3 out of 5

Directed by: Isaac Florentine

A totally respectably average followup to the totally respectably average Ninja, Shadow of a Tear’s tagline could very well be “this time… it’s personal.”  I mean, it was sort of personal the first time, what with Casey’s dojo-folk attacked to try to steal some ancient duds, but now it’s personal personal because they killed his wife, which you sort of know has to happen because Gaijin Casey (Scott Adkins) is too happy at film’s start to do much Ninja-ing.  So killed she is, and on a rampage does Scott go, working his way up a Myanmar drug-trade ladder to a fires-blazing-in-the-background battle with the final boss.

My summary here is as glib as it was with Ninja, but, as before, Florentine and his scriptwriter (Boaz Davidson, who worked on the first flick as well) find a comfortable balance between playing into VOD-level, low-budget actionry expectations without sacrificing relative logic or characterization.  I also became more aware that there’s an appreciated avoidance of mugging and one-liners: these movies seem respectful of their culture, and don’t cheapen it (beyond the entertainment value of watching dudes get beaten up via impressive choreography) with excessive body counts, sex scenes, or dumb last-word yuks.  I mean, when was the last time an American action cheapie included so many subtitles?  These guys – yes, Adkins included – seem to speak the language well, and so a surprising amount of the flick is in that scene’s setting’s native tongue.

So: Casey might not have much to do beyond have flashbacks of his wife’s death, kick people, and look glum, but when he does speak up it’s with purpose.  There’s a similar sense of reason in constructing the many fight sequences: Florentine keeps it all in frame, and certainly lets his actors get knocked all about the small sets to break things, but doesn’t throw in the kitchen sink just to impress.

As with Ninja, it’s not as though you wind up with a film that’s blown your mind, but it’s sneakily well done for what it is, and has seemingly solidified, with Adkins, what appears to be an encouraging action partnership.