The producer behind Big Man Japan (2007) sits in the director’s chair in this dryly comic and delightful Ninja action film. Family Mottoes focuses on a retired ninja named Monkey. Monkey’s wife Spider is established as an active and very deadly ninja, and they raise their four ninja kids in the forest. After rescuing an amnesiac old man from a sniper, the family finds they have invited trouble that they will need to confront, ninja-style! Though Family Mottoes soundtrack is pulsating 70s string infused orchestral funk, and the film references the visual techniques and themes of the 60s Samurai era, it defies easy categorization, and prefers to look for the laughs in the action and violence. At its core, the film is about the strength of a supportive family working to common ends. Come expecting beautiful period costuming, sentimental music, and a family of skilled martial artists kicking ass side by side in a righteous battle.

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