Ninja movies come with certain expectations, especially in the West. One is for action of the fantastic sort, with the ninja performing feats impossible to real human beings without assists from wires or CGI. Another is that, dramatically, they will be laughably bad.
So when a ninja movie comes along like Toshiyuki Morioka's "Shinobido (Shinobido — Way of the Ninja)" that keeps the action within human limits and attempts serious emoting with its actors, the reaction abroad may be disappointment. Where's the fun?
"Shinobido" is inspired by the Grand Ninja Theater attraction at Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura, which is celebrating its 25th year of bringing ninja thrills to countless tourists on their way through Nikko. As one of those tourists many years ago, I enjoyed the show, but never imagined it would result in a film. That was before the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, of course.