Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

This is not an intellectual movie, it is not a love story, and it certainly is not Rambo. This is possibly one of the worst films ever made. To be fair, I did not have high expectations of the film, and it definitely lived up to those. The action sequences are extremely unrealistic (but great!), the whole premise of the story is fairly ludicrous and I think it highly doubtful that Lambert will ever be asked to play the lead character in a Shakespeare play. Nevertheless, it is flashy, fast and furious - and therefore highly enjoyable. Dysfunctional families live in decaying shacks, without money or food. Violent dogs are barking everywhere. Disagreements are settled by fistfights or, in some cases, by bullets.

Paul Racine (Lambert) is a New York businessman on a business trip to Tokyo. After getting involved with the beautiful Kirina (Chen), he finds himself inadvertently drawn into the shadowy world of Ninjas. When he tries to stop her murder, it's "Businessman to the rescue!" but he doesn't realize what he's up against. None of the Tokyo authorities believe Ninjas still exist in modern-day Japan. Obviously they're not aware of the highly-trained, yet evil Kinjo (Lone) who now takes Paul as his main enemy because he knows too much. So Paul trains in the ways of the Ninja to face off in the eventual final confrontation with Kinjo. Who will win? The Hunted comes from a not-so-distant past when Christopher Lambert movies came to the movie theater. And ones about Ninjas no less. Ah yes, it was a different time in our nation's history indeed. Part of the interest of a Christopher Lambert movie is attempting to decipher and determine if it's a Christopher Lambert movie or a Christopher Lambair film. The jury may still be out on The Hunted, because it is a fairly glossy, professionally made product with an almost two-hour running time and a pretty slow pace by today's standards. But because it's a movie about Ninjas with a lot of "Sword Violence", it's probably an "Ert" title, not an "Air" film.We give the movie credit for the fact that when the Japanese locals talk, it's in Japanese with subtitles. So many movies have locals in foreign countries speaking English to each other. Speaking of voices, Lambert's is kind of odd. It's accented, of course, but the real problem is that it's a bit thin and quiet to boot. With a more powerful voice, his screen presence could have been improved. When The Hunted is at its best is when it's executing its action setpieces, and the scene on the train is a movie highlight. But on the whole the movie seems bloated, and some trimming could have helped. Plus the movie takes itself so seriously. During the Ninja scenes in the woods, it made us miss Godfrey Ho and the fact that Ho's Ninjas have headbands that say "Ninja" on them. Well, maybe they don't have to be that silly, but a happy medium would be nice.We appreciate the professionalism and the obvious care that was put into the action/stunt sequences of The Hunted, but the hard fact is that this is not an essential movie. You could probably miss this one and not feel too bad about it. But if you do see it, you'll see a competently-made and pretty slick time-filler.

Businessman Paul Racine (Christopher Lambert of Highlander fame) meets the lovely enigmatic Kirina (Twin Peak's Joan Chan) and has a one-night stand, however it's not all sunshine and lollipops as later that same night he inadvertently witnesses her execution and the perpetrators that did it send him to the hospital. The thing is that he's the only living person who has seen the ninja assassin's face and has lived, so now he's in mortal danger. He has to go on the run in a vain attempt to survive the inevitable onslaught upon him.I liked the fact that the movie stayed true to its characters and didn't let a businessman go all action hero on numerous highly trained ninjas, that would've rung out as false and a cop out. The film is also well acted and kept my rapt attention throughout, which is a big feat in and of itself.Eye Candy: Joan Chan gets topless; an unknown extra gets fully nudeMy Grade: BWhere I saw it: Encore Action

Christopher Lambert… Japan… ninja cult. Oh yeah! Ninja action with gratuitous sword combat with constant blood spray fills this trashy, but still very decent under the radar b-grade actioner.Paul Racine is an American businessman in Tokyo who one night encounters a mysterious Japanese lady in a bar where they would spend the night together, but accidentally he witnesses her death by some ninja assassins. Surviving the ordeal he finds himself on the run, as he has seen the face on the ninja leader which means he's a target.The (surprisingly) well-rounded story does seem to casually move from one fight after another (leaving some questionable and risible developments), but these moments do lack the flair and energy in the choreography to truly standout. It's more about the blistering grit… which might not be a bad thing. One passage on a bullet train midway through is a real highlight though, showcasing a brutal and grisly onslaught of pure ferocity and excitement. Director J.F. Lawton polished handling is mechanically terse, by perfectly framing the strikingly lush and poignant Japanese backdrop with its fast pacing linking together a collection of tautly slick set-pieces as the chase is on. A sensually intoxicating eastern score really does match the scenes/vibe in a spiritual sense or complementing the imagery/or action. A husky sounding Lambert at first feels out of place in what starts off as a phoned-in performance, but eventually he grows in the role to leave behind his vulnerable state with a new act of courageousness (with the odd one or two smart arse quip) to face his inescapable fate. John Lone is great as the tenaciously relentless leader of the ninja assassins and Yoshio Harada's dry, but boldly commanding performance is the best of the lot as a samurai that takes in Lambert's character. Yôko Shimada, Masumi Okada and the beautiful Joan Chen are quite sound too.Entertaining slice of no-nonsense ninja fun.