The Ninja Trilogy (1981-1984) Kino Lorber 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray Review

Enter the Ninja (1981)

Plot: Enter the Ninja (1981) tells the story of Cole (Franco Nero), a steely-eyed westerner who has been inducted into the secret fighting rituals of the Ninja. Coming to the aid of his friends against land-grabbing oil barons, he easily takes on all opponents until a masterful Ninja assassin, Hasegawa (Kosugi), is brought into the fray, prompting one of the most sensational battle-to-the-death sequences ever captured on celluloid. Director Menahem Golan fires off a fast-paced, high-quality, tough-as-nails martial arts extravaganza with style and poise.

Review: Menahem Golan, director and producer at The Cannon Film Group, saw potential in bringing Japanese ninja movies to western audiences, and Enter the Ninja (which he directed) is the first big westernized ninja movie that made a dent in western consciousness. After this came Revenge of the Ninja and American Ninja. In this film, Franco Nero plays Cole, a newly inducted master of ninjutsu, and his rival, an embittered Hasegawa (played by Sho Kosugi, in his first notable ninja movie), holds a grudge against him for not being Japanese. Cole leaves the ninja clan to visit an old war buddy Frank (Alex Courtney), who’s living in Manila on a plantation. Frank and his wife Mary Ann (Susan George) are being harassed by a wealthy businessman because the plantation is sitting in the middle of an oil field. Cole helps them out by fighting off the thugs who come calling during the night, but when the problem escalates to the point when Cole’s rival Hasegawa is called in from Japan to eliminate them, shit gets real.

Watching Enter the Ninja is amusing. I’m not sure if it was amusing the first time I saw it when I was much younger, but this stuff is pretty ridiculous now. I love ninjas, I love Kosugi who’s always so serious, but Franco Nero as a white garbed ninja? I’m not sure I love that. And his buddy Frank is the biggest wet blanket ever. His hot wife sleeps with Cole during the night, and the next morning Frank is talking about how he feels like a man again. It’s painful. The villain (played by Christopher George) is an idiot. He screams and hollers for help while ninja stars are being flung all around him, and it’s just cartoony. In 1981, Enter the Ninja was probably badass. Sho Kosugi’s first appearance in a big movie is still pretty great.

Revenge of the Ninja (1983)

Plot: Kosugi returns in Revenge of the Ninja (1983), delivering a heart-pounding display of strength, speed and lethal Ninja know-how. When a band of Ninja assassins slaughters his family, Cho Osaki (Kosugi) flees to America in the hope of building a new life. A former Ninja himself, Osaki soon discovers he has become the pawn of a ruthless drug trafficker—an American Ninja intent on killing anyone who crosses his path…including Osaki. Director Sam Firstenberg ignites the screen with slam-bang action scenes, mind-blowing stunts and legendary villains.

Review: In the early-to-mid 1980’s Cannon was on a role with making movies about ninjas. This one, the second in a series that started with Enter the Ninja, stars Sho Kosugi as a man whose family was slaughtered in Japan by a bunch of evil ninjas. It turns out that his Caucasian friend (Arthur Roberts) set him up to be left without a family so that he would go to the U.S. to front a business with him so that he can smuggle in heroin and make a lot of money. This guy is not a good friend. Kosugi is left with only his infant son, and so he agrees to go the U.S. to start a business with his evil white friend. Nearly ten years pass and his friend has gotten rich, and Kosugi has raised his son (played by his real-life son, Kane) in the art of the ninja. When his son sees how evil and conniving his father’s friend is, all hell busts open when the boy is hunted by a masked ninja out to kill him. Turns out the kid has some mad ninja skills! When his father comes to his aide, the masked ninja’s true identity is reveled: His evil white friend who had his family slaughtered! Ninjas fight on rooftop! Action!

If you grew up in the 80’s and watched VHS videos all day long like I did, then movies like Revenge of the Ninja hold a special place in your heart. They’re pure fantasy, but such glorious fantasy. This movie and its prequel/sequel are probably to blame for thousands of boys dressing up as ninjas at Halloween. American Ninja too. I was one of those kids. Thanks, Cannon. And a special thank-you to Sam Firstenberg, who directed this, its sequel Ninja III: The Domination, and the first two American Ninja movies. He is the king sitting on the throne of ninja movies. It should also be mentioned that Keith Vitali (who would later star in Cannon’s American Kickboxer) has a nice showcase role as a buddy of Kosugi’s. Vitali was in Wheels on Meals with Jackie Chan following Revenge of the Ninja.

Ninja III: The Domination (1984)

Plot: In Ninja III: The Domination (1984), aerobics instructor Christie Ryder (Lucinda Dickey) suddenly finds herself possessed by the diabolical spirit of a Ninja assassin. Dominated by the killer’s relentless rage, she sets out to brutally destroy his enemies. In a life-threatening exorcism and ultimate fight to the death, the good Ninja Yamada (Kosugi) proves that he is Christie’s only chance for survival…and that only a Ninja can kill a Ninja.

Review: In what might be the most insane ninja epic of all time, the first fifteen minutes of this film has a crazed ninja assassinating people on a golf course, and then when the cops start chasing him, he climbs a tree, jumps onto a helicopter, jumps off the chopper, buries himself under a few feet of dirt, and gets shot about a hundred times … and he still lives long enough to transfer his soul into a jazzercising dancer who moonlights as a worker for the phone company. The dancer, Christie (Lucinda Dickey from the Breakin’ movies), begins dating a persistent cop, and she starts having prolonged blackouts. When the cops who shot the ninja dead begin turning up murdered, Christie’s new boyfriend is concerned that other ninjas are on the loose. He takes Christie to a Chinese healer (James Hong) to help her get over her blackouts, and while being treated, the healer unwittingly taps into the “black ninja” inside her. A full-on Exorcist interlude ensues. Meantime, a secret ninja cult calls upon its top ninja (Sho Kosugi) to dispense of the “black ninja” who is causing the police force so much grief. The final confrontation between Christie, the exorcised “black ninja,” and the good ninja is so cartoonish it belongs on a short list of glorious climaxes.

The ninja / horror mash-up combination is an uneasy one. Still, this is the only movie I can think of that has a ninja being shot countless times, and enough life left to muster a soul transfer. It’s incredibly awesome. Sam Firstenberg, who is a wise master of ninja cinema, directed this film from Cannon. Lucinda Dickey, great legs and a pretty face aside, never made another action film. Kosugi made more ninja movies. This was the last of his “Ninja” series with Cannon. 9 Deaths of the Ninja was not related.

Kino Lorber collects all three Cannon Kosugi ninja films in one nice, tight box set package and brings them all to 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever. This is the fan’s ultimate collection of these films, with sparkling 4K transfers, and lots of bonus content, including commentaries, intros, interviews, trailers, and more. Released just in time to fill a Christmas stocking, the Ninja collection is the ultimate shuriken for the ninja in all of us.