Enter the Ninja [Blu-ray]

Director: Menahem Golan Menahem Golan

Overview

Cannon Productions' first foray into the martial arts milieu, Enter the Ninja stars Franco Nero. While visiting old pal Frank Landers (Alex Courtney) in the Philippines, master ninja Cole (Nero) is approached by villain Charles Venarius (Christopher George). Coveting Lander's plantation, Venarius tries to strong-arm Cole into turning against his friend. Our Hero refuses, whereupon Venarius brings in his own ninja Hasegawa (Sho Kosugi), the first step towards the battle-royal climax. The stunt choreography by Mike Stone is enough to make one completely forget the film's lapses in taste and logic. Enter the Ninja was followed in short order by Revenge of the Ninja.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/31/2023
UPC:	0738329264543
Original Release:	1981
Rating:	R
Source:	Kino Cult
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	13,596

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Franco Nero	Cole
Susan George	Mary Ann,Charles Venarius
Shô Kosugi	Hasegawa,Hasegawa
Alex Courtney	Frank
Will Hare	Dollars
Zachi Noy	The Hook
Constantin de Goguel	Parker
Dale Ishimoto	Komori
Joonee Gamboa	Mr. Mesuda
Leo Martinez	Pee Wee
Ken Metcalfe	Elliot
Subas Herrero	Alberto
Alan Amiel	Maroon Ninja
Bob Jones	Maroon Ninja
Derek Webster	Venarius' Man
Doug Ivan	Maroon Ninja
Jack Turner	Maroon Ninja
Konrad Waalkes	Venarius' Man
James Gaines	Venarius' Man
Don Gordon	Venarius' Man
Isolde Winter	Venarius' Secretary
Lucy Bush	Venarius' Secretary
Bobby Jones	Actor
W. Michael Lewis	Composer
Laurin Rinder	Composer

Technical Credits

Judd Bernard

Menahem Golan

Dick Desmond

Judd Bernard	Producer,Screenwriter
Yoram Globus	Producer
Menahem Golan	Director,Screenwriter
Dick Desmond	Screenwriter
Patricia Casey	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Despite its status as the film that sparked the "ninja movie" boom of the early '80s, Enter the Ninja is a pretty lackluster affair. The first problem is that none of the stars seem right for a martial arts epic: Franco Nero looks uncomfortable as the ninja expert and fails to perform convincingly during the fight scenes, while Susan George is thoroughly wasted as the damsel in distress and Christopher George's villainous character is denied any real participation in the action. Enter the Ninja is further hurt by a clichéd, listless script from Dick Desmond that relies exclusively on stock characterizations and dialogue and only utilizes the ninja angle as a way to spice up a rather dull "evil tycoon plots to steal real estate" premise. Worst of all, director Menahem Golan fails to deliver the kind of slam-bang action that would have made all these mistakes forgivable: Even though a large amount of Enter the Ninja's running time is devoted to fight scenes, they lack the skillful choreography and sharp editing that would give them the visceral punch they truly need. In short, Enter the Ninja might interest hardcore action fans as a curio but is too dull and uninspired to appeal to most viewers.

All Movie Guide