Ninja Assassin

Ninja Assassin is a martial arts/action/adventure film directed by James McTeigue and starring Rain. The film was produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, and filming took place in Berlin, Germany.

Raizo (Rain) is one of the world's deadliest Ninja assassins, having been orphaned as a child and raised by the Ozunu Clan, believed by the world to be a myth. When the love of his life, Kiriko (Anna Sawai) is executed by the Clan for betrayal, Raizo begins to harbor resentment towards the Clan.

After the completion of his first official mission, he is told to execute one of his fellow members for the same reason his lover died. He rebels against them, nearly dying in the process, and goes into hiding and planning to seek revenge on his former Clan.

Meanwhile, Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) is a Europol agent who investigates money linked to political murders and finds that it is linked to the Ozunu Clan. She defies her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), and retrieves secret agency files to find out more. The clan, finding out about the investigation, attempts to assassinate her, but she is rescued by Raizo.

Hiding in Berlin, Raizo and Mika must find a way to take down the Ozunu Clan permanently.[2]
Plot

Raizo (Rain) is raised by the Ozunu Clan to become their next successor. As a child, Raizo experiences severe training under the guidance of his "father", Lord Ozunu (Sho Koshugi): he is whipped and/or cut whenever he fails and is encouraged to hurt his ninja kin for their training failures. The only kindness he ever receives is from a kunoichi (female ninja), Kiriko (Kylie Goldstein).

As they grow older, Kiriko (Anna Sawai) and Raizo developed a romantic bond, however Kiriko's desire to leave the Ozunu clan for freedom was greater.

One stormy night, Kiriko decides to escape from the Ozunu. Kiriko encourages Raizo to join her, but he decides to stay. They kiss and she then climbs over the wall to freedom; only to be caught and brought back by her ninja kin. Branded as a traitor, Kiriko is executed (a katana through her heart) by her elder ninja brother Takeshi (Rick Yune). As a result of Kiriko's death, Raizo begins to harbor resentment and doubt towards the Clan.

After completing his first hit, Raizo is instructed by Lord Ozunu to execute an escaped kunoichi like Kiriko. He rebels against Lord Ozunu by slashing his face with a blade-chain (kyoketsu shoge) and fights against his ninja kin. Barely surviving his battle, he escapes by falling into a nearby river. Raizo recovers and begins to intervene in Ozunu hits by foiling their attempts.

While staying in Berlin and waiting for the Ozunu's next move, Raizo rents a small apartment where he secretly continues to refine his training until it is time to act.

One day, while washing his clothes, Raizo is approached by an attractive Asian woman (Linh Dan Pham) who asks him to help her fold her sheets. Raizo exposes her as a kunoichi and she attempts to kill him; Raizo wins the ensuing fight and hides her remains in the washer machine. By the time the owner comes out, he finds only her bloody remains in the rinse cycle.

Meanwhile, Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) is a EUROPOL agent who investigates money linked to political murders and finds that it is linked to the Ozunu Clan. She defies her superior, Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles), and retrieves secret agency files to find out more. The clan, finding out about the investigation, attempts to assassinate her but she is rescued by Raizo.

Mika convinces Raizo to meet with Maslow for protection and to provide evidence against the Ozunu, but Raizo is intercepted by a task force for interrogation. Mika feels betrayed that Maslow would trick her that way, but Maslow assures Mika (in secret) that he's still on her side and gives her a tracking device for emergencies. While Mika warns Maslow of the dangers of keeping Raizo the Ozunu ninjas infiltrate their secret base and begin killing all officers.

Mika frees Raizo and he lures the ninjas away as Mika tries to escape. Raizo kills and fends off as many ninjas as he can while Takeshi continues to trail him. Raizo and Mika managed to escape the fight but Raizo had suffered mortal wounds around his stomach, however he insists on no hospitals and only rests in a private area. Mika then implants the tracking device into Raizo. Unable to fend against the Ozunu, she hides outside the hotel until special forces arrive to help her. By the time they arrive Ozunu ninjas have recovered Raizo and decide to send him back to their base, and Lord Ozunu, for prosecution.

While hidden inside a steel locker Raizo uses his healing techniques to heal all major injuries before being reunited with his "father". Lord Ozunu decides to have Raizo tied to a stake and executed as an example. Raizo angers Lord Ozunu even more by being defiant to the end. Lord Ozunu struck against Raizo's internal organs when he spat out the tracking device.

EUROPOL Special-Forces lead by Maslow storm the hidden Ozunu base and kill most of the ninjas in the court yard. Takeshi and Raizo face each other in the burning Ozunu training hall. Raizo defeats Takesi and confronts Lord Ozunu. While Lord Ozuno initially has the upper hand, Mika, fearing for Raizo's life, distracts Lord Ozunu, shooting him with her pistol.

Before Raizo can recover, Ozunu stabs Mika in the heart. Emotionally ravaged, Raizo uses the 'shadow blending' technique for the first time and kills Ozunu. Mika, although seemingly fatally wounded, is saved by a quirk of her birth: her heart is on the opposite side of her chest in the same fashion as the tattooist from the introduction. Mika and EUROPOL leave the destroyed Ozunu compound while Raizo stays behind. Symbolically, he climbs the same wall Kiriko did all those years ago and looks out at the surrounding countryside. Recognizing his freedom for the first time in years, Raizo smiles, ending the film.
Cast

* Rain portrays Raizo, one of the world's deadliest assassins.[3]
o Yoon Sungwoong portrays Raizo as a child, and Joon Lee portrays Raizo as a teenager.
* Naomie Harris portrays Mika Coretti, a Europol agent.[2]
* Rick Yune portrays Takeshi, the leader of a team sent by the Ozunu Clan.[2]
* Ben Miles portrays Ryan Maslow, Mika's Europol superior.[2]
* Sho Kosugi portrays Lord Ozunu. Leader of the Ozunu Ninja Clan.[3]
* Anna Sawai portrays Kiriko, Raizo's love interest.
o Kylie Goldstein portrays young Kiriko
* Sung Kang portrays Hollywood, a gang leader.

Actor Collin Chou was originally cast for an undisclosed lead role after Jet Li turned down an offer,[4] but Chou later left the role.[5]