Ninja Assassin Grade: B
There’s a scene in the new film “Ninja Assassin” where — possibly as an in-joke between the writers — a SWAT team member remarks that the main character looks like he belongs “in a boy band.”
It was perhaps that very sentiment that Rain tried to avoid when getting into character for his newest film.
“I love singing and acting, and I’ll concentrate on both,” Rain said in an interview with The Eagle. “It was a lot of fun and a great experience.”
The South Korean pop-star-turned-actor stars in the gruesome new action movie as Raizo, a righteous killer who’s out for revenge against those who made him so vengeful. Told in concurrent stories involving Raizo’s past and an investigation on arcane ninja clans, the movie crams enough blood and guts from start to finish to earn its R rating.
“I’m a big fan of martial arts,” Rain said. “When I was young, I saw a lot of Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Jet Li movies.”
Rain showed interest in the role while working with the Wachowski Brothers on the set of “Speed Racer.” With hopes to redefine the ninja genre, the filmmakers brought in Chad Stahelski and Dave Leitch, the award-winning stuntmen behind “The Matrix” and the “Bourne” films.
“I learned a lot of martial arts, like taekwondo, tai chi, kung fu and kickboxing,” Rain said. “I also trained for eight months, eating only chicken breasts and vegetables. It was hard.”
The commitment to his work really shows in his depiction of the ever-popular ninja trope. These are ninjas in the most traditional sense — hired killers with unflinching determination, lurking in shadow with katana in hand. The movie is brimming with well-choreographed fight scenes that are only cheapened by the somewhat smarmy dialogue between members of the clandestine ninja organization.
“When I was doing stunts, even though everybody took care of me, I still got hurt,” Rain said.
It got to the point where he would pretend he’d broken his legs on set as a practical joke to his cast mates.
Rain garnered attention in the U.S. last year in a pseudo-rivalry with Stephen Colbert, where the two openly vied for a spot on Time magazine’s list of the “100 Most Influential People.” While bouncing empty threats and insults, the feud reached a climax when Colbert created his own Korean pop music video on “The Colbert Report.” In the end, Rain trumped Colbert by nearly twice as many votes, and the two settled on a dance-off in a gag sketch on Colbert’s show.
Rain’s fame outside Korea is not limited to silly, off-hand incidents, as Korean pop is slowly making headway around the world. Rain hopes to amass a steady following in the States by touring and promoting his film.
“I think Korean fans and American fans are very similar,” Rain said about performing here. “I wanted to challenge myself to the U.S. market when I was young. I hope American fans will love me, too.”
While the film itself is sure to have something for everyone, the violence naturally precludes attendance by some of the more squeamish fans of Rain. Female fans who can summon the willpower to stomach the gore are sure to be satisfied with the amount of screen time Rain is allotted, including many scantily-clad training scenes.
Rain was optimistic about the idea of a sequel but stated he’d also be interested in branching out of the action genre.
“I’d like to do romance and horror — zombie movies,” he said. “You’re going to see other sides [of me] as well.”
“Ninja Assassin” opens in theaters Nov. 25.
You can reach this writer at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
