Did you people see the same film I saw?

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

This movie is a refreshing alternative to the usual ninja epics. The story is both exciting and heartbreaking at the same time with a certain amount of comedy relief.I was very impressed with the two female stars and must say that it was easy to fall instantly in love with both! I am American by birth but my wife is Japanese and i had to make sure she saw this movie; even though she normally doesn't care for this type of movie she was left with tears at the end. I have a fascination with Ninja movies;especially those involving Kunoichi lady ninjas and have a large collection. This is one of the best overall but may not appeal to the purist as it lacks the blood and gore some directors use for shock value. In my opinion the story makes this movie a must see!Highly recommended and i do hope that one day the "powers that be" do a sequel with the same cast!

I saw this film knowing nothing about it (I bought it from ebay — it was cheap), and having not seen the director's earlier film, Samurai Fiction. I was pleasantly surprised.The film has loads going for it if what you're after is an entertaining, funny and visually stunning movie — we get Indiana Jones-style booby-trapped castles, sexy girl ninjas in leather mini-skirts, cool ninja-dudes in indestructible armour, beautiful female contortionist thieves, and baddies with fists of steel. The action is sufficiently over-the-top and everything is accompanied by a pounding techno soundtrack.What more could you ask for?

From the great Hiroyuki Nakano who proved himself with "Samurai Fiction" comes an entertaining, if not wholly fulfilling, Ninja movie!If you enjoyed Samurai Fiction, then you should have a blast watching Red Shadow. It's one of the most entertaining films to come out of Asia in the past few years, with some really breathtaking stunts, great costumes and sets, and some charismatic characters. Still, at the end of the film I felt a bit that a little something was missing. I still can't quite put my finger on it. Stylistically, Red Shadow is at least on par with Nakano's earlier masterpiece. The cinematography is beautiful (and in glorious color this time), and Nakano gives us some extremely cool crane shots. The humor is there, as is the respectively tongue-in-cheek tone, but Red Shadow takes a slight turn for the melodramatic in the middle, and I think that might be where it's biggest stumble was. I won't go into details, as it would kind of spoil an important bit of the film, but the fun, light-hearted film that makes you feel as if you could jump, flip, and spin through the air suddenly stops and takes a more dramatic tone. It's a brief break, though, and a necessary one to set up the characters for the second half. It's problematic, though, because it divides the film into two very distinct segments, so much so that they could almost be different films!Still, it's not that big of a flaw. Just a little irritating in hindsight. There are others, though: a slightly anti-climactic ending, a couple of plot holes, but nothing that really takes that much away from the film.The characters aren't quite as interesting or charismatic as those in Samurai Fiction; that stops the film from being much more than entertainment. This review has been pretty negative in tone, but it's really just from the high standard Nakano had set for himself. From another director, Red Shadow would be a great achievement. It's extremely stylish; the techno-rock soundtrack is very cool and somehow works well in context; the costumes look incredible; the special effects are subtle and convincing; the stunts and acrobatic feats a really awe-inspiring; the comedy succeeds almost without fail. It's certainly worth a look, and if you're prepared for the quirky comedy/romance/action tone, you should really enjoy Red Shadow.Pick up the Media Blasters DVD. It's a really great 2-disc set.

I saw this for the first time in a theater in Tokyo and was amused by the update styles of fighting and the comedy relief that the movie offered (not to mention the cute ninja chick making mouse noises; Get your minds out of the gutter). Upon second viewing, after it's release to video (with a poor subtitling job) I've come to the conclusion that there a few problems with it. However, I don't like to ruin movies for people so, I'll just say that it's an enjoyable, and campy ninja flick even though there are some things that need to be explained a little better. In the subtitled version at least.Don't watch this movie if you're looking for a serious, Kurosawa type period piece. It's meant to be silly and go into it knowing that.