Ninja Assassin (2009)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A disillusioned ninja seeks retribution against his former mentor after a tragic betrayal.
The story
The Ozunu Clan, led by the ruthless Lord Ozunu, trains orphans from around the world to become ultimate ninja assassins for wealthy clients. Raizo, one of these orphans, undergoes brutal training to become Ozunu's successor. He finds the only kindness in a young kunoichi named Kiriko, with whom he develops a romantic bond. However, when Kiriko attempts to escape the clan's routine, she is branded a traitor and executed in front of Raizo. Years later, after completing his first mission, Raizo is ordered to execute another traitor. Remembering Kiriko, Raizo rebels against Lord Ozunu, leading to a violent confrontation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The Ozunu Clan trains orphans to be elite ninja assassins. Raizo, a trainee destined to succeed Lord Ozunu, falls in love with a kunoichi named Kiriko. When Kiriko tries to flee the clan, she is executed by her brother, Takeshi, in front of Raizo. Years later, Raizo completes his first mission and is ordered to kill a traitor. Instead, he attacks Lord Ozunu and escapes, eventually training in solitude to foil the clan's operations. Meanwhile, Europol agent Mika Coretti investigates political murders linked to the Ozunu. She finds Raizo and attempts to recruit him to provide evidence against the clan. After Raizo is briefly detained by the authorities, the Ozunu ninjas attack the safe house. Mika frees Raizo, and they flee together. During a final confrontation at the Ozunu retreat, military forces led by Ryan Maslow use flares to neutralize the ninjas' advantage. Raizo kills Takeshi and engages Lord Ozunu in a sword duel, eventually using a 'shadow blending' technique to defeat him. Mika is saved from a fatal blow due to her heart being on the right side of her chest. Raizo remains in the ruins, finally finding freedom.
- First release year
- 2009
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- United States; France
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James McTeigue
- Writers
- Matthew Sand · screenplay; J. Michael Straczynski · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Rain · Raizo; Naomie Harris · Mika Coretti; Rick Yune; Sho Kosugi · Lord Ozunu; Ben Miles
- Genres
- martial arts; action; fantasy; splatter
- Themes
- retribution; betrayal; freedom
- Tone and mood
- violent; serious; gory
- Premise and plot tags
- ninja; martial arts; revenge; action
- Content notes
- blood
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics but was a moderate commercial success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 26% · review count: 117; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Biggest Badass · MTV Movie Awards · win
- Production trivia
- The Wachowskis were inspired by Rain's fight scenes in Speed Racer.; The screenplay was rewritten by J. Michael Straczynski only six weeks before filming.; Sho Kosugi's character, Lord Ozunu, is named after a 7th-century Japanese mystic.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…