Scott Adkins is a British actor who has been languishing in B-movie hell for a while now, slowly but surely climbing his way up the action movie food chain. His biggest role to date was a part in “The Bourne Ultimatum”, but he should get a major boost with the upcoming “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, in which he has a pretty decent sized part. But before those two movies, Adkins had to play second fiddle to the likes of Van Damme and Michael Jai White. Yes. Friggin Michael Jai White.

But that was then, and this is now. Adkins will be getting his first major leading role in the 2009 movie “Ninja”, where he’ll play a white guy who also happens to be a ninja. In New York City. Where else would you find a white ninja? Well, they also like to hang out in California, but that’s another movie…

The plot:

A westerner named Casey, studying Ninjutsu in Japan, is asked by the Sensei to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu, an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja.

“Ninja” is directed by Isaac Florentine, who directed Adkins in not one, but two “Undisputed” sequels and the Jean-Claude Van Damme actioner “The Shepherd: Border Patrol”. That’s not so good. “The Shepherd” was so bad I couldn’t even bring myself to write a negative review for it.

I’m a fan of Adkins, so hopefully this one will be better. It couldn’t be any worst than “The Shepherd”, could it…?

Poster for “Ninja” via ReelComix.