Shinobi: Heart under Fire (2005)

BLOOD HEAT director Ten Shimoyama takes his first stab at the chambara genre by loosely adapting to live-action cinema author Futaro Yamada’s famed fantasy thriller THE KOUGA NINJA SCROLLS. This was the first in a series of novels published from 1959 to 1971 that also inspired Yoshiaki Kawajira’s cult anime classic NINJA SCROLL (1993).

Yamada’s tales of ninjas caught up in conflict with one another broke loose from historical fact and introduced strong doses of fantasy. Shimoyama’s film is no different. It depicts an effect-laden struggle between members of the Iga and Kouga ninja clans in 1614, initiated by Tokugawa Ieyasu and his advisor as a way to get rid of these supernaturally-powered assassins now that they have outlived their usefulness following the end of conflict. Ieyasu orders both sides to pick their top five assassins to fight to the death in order to determine who will supposedly serve the shogun. Meanwhile, soldiers are massing in preparation to wipe out the clans’ villages hidden away in the wilderness.

At the center of this conflict are two melancholy lovers, lady assassin Oboro (Yukie Nakama) of the Iga and a ratty-haired Gennosuke (Jo Odagiri) of the Kouga. Both are reluctantly selected by their clan leaders as successors and charged with leading their handpicked teams in facing each other.

SHINOBI is a tragic love story featuring a healthy dose of elaborate fantasy violence. Its themes of youthful idealism struggling against a warrior tradition and its obsolescence in an emerging time of peace have been covered by just about every chambara movie ever made. Another ninja movie called RED SHADOW (2001) is perhaps the closest in comparison, but audiences could also look to AZUMI.

What separates this film from its predecessors is the most dynamic mix of action choreography and CGI yet seen in a period Japanese actioner. Yuji Shimomura is one of Japan’s only next gen action directors, who shows that he’s learned a few tricks since teaming up with Ryuhei Kitamura on VERSUS. The rough-edged sparring of that low-budget movie has given way to highly polished and tightly-edited bouts that bring the kineticism and imagination that was once only the domain of Chinese wuxia or Japanese anime into chambara filmmaking. This is ninja action for a new generation, post-SPIDER-MAN, KILL BILL and CROUCHING TIGER. The action owes all of these movies a bit of gratitude, but older Hong Kong classics like THE FLYING GUILLOTINE and THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR also spring to mind.

VERSUS star Tak Sakaguchi is counted among the supporting cast who portray eight unusual fighters pitted against each other in support of the stars. He plays Yashamaru, an effeminate Iga warrior with long sleeves that fire strands of lethal fiber capable of entangling and suffocating their victims, much like Brigitte Lin’s Invincible Asia character in EAST IS RED.

These warriors are like X-Men unleashed at the dawn of Japan’s Tokugawa era. Their abilities go far beyond that of your average ninja master. On Gennosuke’s side and hailing from the mountainous Kouga village is Muroga Hyouma (Takeshi Masu), a blind soothsayer able to engage remote viewing techniques to track his enemies. His associates include Chikuma Koshirou (Mitsuki Koga), a powerful fighter wielding iron darts and chain-mounted throwing knives who develops a rivalry with Yashamaru. Other Kouga members include Kagero (Tomoka Kurotani), a poisonous kunoichi or man killer who uses her poison-saturated body to seduce and slay her victims. Finally, there is Kisaragi Saemon, a frightening opponent hiding behind a mask. He can assume the identity of others and move like a ghost.

Backing up Oboro besides Yashamaru is a beast of a man with deadly claws named Mino Nenki (Shun Ito), the innocent Hotarubi (Erika Sawajiri) whose true value lies in her unwavering loyalty, and the enigmatic Yakushiji Tenzen (Kippei Shiina) whose razor-sharp flying discs, powers of regeneration and experience make him arguably the toughest of the lot. Considerable effort is put forth in building up these fighters and the payoff comes in their bloody matches as they battle it out in the wilderness.

Although lovers and reluctant killers, it is inevitable that Oboro and Gennosuke are eventually forced to participate in the carnage. But that doesn’t change the fact that both characters spend the majority of their time hiding their supreme shinobi skills while sulking over their dilemma. I’m not sure what is worse, the colorless performances of Jo Odagiri and Yukie Nakama or Kenya Hirada’s script which reduces them to apathetic, gloomy-eyed souls who honestly would never have survived basic training, let alone be elevated to ninja clan leaders. These two are like emo ninjas embracing their inner victim even before the trouble starts. It doesn’t help that their special powers appear almost entirely supernatural. Neither need break a sweat to reduce any number of foes to mangled pulp. Perhaps there is some commentary on the most powerful shinobi being the most passive, but it has nothing to do with the better virtues of Japan’s warrior culture.

Visually, SHINOBI is quite appealing. Grand vistas of Japan’s ancient past are revealed from a birds-eye view with special care given to highlighting the natural world. Japan’s adulation of nature has become a cliché in period films, particularly in recent years where filmmakers go out of their way to film jidai geki in the most stunning natural surroundings they can find as witnessed in films like AME AGARU and TWILIGHT SAMURAI. The film’s costumes strike a fine balance between period detail and fantasy invention. Capping a very solid production all around is a fine musical score from Taro Iwashiro, whose previous work includes AZUMI.

I’d love to give SHINOBI higher marks. Overall, it delivers quality popcorn entertainment. Ten Shimoyama is improving as an action film director, while Yuji Shimomura has orchestrated some of the best action scenes onscreen since the days when Sonny Chiba was large and in charge at the box office. I’m not a big fan of CGI in fighting, but the digital effects work blends well with the live-action stunt work, apart from exaggerated SPIDER-MAN swinging through canyons and trees. The supporting cast is excellent, but the film is hindered by the weak leads and a simplified script that strings together a series of all-too-convenient duels. I realize that this particular fantasy sub-genre of jidai geki doesn’t demand the screen fighting skills of someone like Kane Kosugi or Hiroyuki Sanada, but it still needs actors with a little personality and physicality, even if the script tries to bury it. Yet considering how much genre movies in general are lacking personality in the digital age, this probably won’t be an overriding concern for most viewers.