The finest effect in this visceral gouge of a picture is Korean pop star Rain.
40
Variety
Variety
Seemingly made to capitalize on a dubious CG innovation -- namely, the slicing of bodies in half by whizzing five-pointed stars -- Ninja Assassin has little else to recommend it, not even laughs.
38
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Numbingly gory when it isn’t just plain numbing.
38
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe Williams
This amateurish action flick is so lacking in personality or punch, it ought to be titled "V for Video Store Discount Bin."
38
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It’s like Bob Fosse night at the martial-arts studio. Most of the killing here is done with bladed throwing stars that, like the ninjas themselves, arrive from nowhere. They appear to have been used to edit the film as well.
30
Village Voice
Village Voice
A triple-cross plot with Harris's superiors doesn't help the movie's clarity--neither does the clattering sound design. Shouldn't throwing stars be silent? If they're gonna sound like gunshots, why not just use guns?
25
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
You don't go into a movie called Ninja Assassin expecting a hell of a lot, but this shockingly disjointed and relentlessly dull picture can't even deliver the martial-arts kick its title so plainly promises.