Revenge of the Ninja (1983) MGM/Action RT: 90 minutes Rated R (language, strong martial-arts violence, drugs, sexual content, brief nudity) Director: Sam Firstenberg Screenplay: James R. Silke Music: Rob Walsh Cinematography: David Gurfinkel Release date: September 16, 1983 (US) Cast: Sho Kosugi, Keith Vitali, Virgil Frye, Arthur Roberts, Mario Gallo, Grace Oshita, Ashley Ferrare, Kane Kosugi, John La Motta, Mel Hampton, Oscar Rowland, Professor Toru Tanaka, Dan Shanks, Joe Pagliuso. Box Office: $13.1 million (US)
Rating: ****
Revenge of the Ninja is the Citizen Kane of ninja movies and that’s no exaggeration! It’s the one that introduced me to ninja-style action and actor-martial artist Sho Kosugi (I hadn’t yet seen Enter the Ninja). Naturally, teenage Movie Guy 24/7 was there opening weekend. The Saturday matinee I attended was a full house or close to it. The joint was packed with eager kung fu fans waiting to see 90 minutes of kick-ass martial arts action. It did NOT disappoint.
The plot of Revenge of the Ninja involves ninjas, mobsters and drug smuggling. It starts with the hero Cho’s (Kosugi) family being killed by a gang of ninjas at their home in Japan. After dispatching the black-clad baddies with relative ease, Cho’s best friend/business partner Braden (Roberts, Up in Smoke) convinces him to take the remaining members of his family, his mother (Oshita) and infant son, to America and open a Japanese doll gallery in L.A.
Flash forward six years. Cho, who now runs a successful Oriental art gallery, has sworn off being a ninja forever. He’s sealed his sword meaning he will never use his skills again. That, of course, will change when he learns his good friend Braden is using his gallery as a front for his heroin-smuggling operation. He tries to strike a deal with the local Mafia, but mob boss Caifano (Gallo, Raging Bull) screws him on it. Braden retaliates by donning his ninja gear (yes, he’s a ninja too) and going after Caifano’s men, killing them one by one.
The police are understandably baffled and go to martial arts expert Dave Hatcher (Vitali, American Kickboxer) for help. Hatcher, in turn, goes to his friend Cho for help, but he refuses to get involved. That is, until a bunch of Caifano’s thugs rob the gallery, kill his mother and his son Kane (Sho’s real-life son Kane) goes missing. Will he break his vow and go after the bad guys? Let’s put it this way. Nobody’s paying to see him Sho play Gandhi.
Revenge of the Ninja, the second movie in Cannon’s ninja trilogy, is FREAKING COOL! Directed by Sam Firstenberg (American Ninja), it’s one of those chop-socky flicks where everybody knows kung fu, even Cho’s elderly mother and six-year old son. One of the most exciting scenes features Kane fighting off a gang of bullies twice his size. The audience at the Barclay Square loudly cheered him on. There’s also a great scene in a playground where Cho and Hatcher take on some Village People-looking lowlifes who might have information about the robbery. One of them is even dressed like a cowboy. What a fight! I’ve never seen Japanese paper fans used as weapons before. Hey, if it works, go for it!
The character Kosugi plays is one we’ve seen before. Cho is a man trying to leave his violent legacy behind in search of a peaceful existence in a new country only to find he can’t. Once a ninja, always a ninja. This also means he can’t rely on the police to solve his problem; he must deal with it himself. In Cho’s words, “Only a ninja can stop a ninja.”
It’s no secret Kosugi can’t act. His stony facial expression looks like it was carved out of marble. It’s the only one he’s got. He doesn’t register on the emotional scale, not so much as a single blip. He sure can fight though. Physically, a lot of what he does is amazing. He has some neat tricks up his sleeve as well. He puts all of it to good use in the exciting finale where he fights Braden on top of a tall building in a knock-down, no holds barred fight to the death. This is after a whole slew of gangsters are killed by Braden and Cho with the tools of their trade.
The acting in Revenge of the Ninja isn’t exactly top-shelf. Gallo, whose wardrobe reminds one of 30s gangster movies, hams it up to SC&M (Swiss Cheese & Mustard) proportions in a performance that would make Joe Pesci cringe. You can see why model Ashley Ferrare didn’t go far in show biz based on her unconvincing performance as Cho’s assistant who’s in on Braden’s scheme until she grows a conscience and saves Kane from certain death. She’s also nearly raped by Professor Toru Tanaka (the behemoth from An Eye for an Eye). She made only one other movie, 1987’s Cyclone, before moving on to other (unknown) things. Little Kane is a little chip off the old block. He’s got some good moves too. But what the hell am I commenting on the acting for? It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference whether it’s good or bad in a movie like this.
On the whole, Revenge of the Ninja is very exciting. There’s no chance it will ever be regarded as an art film. It’s pure kung fu camp that gives its audience exactly what it want, lots of ninja-style action and violence. It moves fast and doesn’t require a lot of thinking on the viewer’s part. Sure, it’s dumb and trashy. So what? We need movies like that. They don’t all have to be Bergman or Fellini. Revenge of the Ninja is great fun! It’s ninjutsploitation at its best.
