People should realize there is a difference between ninja movies and action movies. They aren't necessarily one and the same. And this, my friends, is a ninja movie. Sure, there are fights and violence to be found, but they don't give a 'Hollywood' feel to it. Especially the train scene comes to mind, where the ninja's decide to kill everybody in order to leave no witnesses. It's calculated, and it gives a sense of murder and terrorism to it instead of action. The victims aren't generic enemies, they're real people. A lot of care is put into the realism. Cops show up after a murder scene to investigate. How often have we seen a ninja movie where ninja's or people are killed, without that ever happening? The whole movie involves ploy and strategy, leading to the fight scenes. Christopher Lambert receives sword training and his enemy is wounded before the final fight, to give Lambert a realistic underdog chance to win. There's nothing 'romantic' about his training like, say, Van Damme in kickboxer. Lambert is scared and clinging to every edge he can find to live, whilst most of the samurai consider him worthless.
I first went into this movie expecting an action flick, and was disappointed. Then, I watched it again, and realized it was great. The movie deserves credit for staying true to the formula.
I first went into this movie expecting an action flick, and was disappointed. Then, I watched it again, and realized it was great. The movie deserves credit for staying true to the formula.