, and Korean cinematography - but this is not a problem so long as the movie does not overstretch itself. If the visual effects team for the movie is not the best, than the movie should not attempt to have effects it cannot show - but Shinobi does. The intro sequence is a prime example of this, with the ninja's swinging and moving in absolutely unrealistic fashion that is uncomfortable. It's not like the gravity-defying wushu films - that type of movement is smooth and it works - it's more of the "this looks so fake it's embarrassing" kind.Some of the action is pretty cool, and indeed in concept i believe it was quite interesting - however, the presentation is bad, bad, bad, and does not fit the movie; it's as if 1970's wushu, costume design (i forgot to mention, the outfits of the characters are also out of place for the most part) and special effects meets modern cameras and cinematography - an uncomfortable mix.Ultimately i think that the movie is simply over-hyped. I suppose it is a relatively rare movie and many of the viewers had a different expectation than i did, but it's not the movie you'll want to pop in if you have anything else to watch.

Not to be confused with Sega's 80s hit video game series, Shinobi, was a sorely missed opportunity in my view. Having had high hopes for this period novel based screen adaptation, my expectations were only to be shattered. Without regurgitating the synopsis, Shinobi plays out like scenes from a stage bound theater play. With almost still set 'pieces' and 1 line dialogues drawing from Shakespearean tragedies, namely Romeo and Juliet. "Star cross lovers", "We are doomed by fate", abound. With a visual dictation of a video game, its not surprising some would think Joe Mushashi might have a cameo with his trusty wolf.Characters are given next to no background, nor are emotions explored beyond surface values and motivations. Audiences aren't given enough time to be convinced of the contrived romance between Oboro and Gennosuke, nor involved enough to care about the supporting cast. The narrative takes its time and draws on scenes longer than needed, with so much filler making the plot paper thin. Some scenes even invite a laugh when it's supposed to invoke sympathy, which is never good on a director's vision. Action scenes and CGI are passable at best and no doubt some Hong Kong choreography was a source of inspiration for this department. Score wise the music was suitable, and as usual in Japanese films the main theme (*Heaven, Ayumi Hamasaki) rolling after the credits never do appear in the film itself. Why is a soundtrack not in the actual movie is really perplexing. The numerous cons aside, the film does have its highlights. The cinematography is nothing short of beautiful, with shots of mountainous landscapes, gorgeous winter covered lakes and autumn leaves. The attires and costumes were also commendable, with contrast colors for both ninja clans. Lead actress, Yukie Nakama (Trick, G@me) exudes charisma and ethereal beauty, while Joe Odagiri holds his own. Besides Yukie Nakama, further eye-candy, the inclusion of cute Erika Sawajiri (1 Litre of Tears, Ghost Train) is worth a mention. But these pros alone can't overshadow the evident flaws surrounding thefilm. Had the narrative, script been given more attention, this film would have won similar critical praise as the comparable House of Flying Daggers. While both have shallow characterization, great cinematography, Shinobi differs in that it can't decide which market audiences its aiming at. With the inappropriate CGI in a period piece, and what could have been a thoughtful artistic film without the FX flair in a tragic romance drama. The main theme of Giri-Ninjo, duty over personal emotions is at least a good standing point in the film. Its worth a look, but don't expect a Kurosawa or even a Last Samurai.

Shinobi is about Ninjas. now, in case you don't know anything, on the grand list of things that are awesome, Ninjas are king, just edging "Giant Fighting robots who can break dance" and "Zombies who know martial arts". now, the basic story is "blah-di-blah, political intrigue, blah, 5 super ninjas are going to fight 5 other super ninjas", basically making this like the Ninja X men. each has their own skill, there's the master of poison, the one that's really hard to kill, Asian susie porter, the one that's shaped like an egg, seriously, that's the guy's power. for the middle half hour, the movie remembers "hey, i feature ninjas fighting each other, I'll make that my focus" but then decides, much like smokin' aces, that it wants to be taken seriously. and so, like an unusually badly scripted metal gear solid game, the remaining ninjas start to moan about how their lot in life only leads to death. now, i could forgive this in a movie that then had them put aside those complaints and go and slaughter samurai (who rank significantly below ninjas) but there isn't even a climatic fight, or any real resolution. to hell with Japanese action movies, i hope twilight samurai makes up its mind better.