Shinobi: Heart Under Blade Film Review

It seems every film culture has to have their Romeo and Juliet, but making them super ninjas called Shinobi adds an interesting element. The film is actually an adaptation of Futaro Yamada's novel The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, but chances are good that Shakespeare could have claimed a credit. We showed this at the New York Asian Film Festival in 2006 and I recall loving it. This was my first revisit since then and I have to admit that it didn't land quite the same way. So I have to downgrade my opinion from love to like. Of course, not seeing it on the big screen might be the reason. It is a big screen movie with beautiful scenery, over the top wire enhanced action and yes, the beautiful Yukie Nakama as the "Juliet" of the film.

It begins in the year 1614 and Japan is finally at peace after decades of civil war. It is now united under the rule of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. With the nation at peace, the two mercenary Shinobi clans are ordered to cease their fighting. Shinobi are much more than ninjas; they are nearly mutants in their abilities to fight. Their entire purpose for existing is to fight and kill. Now they have nothing; their villages nestled secretly in the mountains waiting for instructions from their Master in Edo, Hanzo Hattori III.

Two of them are secretly in love. Gennosuke (Joe Odagiri) of the Kouga Clan and Oboro (Yukie Nakama) from the Iga Clan. Now that there is peace, they want to tell their clan of their love, but of course fate is waiting for them. Back in Edo, the rulers are concerned about their power and ask each side to bring a Shinobi to show them what they can do. In a fantastic display each one is easily able to disarm the many samurai that come at them. Probably a mistake but Shinobi have to be Shinobi. The rulers are even more worried and come up with a devious plan.

They tell each clan leader to pick their five best fighters and have them fight to the death. The ban on their fighting is over. The winner will determine the next Shogun. Of course, the Kouga choose Gennosuke to lead their five and Iga chooses Oboro to lead. Neither of the two lovers want to do this but fate is fate and they have been trained to kill all their lives. Some very fast wire reliant action and special effects as they battle one on one. Gennosuke is like Flash with a sword, another of his fighters has been fed poison all her life and one kiss will kill, another is a master of flying needles. On the Iga side Oboro can literally kill with a look, another (Tak Sakaguchi) uses wires from his sleeves that are lethal, another is seemingly immortal. It makes for some fine action sequences. I think only the anti-climatic ending disappointed me. Directed by Ten Shimoyama and as best as I can tell choreographed by Yûji Shimomura (The Kingdom films).