Ninja Assassin

Both ninja and assassin? Redundancy aside, having braved zombies in 28 Days Later, Naomie Harris now faces a centuries-old clan of ninjas who have been hiring themselves out, Blackwater style, as government mercenaries. Sad to say, the undead were more fun. Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), Ninja Assassin is a hard-R bloodfest with much CG and many severed limbs. Eurocop Harris discovers the ninjas’ secret role in black-ops history, so, naturally, they come after her — that’s the entire plot. But one Bourne-like rogue ninja (South Korean pop star Rain) does try to protect her from the silent swarm of sword-wielding assassins. Ninjas love the shadows and abhor the light, leaving most of their battles murky and difficult to follow. And Rain has zero chemistry with Harris; indeed, they spend half the movie apart. A triple-cross plot with Harris’ superiors doesn’t help the movie’s clarity.