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''Ninja Assassin'' is a 2009 American martial arts film directed by James McTeigue. The story was written by Matthew Sand, with a screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski. The film stars South Korean pop musician Rain as a disillusioned assassin looking for retribution against his former mentor, played by ninja film legend Sho Kosugi. ''Ninja Assassin'' explores political corruption, child endangerment and the impact of violence. Known for their previous work on the ''Matrix Trilogy'' and ''V for Vendetta'', Andy and Lana Wachowski, Joel Silver, and Grant Hill produced the film. A collective effort to commit to the film's production was made by Legendary Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment and Silver Pictures. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. ''Ninja Assassin'' premiered in theaters across the United States on November 25, 2009. Its box office gross was $61,590,252, of which $38,122,883 was from North America. The film's budget was $30 million. ==Plot== Raizo is raised by the Ozunu Clan to become the most lethal ninja assassin in the world. As an orphaned child, Raizo was taken in by Lord Ozunu and is enrolled in severe brutal training to become the next successor of their ninja clan. The only kindness he was ever shown was from a young kunoichi named Kiriko, with whom he eventually develops a romantic bond. As time goes on, Kiriko becomes disenchanted with the Ozunu's routine and wishes to abandon it for freedom. One rainy night, Kiriko decides to make her escape and encourages Raizo to join her; however he decides to stay. Branded as a traitor, Kiriko was caught and later executed in front of Raizo by their elder ninja brother Takeshi, impaling her through the heart. As a result of Kiriko's death, Raizo begins to harbor resentment and doubt towards the Ozunu; however, this is shown to be in the past. The scene switches to the present where a disguised female assassin attempts to kill Raizo at a laundromat. He successfully fends off all her attacks and succeeds in killing her, leaving her remains in the washing machine.The scene switches back to the past where Raizo is seated in a car and is instructed by Lord Ozunu to successfully complete his first assassination mission. Afterwards, Raizo meets the rest of his clan atop a city skyscraper in Berlin. There he is instructed by Lord Ozunu to execute another kunoichi traitor like Kiriko. He rebels against Lord Ozunu by cutting his face with a ''kyoketsu-shoge'' and engages in combat against his fellow ninja kin. Barely surviving, he falls off the roof of the skyscraper and into a river. Raizo recovers from his ordeal and begins to intervene and foil subsequent Ozunu assassination attempts. Meanwhile, Europol agent Mika Coretti has been investigating money-linked political murders and finds out that they are possibly connected to the Ozunu. She defies her superior, Ryan Maslow, and retrieves secret agency files to find out more about the investigation. Mika meets Raizo and convinces him to see Maslow for protection as well as to provide evidence against the Ozunu. However, Raizo is arrested by Maslow and abducted by agents from Europol for interrogation. Although feeling betrayed, Mika is assured by Maslow that he is still on her side and gives her a tracking device for emergencies. The Ozunu ninja infiltrate the Europol safehouse where Raizo is being held in an attempt to kill him and everybody inside. Mika frees Raizo and they both manage to escape, but Raizo suffers near-mortal wounds. Mika then takes him to a motel to hide. Resting in the motel, Mika implants the tracking device into Raizo, as the ninjas remain in pursuit. Unable to fend off the Ozunu, she hides outside the motel until Special Forces arrive to help her. By the time they arrive, the ninjas have already kidnapped Raizo, bringing him before Lord Ozunu for prosecution. During transport back to the Ozunu, Raizo uses his ninja techniques to heal his own wounds. Europol special forces and tactical teams led by Maslow storm the secluded Ozunu retreat (nestled in the mountains) using the tracking device on Raizo. 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. In the confusion, Mika frees Raizo from his bindings, where he proceeds to kill Takeshi and confront Lord Ozunu in a sword duel. Mika interferes to help, but is stabbed by Lord Ozunu. Enraged, Raizo uses a 'shadow blending' technique for the first time to distract and kill Lord Ozunu. Mika, seemingly fatally wounded, is in fact saved by a quirk of birth: her heart is actually on the opposite side of her chest. After Europol leaves, Raizo stays behind to tend to the ruins of the Ozunu retreat. He later climbs the same wall Kiriko did while trying to escape in the past, and looks out at the surrounding countryside. He then recognizes his freedom for the first time. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ninja Assassin」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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