“It’s Romeo and Juliet--with Ninjas.”
That’s how I imagine Shinobi: Heart Under Blade being pitched to an American studio. Something tells me the film would have looked a lot better had it been produced with big money backing it. It may have even been a film strong enough to compare to Ang Lee’s masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yet, I’m glad it wasn’t.
Instead of a sweeping romantic epic, Shinobi settles on being an action drama with the sensibilities of a video game. The characters have a big scoop of Tekken mixed with a dash of Mortal Kombat. Even the romantic leads have enough game to prevent the film from indulging in melodrama. When Shinobi could have been pretentious, it wasn’t, and that’s why I enjoyed it.
In Shinobi, the star-crossed lovers are Oboro (Yukie Nakama) and Gennosuke (Jô Odagiri). These two ninjas from enemy villages fall in love just as a lasting peace between their groups comes to an end.
Fearing the growing strength of the mystical warriors who have honed their skill in hiding, the ruling emperor calls for a grand battle between the clans. The five strongest warriors from each village will fight to the death, establishing dominance once and for all.
Gennosuke, whose warrior ways have been weakened by love, can see the devious motivations behind the emperor’s contest. The broken peace, however, results in an impromptu battle between the two tribal heads. Both are killed and the lovers inherit the leadership positions in their respective villages. Now the two must counter centuries of animosity to keep their clans and their love alive.
As the least colorful of the film’s characters, Gennosuke and Oboro are never given prominence over their cohorts. Of course, the real fun happens when the other characters with more stunning costumes and visually impressive powers take center stage. There are obvious parallels between fighting game characters and these fighters, which is actually why I never regret their being put on the same level as the lovers.
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