By | Published May 6, 2009

NINJA (2009)

Update: The original source of the video that we linked to on vimeo has been taken down so we have updated the article with the same trailer hosted at Twitch Film.

It’s here folks. The trailer for Isaac Florentine’s NINJA starring the next Jet Li, the next Tony Jaa… Scott Adkins. I’m not going to talk about details of the movie. I’m too hyped right now to even pretend to be unbiased. The trailer has far exceeded my expectations and I was a fan of both Florentine and Adkins to begin with. Just watch and enjoy. This is the future of martial arts cinema. I knew Isaac had it in him. Well done sir. Well done.

The timing for the release of this trailer couldn’t be better. Buzz has been growing around Adkins’ physical performance in X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE where people are learning that it was Adkins who did most of the work as Weapon XI. While Ryan Reynolds is heading off to be the face and voice of comic book hero “Deadpool,” Adkins is finally getting the vehicle that should propel him into mainstream stardom.

NINJA (2009)

NINJA (2009)

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  • douglas ferguson

    damn that was so unbelievably 80s

  • dac1138

    Wow! Now, when do we actually get to see the film?

  • Lionclaw

    Oh My Poop, I think my eyes might bleed. Scot Adkins playing a modern ninja with amazing armor and weapons in a movie that looks like a good budget! This is too much! I can’t wait to see this.

  • Bill Mills

    Can’t get too excited yet myself. Lots of quick edits and poorly-lit scenes, the hallmarks of bad fight scenes. What I’d give for a long Liu Cia Liang fight scene. Which reminds me – what happened to his “Heroes of Shaolin” project?

  • http://www.kungfucinema.com Mark Pollard

    HEROES OF SHAOLIN seems to have fallen off the grid after producers ran into problems with a U.S. backer. There have been efforts to get it jump-started again but I haven’t heard anything new in at least a year.

    As for the critique of NINJA, I agree that the trailer displays some heavily spliced editing and a few overly dark scenes but I don’t think that is a reflection on the quality of the fight choreography. Florentine has already proven his ability to shoot quality martial arts action in UNDISPUTED 2, as well as a number of lesser films. He does favor gimmicks at times, what I see as habits picked up from his time spent directing POWER RANGERS action, but he has been gradually shedding much of the cheesy qualities of his early work. That said, he has a particular style that remains influenced by Japanese martial arts and stunt action, which may not jive with everyone.

  • Anonymous

    this not the proper trailer for the film! expect a more decent one sooon

  • http://www.kungfucinema.com Mark Pollard

    Good to know. I’ll post it as soon as I get my hands on it.

  • justin quizon

    Looks awesome! I can’t wait.

    Watching this something struck me…..
    If Fox is thinking about rebooting “Daredevil”…is it crazy to dream up a new “Daredevil” film in which Scott Adkins protrays Matt Murdock(if he can pull of an American accent) and Florentine Directing?

    I know, technically, “Ninja” looks like a Daredevil-like film already, what it being set in New York and comic book like battles on rooftops and on the streets, but a guy can dream right?

    Otherwise, I’m sold on this! This looks like a blast!

  • DarkWarrior

    I am a fan Issac,s work from Xena,Hercules,Mortal Kombat Conquest,Power Rangers & films..This looks like his best film to date.I wish there was a downloadable better quality trailer for Ninja.

  • keimuri no shinobi

    uhh theres no white ninjas and ninjas dont shoot assault rifles.the film looks half decent ,really reminds me of american ninja.there is alot of great asian american actors they could have chosen for a lead.but for some reason “hollywood” seems to hate to cast asian americans into roles that should be portrayed by an asian,i am not trying to take anything away from adkins but ninja assassin sttill looks like the better movie by far

  • Brandon

    I am mixed on this one. Either going to be mediocre or really horrible. Some scenes look amazing, while others look straight out of an 80′s action movie. Cool poster though. Cannot wait for the Ninja Assassin trailer.

  • John

    It’s about time Scott Adkins got his own movie. On top of it he’s a ninja! Cannot wait, and I’m glad to see a very underrated director Isaac Florentine getting his due. I hope they keep their relationship and get bigger budget opportunities.

  • Manny77

    I love the 80s ninjas films and this trailer has some of, it in it which is a good thing, the new and improve ninja costume look better than any ninja costume I seen in the past ten year, the action looks in real time which is another good thing, it’s about time we get a good ninja film. This movie should be better then Ninja Assasin, more real and better fighting that’s for sure, you can’t compare Rain with Scott Adkins and besides Ninja Assasin is being made the Wachowski brothers, which mean a lot of CGI and a lot of green screen.
    For the Martial Arts fans this movie should be way better then Ninja Assisin, best of luck to Scott Adkins, he deserved his recognitoin, the guy has been working his ass off for the past 8 years. Just to put out there Scott Adkins should defeat Tony Jaa in a real fight.

  • http://www.kungfucinema.com Mark Pollard

    Manny, you summed it up well. I have been surprised how many people are not impressed by this footage but now I am beginning to realize that they must have forgotten the history of ninja films. Not since Japan’s SHINOBI NO MONO series in the 1960s have ninjas been treated with any reverence on camera. Every ninja depiction since Yasuaki Kurata’s crab-style ninja performance in HEROES OF THE EAST has been engineered for pure, zany fun and Florentine clearly understands this. The fact that he has one of the world’s top screen fighters at the present doing his own fighting takes us back to Sho Kosugi, Sonny Chiba and other great martial arts actors who have portrayed ninjas in films that didn’t include half the quality choreography in this trailer alone. Fans have become far too jaded, myself included.

  • STDthaGreat

    This looks freaken awesome! Go ninja! Go ninja! GO!

  • STDthaGreat

    This also looks like a trailer for a reboot of the Mortal Kombat movies with Sub-Zero being the main character.

  • BruisedLo

    i doubt they were influenced by films like american ninja. they probably got ideas from ninja gaiden. i mean look at those design on the ninja mask… something out of a video game. and those weapons… some are crafted and made up. i guess sho kosugi is the only one who usually uses real ninja weapons in his movies.

    for that ninja outfit, it’s just made for the movie, so i would call it fake lol… i’m fine with real ninja clothing.

    so much ninja movies coming out…

  • eddie lee

    This rocks! C’mon guys, how can you compare Rain to Scott Adkins? Rain’s a korean pop singer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure he’ll do a good job on Ninja Assassin, but real screenfighting is where all the fun’s at. Florentine+Adkins=Badass!

  • http://watchkungfu.com Kung Fu Movies Rock

    This looks incredibly good. I cannot wait to see this film! I’m am so pumped to see this. Adkins is well on his way to becoming a huge mega star in the US. I have very high expectations for him!

  • leeroygreene85

    I see everything comes back….

    the ‘NINJA’ is making a comeback and it seems we have 3 films coming out withing the next year competing for best ninja film.

    It seems Ninja Assassin is the big budget Ninja film we all have been waiting for let’s hope that does well….

    I grew up watching the Cannon ninja movies ie: Sho Kosugi, Mike Dudikoff etc….they were over the top hokey ninja films…

    They all played with the super human myths of the ninja…we all do find that cool with the advance of choreography etc….lets hope they make it fun as well

    This trailer looks ok….not great but it will wet the fans appetite is it oscar worthy?..No it’s fun and reminds me of the good ‘ol Cannon films.

    Scott Adkins as many agree is a gem that we all saw the last few years and hope he gets out on the mainstream. Perhaps this and Undisputed 3 will get him there. As one mention he would be a great Matt Murdock if they re-introduce the daredevil character again…..

  • brand

    why not eddie lee? we can compare both Rain and Scott.
    Scott has been learning martial art for like forever, and Rain only learn it for a year, but judging what rain can do in a short amount of time, the guy must have been really talented. Imagine if rain has 10 years to learn, might be better than scott, only my opinion

  • http://www.wirthconsulting.org Mo Kraak

    My sentiments exactly Mark. SHINOBI NO MONO and HEROES OF THE EAST (also SAMURAI SPY) are also my benchmarks for ninja on film. Neveretheless, it looks NINJA shows far more promise than SAMURAI ASSASSIN.

    Finally, although I am liking Scott Adkins more and more, that fact that the idiots in Hollywood drove most Asian actors back home annoys the heck out of me. IMO the lead character SHOULD be Asian, as this would show a bit more sorely-lacking respect for the tradition of these somber and serious warriors.

  • http://www.wirthconsulting.org Mo Kraak

    The ninja is a hit and run assassin. They only go hand-to-hand if and when they are backed into a corner. Even then, they go for the quick strike. Extended brawls are not in the game plan. They are trained to NOT draw attention to themselves thus brawling is counter intuitive. Consequently, a real ninja film requires little if any special effects and long drawn-out fight scenes are disingenuous.

  • http://www.wirthconsulting.org Mo Kraak

    One last thing – I promise! I feel compelled to turn everybody onto an article I read this morning from the BBC – Martial Arts in South America. It seems that the streets of Caracas Venezuela are so dangerous that people there are signing up for martial arts training in such numbers that there are not enough masters to go around. One master was interviewed and said that his students must also build character through academic achievements and they cannot indulge in drugs or alcohol or its game over. Consequently, he attributes this (not lack of fighting skills) to a 66% drop out rate. He also describes that his style uses no weapons because there is no time to take out a weapon when you are suddenly attacked from behind. He also said that he emphasizes quick strikes to the neck or achilles tendon in order to slow down an opponent and facilitate escape from a (usually) stronger opponent. This is fascinating stuff that also goes into how they have incorporated fighting styles from their ancestors from the jungles of South America.

    This, my friends is the very essence of the ancient tradition that we call “Martial Arts.”

  • Darrin Kemp

    Scott diserves a real showcase.I hope this movie blows him up real big.:)

  • eddie lee

    Well, I’ve seen the vids with Rain working out and doing some of the choreography and doesn’t look that bad. Sure, the movie will be popcorn fun. I’ll watch it and love it but I myself prefer my movies with real martial artists. Sucks that these guys don’t get the attention they deserve. Hell, I’d prefer Kane Kosugi for Ninja Assassin seeing as the guy is trained in ninjutsu and other disciplines thus making him the perfect candidate. But they had to get a marketable figure for their movie. Its irritating how Hollywood works. I guess thats the point I was trying to make. Oh yeah brand, respect to Rain.

  • Derwhood

    on searching for this trailer I also came across “Ninja Cheerleaders” which looks laughably acceptable…even if George Takei is the big name in the film

  • http://www.myspace.com/huewilly Huewilly

    I take my last comment back-The first trailer was better!
    Hope to see a theatrical release!

  • Wantmy90minsback

    Terribly movie. Cheesy and so predictable.

  • Wantmy90minsback

    Terribly movie. Cheesy and so predictable.