The Wachowskis' highly-anticipated upcoming film Ninja Assassin (in theaters November 25) looks awesome enough to action-loving audiences on its own, what with the whole revenge-hungry-ninja thing going for it and all. The true feather in the film's cap, however, is legendary martial artist Sho Kusugi, a man widely regarded as the most deadly and dazzling ninja in the history of cinema.
Starring Korean sensation Rain as Raizo, Ben Miles (V For Vendetta) as Europol Agent Ryan Maslow and, of course, Sho Kosugi as the ruthless leader of the Ozunu Clan, Ninja Assassin is bound to be a ninja-holic's dream come true. From Warner Bros. Pictures, via ComingSoon:
Ninja Assassin follows Raizo (Rain), one of the deadliest assassins in the world. 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. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them… and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge.
Mainstream American audiences first witnessed Sho Kosugi's prowess in the TV series "The Master," which starred Lee Van Cleef. He also made an unforgettable appearance in an American adaption of Zatoichi called Blind Fury, starring Rutger Hauer. For decades Kosugi has been the go-to guy when filmmakers needed a one-man army that would annihilate everything in his path, and it doesn’t get much better than Revenge of the Ninja or Rage of Honor, both of which showcase Kosugi's formidable skills, strength and agility.
After the highly successful trilogy of Ninja films with producer Menahem Golan, Kosugi worked in some smaller-budget fare with moderate success. When U.S. audiences fell away from the ninja-film trend, he shifted focus and started a taiko group in California, before founding a world-renowned group of martial arts acting schools in Japan called the Sho Kosugi Institute. Detail-attentive fans will also remember Sho's performance in the motion capturing for the Rikimaru character in the PlayStation game, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (1998), which was released in the U.S. and Japan.
With Ninja Assassin, Sho Kusugi - actor, author, trainer, father, founder and, of course, ultimate ninja badass - will reclaim the cinematic glory he so richly deserves. Go see him on the 25th in Ninja Assassin; you'll thank your ninja stars you did.
