*** This review may contain spoilers ***
*Plot and ending analyzed*
After a brief introduction setting up the "great skills" of the ancient ninja, who is seen sneeking into some Japanese feudal castle to cause some harm, the setting changes to the modern era Arizona desert. A military convoy is traveling across the empty territory. Suddenly they are attacked and slaughtered by mercenaries. Okay. Not sure why the military is using desolate river washes for travel instead of paved highways.
Up in the nearby hills, were three Japanese women, apparently tourists, who witnessed the annihilation. Two of them are killed outright, and the last one is saved because she is part of the royal Japanese family. They did not even have any bodyguards, I guess they can't afford any.
The mercenaries go to some old Western town and are visited by a boss and some shady foreigners who want to buy the Stinger missile rockets that they stole from the military convoy. They also plan on getting money for the Japanese hostage. They sure are geniuses.
Cut to Japan, where we get to see modern ninjas practicing their skills and some old dude with white hair, who is their master. He tells the main ninja that he has to help save the Japanese kidnapping victim. The main ninja doesn't even look Japanese, he looks like an Indonesian and Mexican guy with a lousy mustache. And he is short. Not sure how he got the part, because his fighting skills are entirely dull and lifeless. His acting is awful as well.
After hacking up some Japanese crime thugs, he heads to Arizona where he teams up with the state's dumbest sheriff. The ninja easily finds the mercenaries and the last thirty minutes are spent endlessly on the most boring action scenes. The mercenaries are so inept that they can't even kill a guy with a Japanese sword. The sheriff is also thrown in to shoot up a few mercenaries.
This is a completely tedious and dreary Ninja movie.
Be sure to look for the ridiculous mercenary who is a cross between wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Che Guevara. And another mercenary who has a terrible wig!
If you feel you have to watch every ninja movie ever made, this one may be difficult to find in English. I have an old VHS tape in Spanish. The audio is not very good, so it is arduous to hear what is being said at times. It is also in Castilian Spanish from the heart of Spain, and introductory Spanish students may have trouble with the accents. In Castilian Spanish with no subtitles.
You might be better off just renting Sho Kosugi (Japanese actor and martial artist) movies. And even those were not that good.
*Plot and ending analyzed*
After a brief introduction setting up the "great skills" of the ancient ninja, who is seen sneeking into some Japanese feudal castle to cause some harm, the setting changes to the modern era Arizona desert. A military convoy is traveling across the empty territory. Suddenly they are attacked and slaughtered by mercenaries. Okay. Not sure why the military is using desolate river washes for travel instead of paved highways.
Up in the nearby hills, were three Japanese women, apparently tourists, who witnessed the annihilation. Two of them are killed outright, and the last one is saved because she is part of the royal Japanese family. They did not even have any bodyguards, I guess they can't afford any.
The mercenaries go to some old Western town and are visited by a boss and some shady foreigners who want to buy the Stinger missile rockets that they stole from the military convoy. They also plan on getting money for the Japanese hostage. They sure are geniuses.
Cut to Japan, where we get to see modern ninjas practicing their skills and some old dude with white hair, who is their master. He tells the main ninja that he has to help save the Japanese kidnapping victim. The main ninja doesn't even look Japanese, he looks like an Indonesian and Mexican guy with a lousy mustache. And he is short. Not sure how he got the part, because his fighting skills are entirely dull and lifeless. His acting is awful as well.
After hacking up some Japanese crime thugs, he heads to Arizona where he teams up with the state's dumbest sheriff. The ninja easily finds the mercenaries and the last thirty minutes are spent endlessly on the most boring action scenes. The mercenaries are so inept that they can't even kill a guy with a Japanese sword. The sheriff is also thrown in to shoot up a few mercenaries.
This is a completely tedious and dreary Ninja movie.
Be sure to look for the ridiculous mercenary who is a cross between wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Che Guevara. And another mercenary who has a terrible wig!
If you feel you have to watch every ninja movie ever made, this one may be difficult to find in English. I have an old VHS tape in Spanish. The audio is not very good, so it is arduous to hear what is being said at times. It is also in Castilian Spanish from the heart of Spain, and introductory Spanish students may have trouble with the accents. In Castilian Spanish with no subtitles.
You might be better off just renting Sho Kosugi (Japanese actor and martial artist) movies. And even those were not that good.
