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Night Master

Original title: Watch the Shadows Dance
  • TV Movie
  • 1988
  • R
  • 1h 27m
IMDb RATING
3.3/10
897
YOUR RATING
Night Master (1988)
ActionDrama

Steve Beck (Vince Martin) is a Karate instructor, Robby Mason (Tom Jennings) his prize student. Beck is using drugs to give him an edge. Guy Duncan (Craig Pearce) is Beck's drug connection t... Read allSteve Beck (Vince Martin) is a Karate instructor, Robby Mason (Tom Jennings) his prize student. Beck is using drugs to give him an edge. Guy Duncan (Craig Pearce) is Beck's drug connection that threatens to expose Beck as a user then Beck kills Duncan, but Robby was witness to th... Read allSteve Beck (Vince Martin) is a Karate instructor, Robby Mason (Tom Jennings) his prize student. Beck is using drugs to give him an edge. Guy Duncan (Craig Pearce) is Beck's drug connection that threatens to expose Beck as a user then Beck kills Duncan, but Robby was witness to this. Robby confronts Beck about the killing, during the karate championship. Beck tries to ... Read all

  • Director
    • Mark Joffe
  • Writer
    • Michael McGennan
  • Stars
    • Tom Jennings
    • Nicole Kidman
    • Joanne Samuel
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    3.3/10
    897
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mark Joffe
    • Writer
      • Michael McGennan
    • Stars
      • Tom Jennings
      • Nicole Kidman
      • Joanne Samuel
    • 16User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos34

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    Top cast38

    Edit
    Tom Jennings
    • Robby Mason
    Nicole Kidman
    Nicole Kidman
    • Amy Gabriel
    Joanne Samuel
    Joanne Samuel
    • Sonia Spane
    Vince Martin
    • Steve Beck
    Craig Pearce
    • Guy Duncan
    Doug Parkinson
    • Pete 'Pearly' Gates
    Jeremy Shadlow
    Jeremy Shadlow
    • Simon
    Alex Broun
    • Henry
    • (as Alexander Broun)
    Laurence Clifford
    • Brian Simmons
    Paul Gleeson
    Paul Gleeson
    • Peter Hastings
    Mark Hennessy
    Mark Hennessy
    • Aloysius Askew
    James Lugton
    James Lugton
    • Tote 'Ali' Bent
    Christopher Truswell
    • 'Fingers' Hough
    • (as Chris Truswell)
    Terry Brady
    • Lt. Trout
    Richard Jones
    • Gary Garter
    Linda Megier
    • Kelly
    Allen Leong
    • Luis
    Sean Garlick
    • Stave Opponent
    • Director
      • Mark Joffe
    • Writer
      • Michael McGennan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    3.3897
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    Featured reviews

    loz4cs

    First ever

    I wasn't sure at first whether or not it was a convincing plot - however the acting is very good. Kidman is freshfaced and delivers her role very well, despite there not really being a complexed plot to work with.

    Tom Jennings is very convincing too, not seen him in any-thing else at all actually which is a shame. If any-one has any more info on him would be grateful.

    The film is set within a school where kidman and jennings are both members of what seems to be a martial arts club. They're both trained by their master who much to their dismay a drug dependent loony who in anger kills one of their fellow pupils. Yes extreme but subtly done - as it is quite randomly fragmented. (ie His dream sequence) However for a unique Australian gemstone of a film you have to watch it - the dubbing of the martial arts sequences are pitiful but to see kidman and jennings running about in ninja suits is truly priceless
    kingkong-2000

    Hmmm Nicole Kidman .....

    I just bought a DVD player, and this was one of the free movies thoughtfully supplied with it.

    Very interesting movie with a young 20 year old Nicole Kidman playing Robby's girlfriend Amy Gabriel who caught on to Steve early in the movie when she saw him and Guy exchanging money for drugs and it almost cost her life for finding that out. The real star in the movie is Tom Jennings who was both strong and sensitive, what ever happened to him?, in his part of Robby Madson. In the end Robby had to face the truth, as well as the fists and kicks, of the person he looked up to for so long.

    Robby battles Steve in the abandoned warehouse that he and Steve's students practice on their Ninja/Karate skills that Steve thought them at the end of the film. The movie is hard to follow due to the very dark photography in it making it very difficult to tell who's who in the very thrilling fight sequence between Robby and Steve at the conclusion of the film but if you give it a chance and overlook that you may very well like it.
    BigHardcoreRed

    This movie is like a dream where nothing is quite right.

    Have you ever had one of those dreams where you seem to know everybody around and all the places you were at, but somehow it didn't match up? For instance, you're at the Raiders game with your grandmother and a drug dealer and you're singing Christmas carols. Doesn't quite go together very well.

    That is what this movie is like. I couldn't tell if the characters were at their school, martial arts gymnastics dojo or some big boiler room or if they were all the same place. At one point I got the distinct feeling that I was in the Cobra Kai dojo from the Karate Kid.

    The lack of any plot, it seems, makes this movie totally uninteresting in even the slightest manner.

    I do realize that this review doesn't make much sense, but that is because this movie makes no sense either. It's just hard to explain.

    I did, however, watch a young Nicole Kidman pretty closely. She looked so different and yet, still just as recognizable. She definitely has "It", even at such a young age. She is the only thing that kept this movie from being unwatchable.

    Even despite Kidman, I give this movie 3 stars out of 10. Not recommended at all.
    2tony-walton

    What was this about?

    I just bought a DVD player, and this was one of the free movies thoughtfully supplied with it. Even at that price, I was overcharged. The plot (such as it was) was muddled, character development was nonexistent and the martial arts sequences were poor to say the least. I've given this 2 on the strength of Nicole Kidman alone, who at one point actually did some acting, and for the one interesting scene where the Older Woman turns up on a motorbike to save Our Hero. One for the "why was this ever made?" bin, for me.
    michael-1023

    High School Ninjas Down Under!

    This one makes more sense than most Ninja movies, but that's not saying much is it? A fun one if you like the bad movies.

    Actually, the Australian Teenage Movie has become one of my favorite bad movie genres. OK, we got kids involved in dangerous secret stuff at night, but also involved with "good" activities at school. Of course there's a caring female teacher who reaches out to help a troubled young man (and the ensuing titillation). And we must also have the bad mentor, showing the kids the wrong way.

    Best of all, Nicole Kidman running around in a dark factory in a Ninja suit! Also hysterical is the way they keep referring to the frumpy schoolteacher as a real looker! Wait till she shows up on her motorcycle. Also featuring painful 80's rock at local club, and sudden dream sequences.

    The pacing of this movie is pretty good, and with a little more care, could have been a better film. Nonetheless very entertaining. If you like this, you'll gotta see the Aussie teen flick, Street Hero.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Originally screened as part of a series of tele-movies called "Tomorrow's News".
    • Alternate versions
      In the UK, the film is cut by the BBFC for the 1989 video release titled "Watch the Shadows Dance" and 2002 DVD release titled "Nightmaster".
    • Connections
      Edited into Tela Class: Cu de Campeão (2008)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 1988 (West Germany)
    • Countries of origin
      • Australia
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Nightmaster
    • Filming locations
      • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
    • Production companies
      • Cine-Funds Limited
      • Somerset Film Production
      • Somerset Film Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 27m(87 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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