Ninja Assassin and The Warrior’s Way: Can we get our facts straight? Seriously!
[Cloud USA] About a week ago, when someone posted a preview that said (and I paraphrase), “The Warrior’s Way just might succeed at what Ninja Assassin tried to do…” I cringed. Not because I’m a Cloud, but because the statement was so blatantly incorrect.
Ninja Assassin‘s director made his purpose quite clear — the movie was an homage to the ninja movies of old, those great blood-gushing, chi-using, absolutely over the top Black Belt Theater pieces that many of us loved to watch back in the 80s and 90s. Without the buckets of CGI blood, ninja blurs, and other effects, it would have missed the mark completely with us aficionados. Even Master Sho, the legend himself, was in it! Hello? The movie did what it set out to do, and a hell of a lot of men and women who aren’t Rain fans enjoyed the crap out of it. It was a respectful tribute. Homage. Got that? And to my knowledge, The Warrior’s Way is NOT an homage to the 80s in any way, shape, or form, but the fable of a hunted warrior trying to make a new life on a fantasy American frontier. Producer Michael Peyser himself described it in Variety as a combination of the Samurai movie and a Western. There isn’t a ninja anywhere in it.
So why are you comparing apples and oranges?
But hey, I let it go. I let it roll off my back. And then today, » I see THIS. Which means there’s no telling where else it is.
First of all, let me say that I adore new father Jang DongGun and have for years. I can — and will — watch his work until the cows come home. He deserves a Hollywood film because he’s that good. I can’t wait to see The Warrior’s Way (which is also CG’d to death, but so what? Who cares?). Dear lord, the plot, the character, and the trailer are to die for, and I want it to kick ass at the box office. So my rant isn’t because I have a problem with DongGun or his film. It has to do with the film being represented correctly.
Second of all, Rain was not cast in a supporting role in Ninja Assassin. He was the LEAD. The star. And he played “Raizo” to the hilt. In fact, the movie itself was built around him. His character’s weapon was invented for him. The fight choreography was also built around him because as fast as 87Eleven came up with the moves, he would evolve beyond them. Warner Bros. is one of the Big Six, a major film studio not only here, but across the planet; they saw something special in Rain and weren’t afraid to invest in a Korean singer/actor not known in the U.S. of A. Bless them.
This pop star did 90% of his own stunts. And the fire at the end of the movie was real. There was no wire and no camera tricks. He was shirtless and barefoot in the midst of flying embers and baking like a turkey, thrown through crap and leaping around as if he was on strings. He was slinging that chain after several months as if he’d been doing it his whole life. And he held his own against Sho-sama, who was pretty damn impressed.
Rain is the very first Korean actor with a lead role in a Hollywood movie. DongGun is the second. And everything I’m pulling up indicates that Ninja Assassin and The Warrior’s Way were both made for roughly the same amount of money (between $40-$50 million?).
I love the way both men are cracking the door open for other talented Koreans. How about throwing one of them a romantic comedy, or a suspense thriller that has nothing to do with martial arts? Asian men can be something other than warriors (Jackie Chan included), and perhaps we’re sitting on the cusp of a change in the usual wind that blows through Tinseltown. Rain and DongGun have so much to offer American audiences, and I look for their individual Hollywood journeys to continue on for years to come.
For them to do a project together, along with some Hollywood royalty… now that would be heaven indeed.
» A terrific DongGun and Sngmoo Lee interview, about The Warrior’s Way, on The Collider is HERE.
— Stephe @cloudusa.wordpress.com
Cloud USA 
Ladies, don’t let the ignorance get to you…whoever wrote all that garbage obviously has no clue and is writing without any facts, just making it up as he along and collecting a paycheck, too bad the ignorance will spread to those who could careless about Asian stars, the stupidity will not cease, but let’s support the artists by buying the movie tickets!! 😉
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@Stephe
hell u u are ABUSLUTLY RIGHT !!
and i totally argeed 110%
i could belive they say something like fireback on rain NINJA ASSASSIN this movies rain put his life to all his dicated working the man exceries dran everday could even risk himself to death rain put alot engry and training over the past 8 month HELLO nad everything u see in their are bascially pariculally ir REAL RAIN & STUN 90% all himself and what the heck they think are??/
pewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!! EXCUSE while i goggle and wanted to slap over your head !! rain been reveal to gGOBAL star for this ninja assassin it have make to his
box more then 40milllion box rain NA bet the crap out that too and went the DVD release it even mamze the BLOCKBUSTER as well, also rain even bought his own legend to all over the fans even sumit to reveal how awesome kick ass this drama well doen !!
and not to mention on the last part where he fighting in a flame THAT WAS SO REAL rain could been fire up already but just coz he was so talem and hardwoking rain risk his seat and brun fighting in that shot u should applause rain for NINJA ASSASSIN pewwwwwwwwwww… i bet u could even pursuit like not one bet of him commin talking about !!
@busybee198
i agreed
was that HanCinema backsound they even took like Ninja Assassin i saw that periew too OHhhhhhhhhhhhhh i am so pisssssssssssssss off right now they seeme to be very so unfair i feeling like they using rain and dum him at no time grap it making me angry here !!
waht they trying to pull this one better oh no u noy this way off
oh to me rain can even be more better as in romantic then this warrior then mindes have do more romantic i know he well be so more invirous in that leading story !!
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@Stephe I agree I could not have said it better myself. I cannot believe they said he appeared in Ninja Assasin in a supporting role. That made me so mad to read that. Because Rain worked so hard and did an outstanding job in the movie. For them to not aknowledge him to be the first Korean to have had a leading role in a Hollywood movie. How can you not acknowlede him. Rain was highly praised for his performance in the movie. Because of this role he is considered an A list actor in Holloywood. Either they are stupid or stupid they need to check their facts before they print info. I too would love to see Rain do a romantic or suspense thriller movie. Hollywood need to stop type casting Asian men and give them a chance.
Is it anyway you can send what you wrote over to them to correct? Or write another comment and send it to them?
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I posted in Han Cinema a two stars comment explaining that Rain was the first Korean to lead a movie in Holywood, I talked about the budget and also mentioned his Badass win in the MTV Movie Awards. Then mentioned The Fugitive. They better get their information right next time.
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Thanks, mari. They saw that story in the JoongAng Daily and just cut and pasted it without even checking anything. I have to wonder if they even read it themselves… geez!
It pisses me off for DongGun, too — it is an important article for him and his movie, yet it’s ruined by bad information.
Stephe ^@@^
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(my take)…i just had to leave a message. hopefully they will correct their mistake.
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Thanks, busybee.
I haven’t had time to get over to HanCinema or the JoongAng Daily to leave a comment today, so I appreciate you and mari helping out with that.
Stephe ^@@^
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saw this trailer last week too and thought that maybe this could lead into the meeting of this new warrior and Riazo sometime in the future. isn’t HanCinema out of Korea?? after all that hoopla over NA, everybody knows Rain was the star in that movie and if i am not mistaken the first showing took place there. i just don’t get why these writers seems to go out of their to exclude Rain’s achievements. i mean just give the guy what he earned. not even a mention that he won the MTV award for his performance in that movie or past articles out of Korea that acknowledges Rain being the first Korean to star in a US film. when i first saw this trailer, i went to check my collection because the title sounded familiar. and sure enough i have a movie made in Korea called “The Warrior” (no ninjas either). to me, this Warriors Way comes on the back of Ninja Assassin because it opened the door and renewed interest in the genre. so they made another so as not to lose the audience that was generated by NA. i’m disappointed in HanCinema for not being honest about this.
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Their source was an article on JoongAng. Looks like they just pasted the article in or something… 😦
Stephe ^@@^
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Oh, I am sure that Rain, once he gets out of the military, is going to have an amazing future in Hollywood. I really hope he gets some roles besides action movies. Rain has so much to give in comedy, drama, romance,terror and action too. Can you imagine him in terror movies? Lord, he would scare the bejesus out of people!!! Bok Ku was soo scary sometimes and I know he could do that easily. A romance-comedy-action movie would be perfect too. He can go from one thing to the other in a heartbeat. I am going to see The Warrior’s Way coz I think is a great movie and the more we support this kind of movies; the more Hollywood would like to invest in them. Cash is the only thing that moves Holywood to do a movie so we have to support this kind of movies so in the future Rain can have a chance to do them. I think is a matter of time for Rain; he have all the talent in the world to make it in Holywood.
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PREACH Sister Stephe, PREEAAACH!!……..Weeellll!!!
@Stephe and @Lotus,
A WHOLE LOT could be said about this, but ALAS my mouth shall remain shut too! All I will say is maybe someday BEFORE I die, Hollywood will get this “ethnic thing” right and I can tell some young 20 year old, when I’m 100……”You know, back when I was your age in 2010″ (**wink, wink**)…………
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And yeah, lotus, I know the issue of which you speak.
Yeah. *also zipped*
Stephe ^@@^
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@ceci
@lotus
Gurrrls… I tell you, when I saw that “Rain APPEARED in Ninja Assassin” and that he had a “supporting” role in the movie, it just flew all over me. Especially seeing something like that on HanCinema, though they have a Rain page AND a Fugitive page and should know more about him AND check their sources? Puh-leeze. I had to calm down.
Stephe ^@@^
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Hi Stephe,
How do we send a link of this page to whoever the heck it is that wrote that article in order to educate him/her? Because, obviously s/he hasn’t done his/her homework.
R
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Hi, river. How’s it going, girl? 😀
There are comment options at the bottom of the article on HanCinema and at the source that they linked (the JoongAng Daily). I do believe you have be a logged-in member of each site to leave messages.
Stephe ^@@^
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PHEW! You go my sister! I couldn’t have said it any better myself. And Lord yes I would love to see JiHoon in a romantic movie or for that matter any Asian Brother thats not a warrior in some way. Again I could say a lot more on this issue but its probably best that I don’t. I really don’t want to offend anyone.(closed & zipped)
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Well I just read the article and it amazes me that it only says “singer-actor Rain appeared in Ninja Assassin also in 2009”. Not even acknowledging what a major role Rain played in this movie.
I agree with you Stephe 100 percent, it’s time to see Asian men play different roles. Instead of always being typecast. As for Rain he can play any role in any movie and do an amazing job.
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