Description

Call it Romeo and Juliet with ninjas. But not just any ninjas. Oh, no. The titular shinobi are super-powered ninjas, nurturing a range of superhuman powers in their remote and hidden villages. There are two shinobi clans, the Koga and the Iga, sworn enemies for centuries, constantly chafing for any opportunity to draw swords and do violence upon 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 for. Believing the shinobi a threat to his land’s fragile peace, the shogun sets a plan in motion to decimate the clans, declaring that the five strongest from each village – Tak Sakaguchi from Versus among them – will fight to the death to decide his eventual successor. Tragically, inevitably, Gennosuke and Oboro are selected to lead their respective groups, putting the lovers on a bloody collision course.

Director Shimoyama Ten is a respected commercial and music-video director in Japan, and it is easy to see why. He shoots simply gorgeous film, loading Shinobi with startlingly beautiful images from start to finish. More a fantasy film than an outright actioner, Shinobi strikes an easy balance between dramatic and action elements and, when the action elements come, they blaze across the screen thanks to the charismatic performers – Sakaguchi again proves his is a screen presence to be reckoned with – and broad range of powers. Whether it is a popcorn film with arthouse gloss or an arthouse film out slumming with the fanboys is up for debate, but Shinobi is clearly the cream of the recent crop of ninja pictures.

—Todd Brown

"If you were to make a live-action anime, you couldn't do any better than what director Shimoyama Ten has done with SHINOBI: HEART UNDER BLADE" – Nix, BEYOND HOLLYWOOD

Website

http://www.shinobithemovie.com/

Credits

Director: Shimoyama Ten
Screenplay: Kenya Hirata, Futaro Yamada
Cast: Joe Odagiri, Yukie Nakama, Tak Sakaguchi
Distributor: FUNimation