Review for Rogue Ninja

Introduction

MVM are still releasing anime, occasionally, although new titles are pretty thin on the ground right now. They make up for this with a steady stream of live action titles, with at least one new film each month for fans of Asian Cinema to salivate over. Their titles seem to vary from the ridiculous to the sublime, with fantastic films like Ikigami balanced with disposable bubblegum exploit-o-nonsense like Geisha Assassin. Last month we had the quality action feature, Black Belt from them. Karma suggests that this month's offering from MVM should be of the low-rent variety. But Rogue Ninja made me perk up when I read about it (a little hard given that it doesn't appear on IMDB yet). It's a period ninja action movie starring Mika Hijii and directed by Seiji Chiba. The last time I saw I saw these two names in combination, it was the brilliantly titled Alien vs. Ninja, released earlier this year by Revolver Entertainment. Alien vs. Ninja has turned out to be my 2011 post-pub entertainment of choice, and that has given me high hopes indeed for the earlier film, Rogue Ninja.


It's the 16th Century, a period of civil war in Japan, and stuck right in the middle are the Iga ninja. Rather than stand firm against the forces of Nobunaga Oda and the Koga ninja that have allied against them, the Iga turn in on themselves, enacting a harsh, brutal regime that sees many of their number executed for the most minor of infractions. It's all part of the power struggle between the Iga high leaders, and the Iga lesser leaders. This power struggle comes to bear on female Iga ninja Ukagami, when she catches the eye of the lesser leader. He wants her, and he's willing to do anything to possess her, including killing her if necessary. If Ukagami wants to stay alive and protect her friends, she'll have to turn rogue.

The Disc

1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, DD 2.0 Stereo Japanese audio, player forced English subtitles, and zero extras. Rogue Ninja is a digitally filmed movie, and that's obvious in the look of the film, a little soft, lacking in contrast, depth and clarity, especially in darker scenes, but it remains watchable throughout, with none of the action diminished by the budget. The dialogue is clear, and the audio gets a nice Prologic boost if you have the necessary equipment.

Conclusion

Rogue Ninja is another short and sweet action flick, 70 minutes of high-octane ninja kung fu antics, with a very attractive lead actress, and some of the best action choreography I've seen in a low budget movie. The only problem is that it isn't quite as sweet as the later Alien vs. Ninja film. Alien vs. Ninja was an out and out parody, a dose of sci-fi silliness that borrowed heavily from Predator, and played the action mostly for laughs, tongue in cheek, without any semblance of authenticity. Rogue Ninja on the other hand plays it comparatively straight.


Of course, with it being a period ninja action movie, with no sign of alien menaces anywhere, there's less scope for it to stray off the beaten track, and the story of dealing and double dealing in the higher echelons of ninja society can get a little dry. It's also a tad opaque to anyone who isn't immediately familiar with the period, or the stories about the Iga and the Koga that have inspired so many manga, anime and feature films. For the average viewer, it boils down to the Lesser Iga Leader and his lust for Ukagami. With the lesser leader portrayed as a bloodthirsty murderous rapist, Rogue Ninja also feels a tad nastier than Alien vs. Ninja, something that I didn't appreciate. However, the rest of the characters were certainly interesting, Ukagami makes for quite a post-modern ninja girl, bringing women's lib to the 16th Century. Her childhood friend Kamari has a teasing byplay with her, while older brother Kino looks on as a bemused protective figure.


Of course the proof of the ninja pudding is in the action, and if you have seen Alien vs. Ninja, you'll appreciate the action sequences in Rogue Ninja, brilliantly choreographed and staged, lightning fast and breathtaking, belying the low budget nature of the film. Also the locations are spectacular (in fact many are recognisable from Alien vs. Ninja), and you even forgive the occasional anachronistic sighting of power cables.


Just like Alien vs. Ninja, Rogue Ninja is action packed from beginning to end, and even with its short runtime, you certainly get your money's worth in that regard. Rogue Ninja does lack that sense of irreverent fun though, and that knocks it down a tad in my estimation. If I had to choose between the two films, that choice would be obvious. But there's no reason why you shouldn't have both.