Norwegian Ninja (2010)
From the director of the 'H' section of "The ABCs of Death".
On the one hand it is low budget; inventively and endearingly so. On the other hand there are many absurdly funny details. The ninjas will disappear in clouds of smoke and this effect is used with hilariously gratuitous frequency.
Perhaps the funniest gag in the film is the ninja base being protected by feng shui, demonstrated when the ninja master moves a lion statue in order to take down oncoming assailants.
.jpg)
In another great moment one ninja resuscitates another by plugging a car battery into himself and then shocking the other ninja's heart with his fists until it restarts.
Sadly the acting and story had much to be desired and I found the film to be awkwardly paced.
Also the film acts as a satire, claiming to be the 'true story' of an agent denounced as a traitor for selling secrets, purporting to show that he was really a hero all along. Not being familiar with this part of Norwegian politics, the satire rather went over my head.
I'm not sad to have checked out Norwegian Ninja but, in spite of a few very amusing touches, it's just honestly not a great film. The tone and pacing are both way too inconsistent and much of the humour was entirely inaccessible to me. And with all these other elements not working for me, it was hard to forgive the low production values.
D+