I've seen plenty of ninja assassin movies before - both live-action and animated. But I have never ever, ever seen anything resembling the story I just watched. It would be a disservice to simply say that this movie is about cowboys and ninjas (and clowns). And while you may scoff at that notion (go ahead and scoff... I certainly scoffed) I think it actually worked. And not only did it work but it really pulled off a great little story. Here is a quick synopsis:
There are two warring ninja clans. One of the ninja assassins kills every ninja from the opposing clan (in the process gaining the title of "The Greatest Swordsman in the History of Mankind Ever" - literally) except for an infant grrrl, whom he spares. Doing so marks him for death among his own clan so he runs to Wild West America. He comes to the town of Lode which has been terrorized by a band of outlaws led by the Colonel. He befriends the townsfolk, including a young woman hellbent on revenge against the Colonel for killing her family, and takes over the cleaners of his long-dead friend. The ninja assassin enjoys his new life. But then the outlaws return. The ninjas crash the party. Shots are fired. Blood is letted. Ridiculousness ensues and never lets up.
The Good: The visuals are amazing. It's all green screen CGI live-animated-action but it works. It reminds me of the Wachowski's Speed Racer which I still love to this day. I truly felt like I was watching real people in a cartoon. The music was great - fanciful and fun but not silly. The little baby was adorable. Dong-gun Jang was the perfect ninja assassin. The fighting was like watching a dance. The swordplay was stupendous. Geoffrey Rush was an awesome gunfighter turned drunk turned gunfighter. The town circus was a sweet touch. The Colonel was an excellent bad guy. And the ninjas... gawddam they were killer (pun intended).
The Bad: Kate Bosworth. I found myself grating my teeth every time she was onscreen by the end of the flick. Her accent was garbage. She's not a particularly good actress. She's not cute. She's not funny. And she doesn't do a damn to sell herself as a wannabe assassin.
The Ugly: Seeing Geoffrey Rush's ass. Hahaha! Some may say the blood and gore was too much - over the top. It was. But I just went with it and enjoyed it. It was pretty much all CGI anyway.
I look forward to watching it with a few people who I think will really dig it (Kels, you are at the top of my list!).
100% | 176.5 lbs. | 0% (0 of 128) | 14% (7 of 50) | 51.51% (188 of 365) | 112/55 lbs
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