New York Ninja

Well, if you grew up as a kid in the 1980s then you are well-familiar with the wave of ninja movies that swept over the home video front. Cheesy? You got it. Funny? You betcha. Enjoyable? Well...

I had the opportunity to sit down and watch the 2021 released "New York Ninja" and I was intrigued by the movie's cover/poster, because it definitely had that particular 1980s vibe to it. And as the movie progressed, I must admit that I was taken aback with the sheer 1980s feel that the entire movie had, from the costumes, to the fight scenes, the scenery and the entire movie actually. Then I read up on the movie and found out that the movie was actually shot in 1984, but the movie was only released now, as the studio stumbled upon it, but had lost the audio tapes, so they had to record a new sound for "New York Ninja". And truth be told, that added audio just added to the enjoyment of the movie, as it felt like a bad dubbing track.

If you enjoyed the ninja movies back in the 1980s, when the ninja movies were at their highest, then you will certainly enjoy the 2021 "New York Ninja". It has all the cheese and loveable things from that era.

The storyline told in "New York Ninja" was as to be expected from a ninja movie filmed in 1984. I enjoyed it, no doubt about it, and it was a trip back to the childhood and watching the ninja movies all over again.

The acting performances in the movie were as to be expected as well. For a movie of this type, then you know what you are getting yourself into.

And as for the action and martial arts scenes, well they were cheesy. So very, very cheesy. But again, it was a 1984 movie, so of course it was. And I do love the way that the bad guys and thugs always just come one at a time against the ninja. Very considerate henchmen actually if you think about it.

The gang members in the movie were hilarious to look at. Now, I grew up in the 1980s, and I don't ever recall seeing anyone wearing outfits like they were. They were colorful and hilarious to look at, to say the least, and added a comedy and goofy value to the movie.

I was looking through the cast list after the movie, and I have to say that I was really surprised with seeing the names of Don Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock and Michael Berryman on the list. But I found out that it was voices only, so it made perfect sense, as I hadn't seen any of them in the movie.

You should sit down and watch "New York Ninja" is you enjoy the cheesy ninja movies. It certainly was a blast.

My rating of directors John Liu and Kurtis Spieler's "New York Ninja" lands on a six out of ten stars.

New York Ninja is the best worst movie I have ever watched. It even outclasses amusingly dreadful classics such as Samurai Cop, The Room and Titanic II that were among my favourites before experiencing this film. This movie was originally filmed all the way back in 1984 but remained unfinished and unreleased. The material was discovered three and a half decades later and completed with voice actors, electronic soundtrack and new script.

The final result is a hilarious dumpster fire you won't easily forget. The story revolves around an Asian-American sound technician whose pregnant wife gets murdered by a group of street criminals that is kidnapping women for a plutonium-addicted mastermind. The protagonist decides to become a vigilante dressed up as ninja who is accompanied by two overtly enthusiastic work colleagues, weird police officers walking off the beaten path and a poor homeless kid that has become a thief in order to survive.

Everything that could be wrong with a movie is wrong here. It starts right from the start with hilariously bad dialogues that will make your jaws drop right from the opening scene. Some dialogues that are supposed to have depth are delivered quickly, randomly and superficially. Less important dialogues however are emphasized, overacted and repeated.

Up next, the acting performances are absolutely dreadful. The protagonist has no charisma whatsoever and looks like a silly clown wearing cringeworthy costumes instead of a vigilante on a mission. The side characters are portrayed in an annoying way from overtly self-confident gangsters by the numbers over aggressively noisy street kids to theatrically screaming women who talk way too much without saying anything at all. The worst acting performance is however offered by the antagonist with his shameful facial expressions, weird overacting and incredibly stupid vocal deliveries.

The settings are as ugly as the rest of the movie. The film portrays subway stations covered in nasty graffiti, back alleys filled with piles of trash and industrial wastelands. These settings are randomly interwoven with repetitive shots of famous sights such as the World Trade Centre that don't add anything to the story.

The costumes and make-up are absolutely dreadful. The ladies in this film are overstyled in a way that makes them look like members of a circus ensemble. The gangsters in this film wear exaggeratedly colourful costumes that are worse than anything you could see in a rap music video of the eighties. The worst offender is however the ninja costume of the protagonist that looks like a walking mummy clad in toilet paper.

This film attempts to be a martial arts flick but the fight scenes are as wooden as they get. Especially the numerous street gangsters have the swagger of malfunctioning non-player characters in a simplistic video game of the eighties. The misuse of weaponry is also beyond ridiculous and especially the sword fight during what is supposed to be the film's climax makes you think of kindergarten children running around with plastic weapons on Halloween.

It's needless to point out that the story is beyond ridiculous. The villain is addicted to plutonium for reasons that are never explained. He seems to be very influential, powerful and wealthy even though it' impossible to figure out why. The antagonist orders to kidnap specific women for goals that remain mysterious as this character is just having awkward seizures when spending time with the ladies. Those are only the elements that are wrong with the villain's back story but let me tell you that everything else is just as horrible.

You might wonder why such a dreadful movie deserves such a high rating. The explanation is quite obvious. This is easily the most entertaining, hilarious and memorable movie released last year. Right from the opening scene, most viewers will have to laugh so much that they might end up crying. Every new scene, each new setting and every twist in the tale will make a movie that is already dreadful from the start even worse. I have watched this movie at a local cinema and the entire audience was reacting so strongly to this film that it might become a cult classic in the key of The Room that had been shown at the same cinema for more than one hundred weeks in a row before the pandemic ended that memorable run.

My suggestion for you is to watch this film at the cinema with as many friends as possible. Grab as many drinks and snacks as you can to have as much fun as possibe. In difficult times like these, it's great to have this kind of unintentionally hilarious entertainment.

Wife gets killed as she sees another woman being abducted by a gang that's been abducting woman. Husband decides to seek the killers out and avenge his dead wife.

These were real popular during the 1970's & 1980's. One man fighting against a larger group of criminals to administer his own brand of justice. Basic story is okay.

First, the fight choreography is absolutely terrible. When it's one against six people, each of the six will wait his turn before attacking. Some of the fights, the loser doesn't really try. Second, whenever someone has a gun except the very first scene with one, all they do is talk. They don't shoot. Gimme a break.

Instead of the fight scenes being the highlight of the movie, they are the low points. They ruin the film.

Thanks to the TCM channel for airing this. Film fanatics are lucky to be able to view this rare and almost forgotten film. Seeing pre 9/11 NYC is always special, especially here since this movie could have easily been lost. The New York location here isn't just a backdrop but a character itself. NY Ninja is definitely a "B movie", but an enjoyable one you can watch on a rainy day. I don't know if it was because of a limited reconstruction budget or what but I do wish they would have hired at least a couple voice actors that had NY accents, that's my only complaint.

Anyway, how about those ending credits?

I am indeed hoping that the Ninja will return.

New York Ninja has that 80's action B-movie charm, and has a fair amount of unintentionally mildly funny scenes, but it's not nearly enough to carry it into cult status by 80's grindhouse fanatic's or "Bad Movie" fans.

I'm a big fan of unintentionally funny movies, especially if they are from the 80's, and even more so if they have Ninjas kicking ass. A Ninja in the gritty big apple... how could you go wrong? Well, as with any obscure low budget action movie, it doesn't matter how "bad" or "good" it is, what really matters is if it's entertaining. Movies like:

Miami Connection, Hard Ticket To Hawaii, Deadly Prey, Ninja III: The Domination, Nine Deaths Of The Ninja,

all made BOLD choices by their writers/directors that demanded your attention and sometimes confusion, but unfortunately NYN lacks ambition and far too much of the movie clunks around in unnecessarily boring dialogue, and repetitive scenes. There just isn't enough happening in this movie.

While I have a great appreciation for the amazing work that Vinegar Syndrome has done to dub, master, edit, and completely resurrect this movie, I do also think it's worth noting that cult movie enthusiasts are in store for a dull experience. I really wanted to like this movie, but it just doesn't have enough meat on it's bones to deliver the silly fun you expect.