Shinobi - Heart Under Blade
Shinobi - Heart Under Blade see short title
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User Reviews
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Review Date: 2009-10-30
The synopsis I saw for this movie was X-Men meets Romeo & Juliet in Japan. That pretty much sums it up. It essentially focuses on two Japanese clans with warriors who possess superpowers. Two of those "mutants" had fallen in love and are reluctant to fight.
The cinematography is great. There is some very interesting use of filter effects. By the way, it has very creative sound effects.
However, I felt that there was probably a bit too much fighting and not enough love story. I like action movies, but the plot basically seemed like a poor excuse to get Japanese warriors to start killing each other. There was barely any lead or background into the battle scenes - just a brief exchange between the two lovers and then off to war. During the battle scenes, I found myself often confused as to what was going on as there were so many references to ancient feuds and warriors seem to come from nowhere to start another battle.
Overall, this seems like this movie requires you to have a lot of background knowledge on Shinobi and the mythology around it to really appreciate this movie. It's too bad - if the plot had been a bit more accessible, it would have had a lot more potential.
User: D. J. Nardi
Rating:
Summary: X-Men meets Romeo & Juliet in Japan
Helpful Votes: 0
Total Votes: 0
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Review Date: 2009-09-03
In the 80's I grew up hooked on the ninja fad. I watched every cheesy ninja movie that I could find in the video store and Sho Kosugi was my idol. That being said I still enjoy watching martial arts/ninja films now just as much as when I was a kid. Shinobi Heart Under Blade fits right in with your typical ninja film. Basic premise, two main ninja clans in 17th Century Japan must each pick their 5 best warriors to compete against each other in a race to appease the Emperor. In order to appreciate this film you need to understand that the Japanese code of honor is very strict. If that means killing your lover to appease the Emperor, so be it. Of course at the heart of the story (no pun intended) is a typical Romeo and Juliet relationship but honestly that's not really why people watch ninja movies! You want to see cool martial arts moves and lots of killing. Shinobi Heart Under Blade delivers most of what you want, just not enough of it. My thoughts;
Pros
- Plenty of unique ninjas all with their own special skills/powers to differentiate them.
- Story adheres to traditional Japanese beliefs in the code of honor and that the Emperor is near divine.
- Beautiful cinematography.
- Great fight scenes (albiet way too short).
Cons
- Nearly all of the 5 chosen ninjas from each clan die way to quickly, many having very cheap and unsatisfying deaths. A huge loss in the story honestly.
- Absolutely no back story on any of the ninjas skills, training or upbringing. Just slight mentions.
- Action sequences are extremely slim. They spend way too much time focusing on the love story than they do the fight sequences, which in my opinion is what the majority of people watching this movie want to see.
- Master's of both clans must fight to the death yet there's absolutely no scene in the film of it. Very disappointing!
While I did really enjoy the movie it could have been so much better had more content been included. It felt more like a drama than an action movie. Whether or not that's what the director wanted I'm not sure, but the movie loses a star because of it. If they had simply put more action and backstory on the main characters I would have easily given the film 5 stars. If you're into martial arts/ninja films it's definitely worth a watch.
User: D. Dredske
Rating:
Summary: A slightly flawed but entertaining film
Helpful Votes: 0
Total Votes: 1
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Review Date: 2009-07-13
I purchased this film just based on the storyline, and since I'm not familiar with the novel, nor the anime, I didn't think I had to do any comparision. However, I did compare, but not on purpose, it just turned out that way. The Iga vs Koga intrigued me, the love story intrigued me, the Tokugawas wanting to wipe out the troublesome villages intrigued me. I had to watch this film. While I don't regret purchasing the film, I must say that I was diappointed in it as I watched.
What did I compare it to? The first Kage No Gundan which starred Sonny Chiba as a Hattori Hanzo. Although that was an episodic television show, that too was primarily Iga vs Koga, it too had a tragic love story between the leader of the Iga and one of the leaders of the Koga and it too, complained that the Shogunate liked to play off the Iga and Koga against each other. Perhaps Kage No Gundan I gives a better essence of the novel, Kouga Ninja Scrolls because this movie just didn't do it for me.
In this story, Tokugawa Ieyasu summons the leaders of two rival ninja villages, one Iga, and one Koga, which happen to be neighbors, and observes a demonstration of each village's talents. he sets up a tournament in which 5 of the best fighters of each village fight each other. Two of the participants are the heirs to the two villages, who happen to be in love with each other. There is an ulterior motive to all this, and without giving away the rest of the plot, let's just say that Tokugawa finds ninjas to be a danger to his rule.
The tournament is that the village of the one survivor who makes it to the castle will win and the Ieyasu's heir will be determined. Thus, on their way to the castle, the individuals fight each other. This is the bulk of the action for the film. The special effects are the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon variety, but not as elaborate, and not as good. Because it relies on special effects, and the characters, we are told, have extraordinary abilities - somewhat like the mutants in the universe of Marvel Comics, the martial arts is also lacking - especially when compared to Kage No Gundan.
Lots of stuff reminds me of Kage No Gundan I. First the plot as stated in the second paragraph of this review. Second, Koga ninja Gennosuke, played by Joe Odagiri, reminds me of Hattori Hanzo, except that Odagiri plays the Koga heir as a subtle strong silent type. Third, some of the dialogue. Although different characters in the movie say these lines, I could swear that some of the dialogue is exactly what the Hattori Hanzo character would say Kage No Gundan I. But do I think the movie was paying tribute to it? No, I don't think so - I think it was just trying to adapt the story it was based on. Needless to say, however, I liked the dialogue, but I think Sony Chiba delivered those lines better.
So, what I liked was the plot, the dialogue, and also impressed with Joe Odagiri's intrepretation of Koga Gennosuke. I was not too impressed with the fight scenes. And I was really disppointed in the execution of the storyline. I wish they could have developed the characters more fully, so I could relate to them better. And while it is fine for fans of shinobi, for the less knowledgeable, there should have been a better explanation of why Tokugawa viewed ninjas as a threat. I also think the movie should have given Hattori Hanzo a bigger role somehow leading to some intrigue, given he was an Iga himself.
Bottom line is that it's an all right movie. If you are a big fan of shinobi plots, or you are a big fan of any of the actors, you should see it for the sake of seeing it, otherwise, it's okay to pass this one up - there are better choices for ninja films and there are better choices for the Romeo and Juliet type of tragic love story.
User: Steven Fujita
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat of a disappointment
Helpful Votes: 1
Total Votes: 2
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Review Date: 2009-04-18
This movie was simply amazing. The way the story was told, the events , and of course the Ninjitsu leave you wishing there was a part 2. But if you are a diehard Anime fan and have of course read or seen Basalisk, which this Movie is based on will notice they left alot out.They changed a few of the powers around and the way some of the shinobi were killed I though should have followed Basalisk a little more. But over all it was a very good LAM of the Manga and I have watched it atleast 4 times since I got it lol.
User: FC-TII KiD
Rating:
Summary: 5/5
Helpful Votes: 0
Total Votes: 0
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Review Date: 2009-03-03
The pretty was pretty good IMO. I can't complain. I've never heard of this movie so I didn't know what to expect. I saw this movie on the shelf at Best Buy and I decided to get it from Amazon since it was a lot cheaper. The action was good. I'm easily amused by movies like this. I'm looking for more.
User: E. J. Swank
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good movie
Helpful Votes: 0
Total Votes: 0
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Product Details
- Shinobi centers on the drama resulting from the war between two ninja clans in the early part of the Tokugawa era. In the film, Nakama Yukie portrays Oboro, the granddaughter of Ogen (Lily), the respected Iga clan matriarch, while Odagiri Jo plays Gennosuke, the son of Danjo Koga (Minoru Terada), the powerful Koga clan leader. While living deep within the mountains, the two ninja clans have honed
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