Ninja 2: Shadow of a Tear – Movie Review
Ninjas, the mysterious martial artists that have been lurking in the shadows for ages now, have always been an item for action movies or those who are intrigued by those who are not bound to rules. Nonetheless, these warriors are hard to portray properly or at least in a convincing way. Ninja 2: Shadow of a Tear will prove to be a decent comeback after the mediocre reception of the first installment.
Casey, the sensei of a Koga dojo in Japan is leading a fairly happy life with his wife (to be), Namiko. Trouble seems far away and the dojo has a decent amount of followers. Yet it seems his calm, but stable life will soon end. When Casey is out buying a pendant for Namiko, two robbers try to have a go at him. The robbers, who have to flee after a short while are on the beginning of Casey’s worries.
Later that night, Casey presents the pendant to Namiko, which build up the sentiment towards their relationship. It’s clear these lovebirds are right on track to lead a happy life, especially knowing that Namiko is expecting Casey’s child. When Casey leaves the house to get a few snacks for his partner, who has a stereotypical version of cravings, it’s clear something bad will happen. During his short visit to the shop, Namiko gets murdered in a very specific way.
Of course, Casey is out for blood instead of simply grieving his lost soul mate. He exacts his revenge on the robbers, which had to chase tail. After that he returns to his own senpai’s dojo, who welcomes Casey with open arms. Whilst Casey seems to be fighting his own emotions, he tries to resume his training. Not all goes according to plan, especially when one of his fellow training partners is murdered the same way as his deceased wife. This means someone is out for Casey and that there’s more to it than meets the eye. This is also the point the movie truly starts.
Overall the storyline is a typical revenge story, which you can enjoy in a fairly brainless fashion. There are a few key elements you’ll have to remember, but most of the story is simple and enjoyable to sit through. Whilst the movie has a decent amount more to offer than you’d think, the wow factor is never through the roof.
The flow of the movie is great, with a short but decent buildup, a tense middle and a explosive ending. Ninja 2 offers a variety of carefully coordinated action scenes, all in the martial arts atmosphere. These action scenes are for the most part very convincing, except the ones where guns come in to play. When soldiers happen to miss at point blank range with a machine gun, the realistic feeling of the movie drops down significantly. Luckily the hand to hand combat sequences make up for a lot, be it by the sheer ‘coolness’ alone.
Acting performances aren’t half that bad, but the leading actor Scott Adkins (Casey) overshadows nearly all the other actors in the movie (Except for his Japanese pronunciations). The movie will revolve around Casey for the most part, and thus the movie constantly gives you constant waves of new, unimportant characters that don’t need that much personality. Kane Kosugi (his Senpai Nakabara) offers a convincing performance, but never reaches the quality Casey offers the viewer. An honorable mention goes out to Shun Sugata (Goro, a villain which cannot be explained without too many spoilers) who plays a villain other movies could learn a thing or two from.
Special effects in the movie will give one a set of mixed feelings. Some wounds and scars look quite convincing, whilst others look fake. The wound in Namiko’s nek looked as if one simply smeared a few drops of ketchup across her neck and called it a day’s work. The movie did not use excessive blood, which some people might enjoy, but it was actually fun to see a movie that did not go overboard. Movies have the tendency to combine the genre with a lot of gore, which is fun for a brainless movie, but it also drags down the realism level.
Conclusion
Ninja 2 does its best to combine a typical action atmosphere with some fun features that portray the ‘ninja way of life’. Whilst all is not that convincing the movie offers lots of fun action scenes in combination with simple, brainless fun.
Ninja 2: Shadow of a Tear - Movie Review,
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