Ninja 2: Shadow of a Tear (2013)
Director: Isaac Florentine
Old Scott-buddy Isaac Florentine returns to helm a
Ninja sequel with a meaningless title. Scott kicks a lot in this movie. You’ll be impressed with fine, long-take
action scenes that rely on choreography rather than choppy editing.
We get way more Japan in the beginning = yes! Scott massacres a bunch of dudes or thoroughly beats up random guys at a bar. Scott has lost all honor. This is a toxic world without women where men only hurt each other. It’s sad. Scott only has revenge, trying to find some ancient Japanese dude in the Thai jungle. Old dude has some throat-squishing chain he tosses with aplomb. Too bad this old dude wasn't popping off in a Japanese jungle! So many cheesy action movies are done in Thailand; it’s hard to feel fresh with British Scott kicking Asian butt. Production costs are low there. Still, we get good fight scenes AND way more swords and ninja stars. Maybe Scott cried some tears. He probably did, but we all cry… so few of us consider our shadowy tears? I don’t know but it sounds cool. Scott is trying to ACT, which is actually painful at times. There is a more serious tone across the film and less debt to 1980s ninja action movies. There’s not enough ninja-mythos or surprise. I hope in Ninja 3 we get all-Japan and additional Ninja backstory. Somehow this movie is more consistent, yet boring compared to the “original”. In The Land of Scott - Let’s call this 2.5 roundhouses out of 4.0.
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