The film was released on November 25, 2009 in the United States. Mika interferes to help but gets stabbed by Lord Ozunu. [17], On June 9, 2010, Rain was awarded the "Biggest Badass" award on the MTV Movie Awards for his work in Ninja Assassin. The Ozunu Clan's training is extremely brutal, especially for Raizo since he is to be the next successor of the clan. So how did McTeigue populate that mystical dojo? Get the latest news about Ozunu Clan from the top news sites, aggregators and blogs.Also included are videos, photos, and websites related to Ozunu Clan. That's why most feature movie scripts take months to complete, but the script for Ninja Assassin was done in a record 53 hours. This is more like Justin Bieber replacing Jason Statham in the next Transporter movie. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge. And it never lets up. When he's forced to turn his back on the ninja clan, he finds himself in the crosshairs of the world's deadliest killers. Raizo has died of cancer due to the long years of fighting, and the police can no longer detect the Ozunu clan. He is on the run with a Europol agent who has proof the clan sells assassination services to governments. Europol Special Forces and tactical teams led by Maslow storm the secluded Ozunu retreat (nestled in the mountains) using the tracking device on Raizo. Mika frees Raizo and they both manage to escape, but Raizo suffers near-fatal wounds. The head of the clan, Lord Ozuno, takes in orphan children and makes them go through brutal training in order to become lethal assassins. Fun Facts about the name Ozunu. Besides being badass, the unique weapon gave the story a little extra oomph. While filming Speed Racer, Chad Stahelski, a stunt coordinator who had worked on the Matrix trilogy, was brought in to help choreograph a couple fight scenes, some of which involved Rain. Grew up surrounded by Caucasians, joined a Caucasian social fraternity in college, dated Caucasian girls and for the most part shunned my Vietnamese heritage. Directed by James McTeigue (of V for Vendetta fame) and produced by the Wachowskis, Ninja Assassin is the story of Raizo, an orphan who's recruited into a shadowy clan … Representing what Shadow would most likely look like if he was given a human form. He was already using swords and shurikens, but nothing that set him apart. [12] While critics generally panned the film as a melange of gore scenes without a convincing plot,[11] some critics commended the film's numerous action scenes. This page was last edited on 15 February 2021, at 01:56. Please note that search keywords are sometimes hidden within the full article and don't appear in the description or title. In fact, Kosugi said that he was honored to be offered the role after reading the script because his character's name, Ozunu, is a reference to a real-life ninja who was part of a clan of mountain warriors in Japan. This guy is good!'" The only kindness he ever feels is from a young kunoichi named Kiriko, with whom he eventually develops a romantic bond. Barely surviving, he falls off the rooftop and into a river. But since rope would just get sliced up by the other ninjas' swords, they replaced that with a chain. He proceeds to kill Takeshi and confront Lord Ozunu in a sword duel. The whole stunt team was impressed with this seemingly unknown guy (it wasn't until later that they found out how huge he is in Korea). So say what you want about Iglesias, but the guy's pretty much immune to ninjas. [9], On November 5, 2009, Warner Bros. Entertainment released the video game application based on the film for the IPhone.[10]. During the transport back to the Ozunu, Raizo uses his ninja techniques to heal his own wounds. Trained in methods of killing from an early age, Raizo is a member of the secret clan of assassins known as the Ozunu. Years later, an adult Raizo is instructed by Lord Ozunu to complete his first assassination. • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince • Terminator Salvation • Chandni Chowk to China How unique is the name Ozunu? Mika meets Raizo and convinces him to see Maslow for protection, as well as to provide evidence against the Ozunu. Many changes have came to the Ozunu clan. Many years later, Raizo has left his clan and is now being hunted down for his betrayal. Raizo stays behind in the ruins of the Ozunu retreat. While they were still storyboarding the fight scenes, the Wachowskis wanted something unique for the main character to use. From there, things just kind of rolled in the right direction for Ninja Assassin. He was born with the name Kamo-no-e-no-kimi, but over his life he gathered many others such as En no Gyōja (役行者 En the pilgrim) and Jinben Daibosatsu (Great Bodhisatva of Heavenly Change) and En no Ozunu (En the Pilgrim).. These two languages everyone must learn, to remind us of two facts: we are family, and there is still a world outside this compound. In Japanese, rinne. We told them we found our ninja, and brought Rain in to do a fight sequence for him...and everyone was like 'Holy s***! And they said we need a whole new draft, a whole new script, and we go to camera in six weeks. The Ozunu Clan, led by the ruthless Lord Ozunu, trains orphans from around the world to become the ultimate ninja assassins. Only that's not the way it happened. Climbing the same wall Kiriko did in the past, he looks out at the surrounding countryside with a smile, feeling his freedom for the first time. Only it's not entirely a gimmick, because that heart-on-the-wrong-side thing is totally real. A woman who lives in a darkened old house with her two photosensitive children becomes convinced that her family home is haunted. The movie was filmed in Berlin, so McTeigue went around to all the local martial arts schools and found a handful of kids who seemed like they knew what they were doing. Some of the most intense scenes in the movie are the flashbacks involving young Raizo training with the other orphans under Master Ozunu. [7] Actor Collin Chou was originally cast for an undisclosed lead role after Jet Li turned down an offer to appear in it,[8] but Chou later left the role. Meanwhile, Europol agent Mika Coretti discovers a money trail linking the the group to murders. When undercover FBI agent Frank Castle’s wife and son are slaughtered, he becomes ‘the Punisher’ — a ruthless vigilante willing to go to any length to avenge his family. The Ozunu ninjas infiltrate the Europol safe house, where Raizo is being held, in an attempt to kill him and everybody inside. As a child, Raizo experiences severe training under the guidance of his "father", Lord Ozunu (Sho Kosugi): he is whipped and/or cut whenever he fails and is … Browse Movies : Warner Bros. Pictures : 2009 : Adventure - Sherlock Holmes • Ninja Assassin • Where the Wild Things Are • The Informant! In time, the family grew into a clan. As time goes by, Kiriko becomes disenchanted with the Ozunu's routine and decides to abandon it. Many years later, Raizo has left his clan and is now being hunted down for his betrayal. By the time they arrive, the ninja have already kidnapped Raizo, bringing him before Lord Ozunu for execution. Or, well, he would be...if shurikens and katanas and feet had crosshairs. As time goes by, Kiriko becomes disenchanted with the Ozunu's routine and decides to abandon it. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. In particular, McTeigue looked at Ninja Scroll and Samurai Champloo to really hone the blood effects. It was a challenge for everyone involved; the weapon was entirely new, so even the choreographers were in virgin territory as they figured out new and increasingly epic ways to bring the chain weapon into the action sequences. '"[14], Entertainment Weekly's Chris Nashawaty wrote "...this slick slice of martial-arts mayhem from the producers of The Matrix is awash in blood. Martial Artist turned actor Sho Kosugi had previously starred in a number of ninja movies playing ninja villains and heroes several times in the 1980s, and had become a cult icon, hence his role as the antagonist Lord Ozunu, named after En no Ozunu, a 7th-century Japanese mystic and one of the developers of ninjutsu. So how does a pop singer become a honed killer (at least in looks)? While it's definitely gory, there's almost an art to the way the blood splashes across the screen when a ninja gets disemboweled. Koreans, Hispanics,Japanese,Africans,Americans,and The Chinese have all been added into different divisions in the clan to create more depth. It is possible the name you are searching has less than five occurrences per year. For eight months straight, Rain trained five days a week for eight hours a day to be able to pull off not only the fight scenes, but the ridiculous stunts, like flipping off moving cars. [16] Ninja Assassin earned 2,214,000 yen (Approximately $25,672 U.S.) during its first opening weekend in Shinjuku. One rainy night, Kiriko climbs a wall to escape and encourages Raizo to join her, but he chooses to stay. It's because she wasn't really the trainee, she was the founder of the clan, and Ozunu was a puppet. Ninja Assassin worked on many levels, but the most important was probably the script. "[11] Amen to that. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. Even some celebrities, like singer Enrique Iglesias, have situs inversus. [6], McTeigue cited various influences in filming Ninja Assassin such as the films Panic in the Streets (1950), The Getaway (1972), Badlands (1973), Ninja Scroll (1993), and the anime Samurai Champloo (2004–2005). "[15], Ninja Assassin opened at #6 at the North American box office earning $13,316,158 in its first opening weekend. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Remembering Kiriko's death, Raizo slashes Lord Ozunu's face with his kyoketsu-shoge and fights against his fellow ninjas. Browse Movies : Warner Bros. Pictures : 2009 : Action - Sherlock Holmes • Ninja Assassin • Goemon • Where the Wild Things Are • The Informant! Later in the movie, that same gimmick comes up again. Well, sort of. Among the Ozunu Clan, during the under training, Takashi had grudge against Raizo for cutti… When a friend calls you and says they're in trouble, you do what you have to do.". It's pretty rare, so yeah, the chances of two people who are targeted by the same ninja clan having situs inversus is a stretch, but it's certainly not unheard of. Enraged, Raizo uses a "shadow blending" technique for the first time to distract and kill Lord Ozunu. To pull off that insane feat, the Wachowskis brought in J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of Babylon 5 and screenwriter of blockbusters like Changeling and Thor. In spades. From the producers of The Matrix and the director of V For Vendetta , Ninja Assassin is in UK cinemas January 22nd 2010 . The answer: months of hardcore training. After meeting with the Wachowskis, who were ready to start shooting in just six weeks, Straczynski "went home and put on a pot of coffee, and...wrote essentially a whole new script in 53 hours. The Ozunu Clan's training is extremely brutal, especially for Raizo since he is to be the next successor of the clan. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. Now, entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse through the streets of Europe, Raizo and Mika must trust one another if they hope to survive… and finally bring down the elusive Ozunu Clan. As he put it, "what's a ninja movie without blood, right?" At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 34% based on 20 reviews. But during the '80s in the salad days of the onscreen ninja, Sho Kosugi was one of the biggest martial arts actors to ever don a black hood. Country: France , Italy , Spain … The Wachowskis, Joel Silver, and Grant Hill produced the film for Legendary Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment and Silver Pictures. They now have added race to the mix. The Ozunu Clan, led by the ruthless Lord Ozunu, trains orphans from around the world to become the ultimate ninja assassins. Weird things about the name Ozunu: The name spelled backwards is Unuzo. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle described the film as "a gorefest, a borefest and a snorefest. Only a few months later, production was in motion on that "running joke," Ninja Assassin. That goes way beyond dedication. Turning the night into day by saturating the sky above with powerful flares, the military forces are able to fight the ninjas on their own terms. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them and vanishes. When it hit theaters in 2009, Ninja Assassin promised all the fun of a B-movie with all the style of a Hollywood blockbuster. After years, Raizo recovers and trains on his own to intervene in, and foil, all of Ozunu's assassination attempts. In honour of our founder, they chose our name after the cycle of reincarnation. They are a secret organization of ninjas trained under Lord Ozunu. Directed by James McTeigue (of V for Vendetta fame) and produced by the Wachowskis, Ninja Assassin is the story of Raizo, an orphan who's recruited into a shadowy clan of ninjas who carry out political assassinations. Younger moviegoers would be hard-pressed to recognize Ninja Assassin's brutal antagonist Ozunu in any other movies. Hover over any link to get a description of the article. Ninja Assassin features one of the coolest weapons ever seen in a martial arts film: that blade-and-chain thing Raizo uses to hack through mountains of ninjas. With the Ozunu defeated, Europol leaves. Raizo is one of the orphans. The Ozunu Clan is so proficient at keeping their existence a secret that most people think they are only a myth, but the moment Ozuno assassins kill Raizo's friend, their days in the shadows are numbered. Ninja Assassin explores political corruption, child endangerment and the impact of violence. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. After the Ozunu kill his friend, however, Raizo breaks free from them and escapes. Leïto | Gross: Trained since childhood to be a lethal killer, Raizo has since turned his back on the Ozunu clan that raised him and now seeks revenge for their heartless murders. Ninja Assassin was directed by James McTeigue, who had previously worked with producers The Wachowskis and Joel Silver on V for Vendetta four years prior. Rain also had to train how to use it if it was going to look good onscreen. [5], Principal photography began in Berlin, Germany at the end of April 2008. He is the eldest son to Lord Ozunu of the Ozunu Clan, consists being abducted from their parents to trained along with the orphans from around the world to become the ultimate ninja assassins. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski. There, Lord Ozunu orders him to execute a kunoichi traitor. I met with them and they had a draft for this movie called Ninja Assassin which wasn't where they wanted it to be. So the creative guys put their heads together and decided to try out something flexible, because they liked the visual style of something whipping around the frame taking chunks out of people with each pass. Meanwhile, Europol agent Mika Coretti has been investigating money-linked political murders and finds out that they are possibly connected to the Ozunu. In the confusion, Mika frees Raizo from his bindings. Guess life really does imitate art. Mika, seemingly fatally wounded, is in fact saved by a quirk of birth: her heart is actually on the right side of her chest. The Wachowskis were the hottest thing in Hollywood after the Matrix films, and their next project, V for Vendetta (which they wrote and produced), only showed the world that they could do even more. Out of 6,028,151 records in the U.S. Social Security Administration public data, the first name Ozunu was not present. They took an awful script and gave it a high-shine VFX polish to no avail, but one happy coincidence that came out of Speed Racer was interest in collaborating with Rain, an unknown actor in the West who happens to be one of Korea's biggest pop stars. Here are some cool facts you probably never knew about Ninja Assassin. Branded as a traitor, Kiriko is captured and later executed in front of Raizo by their elder ninja brother Takeshi, who impales her through the heart. Did it deliver? Almost as a counterpoint to The Matrix, Ninja Assassin did it all for real—no green screen, no wires, no camera gimmicks. An Exactly What It Says on the Tin 2009 action film starring Jeong "Rain" Ji-hoon as Raizo, a Badass ninja who goes rogue and declares one-man war on his clan. The decision certainly worked. Storyline Trained since childhood to be a lethal killer, Raizo has since turned his back on the Ozunu clan that raised him and now seeks revenge for their heartless murders. Raizo is one of the orphans. Ninja Assassin follows Raizo, one of the deadliest assassins in the world. With the insane amount of stuntwork in Ninja Assassin, it'd be easy to assume that most of that fighting and flipping and jumping out of windows was done by a trained stuntman while Rain sat back and waited for the next scene that showed his face. During childhood, he meet Genshin's sons, when and his father Lord Ozunu were eager to meet the Overlord's sons - Menma and Uragi. Teaming up with Europol investigator Mika, Raizo steadily butchers his enemies while inching ever closer to the long-awaited bloody reunion with his former master. Ninja Assassin is a 2009 neo-noir martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The film received mixed reviews by critics, while some praised the revival of the martial arts genre, the movie still failed on originality. Unable to fend off the Ozunu, she hides outside the motel until Special Forces arrive to help her. So I went home and put on a pot of coffee, and I wrote essentially a whole new script in 53 hours. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them and vanishes. As Rain told Time, "90 percent of the time, it's really me, doing all of this.". The head of the clan, Lord Ozuno, takes in orphan children and makes them go through brutal training in order to become lethal assassins. As a small child, Raizo is taken in by Ozunu Clan. That is until I took a solo trip back to Vietnam last year. Little League players are dedicated. Stick a gut hook on the knife and a weighted ball on the other end of the chain, and presto—a custom-made ninja killer. But let's be honest, killing is this film's business... and business is good. The Ozunu Clan is known as the Clan of the Black Sand. [18], Ninja Assassin was released on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and streaming formats on March 16, 2010. McTeigue has mentioned in interviews that he watched a lot of anime to come up with the style he used in the film, and a lot of that was centered on the way the blood looked.