[movie review] Spirituality and Ninja Assassin.
— Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^
This is what happens when you watch a movie—any movie—for what you can learn from it. You actually pick up things that were meant for you to find… The only thing I would add to this is, yes, absolutely follow your heart, but never lose sight that even that must be tempered by a measure of common sense. (Personally, I’ve been content in my crooked existence for years.) ^@@^
°
Spirituality and ‘Ninja Assassin’ (movie review)
Written by: Oswalda Purcell @HubPages
Posted: March 2013
Decoding the Hidden Spiritual Message Within
“The heart of the tree knows which way it should grow.”
If you lift the mask off this bloody, action-packed revenge film what’s left is an allegory on our unique path and summoning the courage to follow it.
Raizo (Rain) is raised by the Ozunu Clan to become one of the most lethal Special Ops ninja assassins in the world. As a child, Raizo experiences severe and brutal training under the guidance of his “father”, Lord Ozunu (Sho Kosugi). The only kindness he ever receives is from a kunoichi (female ninja), Kiriko (Anna Sawai).
As they grow older, Kiriko and Raizo develop a romantic bond, however Kiriko’s desire to leave the Ozunu Clan for freedom is greater. One stormy night, Kiriko decides to escape from the clan. She encourages Raizo to join her, but he decides to stay. They kiss and she then climbs over the wall to freedom.
Before her great escape, the young lovers bond deep within a forest. A young tree growing crookedly has been readjusted by rope to grow straight. Kiriko cuts the rope and comments to Raizo, “the heart of the tree knows which way it should grow.”
We, the audience, are asked to consider the way of our own heart. Can we hear the voice within our heart speaking to us? Do we have the courage to follow our heart no matter where it leads?
Raizo, trained to be a heartless assassin, remarks to Kiriko that a tree does not have a heart. She retorts, “but everything has a heart.” Are we inside Kiriko’s feeling universe where everything has a heart and is free to be an individual, sprout and take form as it naturally pleases? What things in our lives have we not allowed to be its own individual and take form as it pleases? What areas of our lives have we not been able to let go?
A tree is “crooked” because trees are typically “straight.” Another hidden message thrown our way is to make us consider places in our lives where we have conformed regardless of how we feel on the inside. Some of us come from backgrounds where it is very difficult to carve your own identity and steer away from conventionality. Some of us even find it very difficult to emerge from the “straight” shadow and out into a happier “crooked” existence.
Raizo has an eye-opening, life affirming moment that allows his mind to connect to his heart; a heart he did not even know was there. The voice within his heart revealed a new path for this life – a path into a feeling, vibrant universe. The way of his heart was a life not as an assassin.
The way of his heart was fraught with danger. To escape the mind control and clutch of the clan meant he had to escape through a dense forest and climb over an impossibly high wall to freedom. Many times the way of our heart, our true paths, are fraught with perceived danger, dense forests and impossibly high walls.
Most tornadoes, they say, have a clear, calm center with extremely low pressure. And within this ultra violent motion picture is a very delicate underbelly. If we can look beyond the veil of matter and peer inside the heart we learn the following invaluable motifs: never forget who you are, everything has a heart, and always follow your heart.
Cloud USA 
Yes that’s an interesting approach and is true, what Oswalda Pursell is talking about is there in that bloody mess of a movie that is Ninja Assassin. That’s why I say that this movie will have a very special place in Ninja movies history if its not there already. It change my life forever in so many ways I can’t even measure and I know it has change the lives of many people around the world. I always wonder how a bloody ninja movie became my door to so much goodness! Lolll!! Like Rain says, “It’s amazing!” There are times that people around me can’t understand this new “path” I’m taking but I really don’t care because I’m happier and in the end, that’s what’s matter. I need to be happy in order to make people around me happy so I say, “I love kpop, I hear it all the time, this makes me happy so deal with it cuz I’m gonna hear it till I can’t hear it anymore!” 😀
LikeLike
That still intrigues me about myself too Mari. I still don’t understand why I liked Ninja Assassin so much BECAUSE it was so bloody. Prior to that I never particularly liked movies with so much blood in them. So all I can say is it was something about Bi that stood out enough to intrigue me from the beginning and it’s That Something I can’t explain. Like you Mari, it lead me here and I’m quite happy about that.
LikeLike
That’s deep and highly thought provoking. I can say that if I were to look back on my own life, there are three distinct moments where a different decision would have changed the course of my life. Two of those decisions I wasn’t mature enough to get the gravity of what the situation would have meant for me. One of those decisions was me choosing (even though I didn’t know that’s what I was doing) to hold back for fear of not “living up to.” Those who have been able to step outside of that fear, hey my hats off to you! I will say that Fear of personal failure is a mofo and to step out of that is tough. So I agree, that a certain level of conformity takes place and not just societal conformity. Conformity within ones own family is a big hurdle to jump over too. Goodness knows if I had conquered that years ago, I certainly would not be sitting at the desk I’m sitting at right now….that’s for sure. *SMILES*
LikeLike
Nice perspective of the movie! 🙂 Love it!
LikeLike
Beautiful indeed
★
LikeLike