Ninja Terminator

Last updated
Ninja Terminator
Directed byGodfrey Ho
Written byGodfrey Ho
Produced by
  • Godfrey Ho
  • Joseph Lai
  • Betty Chan
Starring
CinematographyRaymond Chang
Edited byNorton Wong
Music byRaymond Chang
Release date
  • 1985 (1985)
CountryUnited States [1]
LanguageEnglish

Ninja Terminator is a 1985 film released in the United States by IFD, directed, written, and edited by Godfrey Ho. It stars Richard Harrison as Ninja Master Harry MacQueen, Jack Lam as Jaguar Wong, Hwang Jang-lee (accredited as Wong Cheng Li) as Tiger Chan. Godfrey Ho frequently created movies by filming scenes that he then added to pre-existing films, re-cutting it together and dubbing over the actors with his own dialogue in order to create a new story. Similarly, Ninja Terminator reuses more than 50 percent of its footage from the South Korean film The Uninvited Guest Of The Star Ferry (Korean : 스타페리 불청객; 1984). IFD owned the international sales rights for the film and decided to insert Caucasian actors into the film in the hopes it would then do better overseas. Ho did this and added ninjas to the storyline, as he usually did for his films. The new footage introduced a storyline about ninjas hunting for pieces of a magical statue. [2]

Contents

Plot

A villainous Ninja Empire is celebrating its twentieth anniversary of rulership. The leader, Supreme Ninja, celebrates by having his three greatest warriors - Ninja Masters Tamashi, Baron, and Harry MacQueen - bring him the three pieces of a gold bust known as the Golden Ninja Warrior. When the three pieces - two separated arms, each holding a small sword, and a head/torso - are united, it makes the owner impervious to harm from blades. Believing the Empire is in need of reform and that the Supreme Ninja is too dangerous to possess such power, the three Ninja Masters steal and separate the pieces of the Golden Ninja Warrior.

The Ninja Empire seeks out these rogue ninjas in order to retrieve the missing pieces of the shrine. Two years after the theft of the statue, the warrior Karada kills the rogue ninja Tamashi, retrieving the body of the Golden Ninja Warrior for the Empire and bringing it to his trusted warrior Yamato. Ninja Master Baron, now a crime lord, tells his lieutenant Tiger Chan to see if Tamashi entrusted the statue's body to his brother Ikaza or his sister Michiko. Unable to find it, Tiger's agents kill Ikaza. The glib warrior Jaguar Wong learns of this and informs his employer, Ninja Master Harry. On Harry's advice, Jaguar leaves to protect Michiko from Tiger Chan, defeating several agents. When he attempts to warn her about the danger of the Golden Ninja Warrior, she doesn't know what she's talking about and mistakes his questions for threats. The Supreme Ninja's warrior Yamato dons a red ninja uniform and attacks Harry with one of Baron's throwing stars, then attacks Baron with one of Harry's throwing stars. Harry and Baron suspect that each other has decided to unite the Golden Ninja Warrior and attain its power.

Jaguar Wong reunites with his former lover Lily. After spending the night together, Lilly explains that they cannot see each other again because she is now romantically involved with Tiger's right-hand man Victor Lee. Meanwhile, Ninja Master Harry and Ninja Master Baron, each the other has already tried to assassinate them. After each shows the throwing star used against them, Harry concludes that Yamato is the true culprit, as he had access to throwing stars they used when they all still worked for the Ninja Empire. Harry suggests that the Supreme Ninja's warrior Yamato killed Tamashi and then tried to trick him and Baron into killing each other by planting the stars. He suggests he and Baron work together rather than against each other.

Yamato sends a tiny robot to deliver a threat to Harry, then calls him on the phone to make sure he got it, telling him he has three days to return his piece of the Golden Ninja Warrior. Baron is also threatened by a toy robot from the Empire. Despite Baron and Harry now having an uneasy alliance, Tiger Chan has his righthand man Victor Lee kidnap Michiko in hopes she will lead them to the Golden Dragon Warrior's body. In retaliation, Jaguar kidnaps Lily and offers to make a hostage trade with Victor. During the trade, he realizes the "Michiko" present is an impostor and is told the real woman is tied up to a remote control time bomb. Jaguar is barely able to find and save Michiko in time. Meanwhile, Baron is sent a video tape from Yamato, who again demands the return of all pieces of the Golden Ninja Warrior and that Baron commit suicide to restore his honor. Otherwise, Yamato threatens to kill Ninja Master Baron, saying, "And I am a Ninja Terminator."

Once Michiko is safe, Jaguar Wong fights Tiger Chan and finally defeats him. Baron and Harry bring their pieces of the statue to a meeting place where Yamato arrives with the statue's body. Harry and Baron then take turns attacking Yamato. Baron is killed but Harry then has Yamato at his mercy. Despite Yamato's pleas that this defeat means he cannot return to the Empire and he would rather die an honorable death, Harry ignores him and unites the pieces of the statue. As Harry achieves its power, Yamato seems to blow himself up through force of will.

Reception

In '80s Action Movies on the Cheap, author Daniel R. Budnik wrote that the film "has a straightforward plot that goes off on a dozen loopy tangents". [3] Jim Vorel of Paste included it in the magazine's list of "The 100 Best Martial Arts Movies of All Time" at #100, calling the film hilarious despite its incoherence and ineptitude. [4] Total Film similarly included it in a list of "8 Awesomely Stupid Movie Fight Scenes", praising the film for its nonsensical fight scenes. [5]

An episode of the popular podcast How Did This Get Made? released on June 23, 2017, features Ninja Terminator. [2] They ridiculed several aspects of the film, such as the protagonist's usage of a Garfield phone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammo Hung</span> Martial artist, film producer, director

Sammo Hung Kam-bo is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreographer for other actors such as Jackie Chan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie Chan</span> Hong Kong actor and martial artist (born 1954)

Jackie Chan is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for his slapstick acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically performs himself. Before entering the film industry, he was one of the Seven Little Fortunes from the China Drama Academy at the Peking Opera School, where he studied acrobatics, martial arts, and acting. Chan has been acting since the 1960s, performing in more than 150 films. He is one of the most influential action film stars of all time.

<i>Drunken Master</i> 1978 Hong Kong martial arts film

Drunken Master is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang-lee. It was a success at the Hong Kong box office, earning two and a half times the amount of Yuen's and Chan's previous film, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, which was also considered a hit.

<i>Come Drink with Me</i> 1966 Hong Kong wuxia film by King Hu

Come Drink with Me is a 1966 Hong Kong wuxia film produced by Shaw Brothers Studio and directed by King Hu. Set during the Ming Dynasty, it stars Cheng Pei-pei, Yueh Hua and Chan Hung-lit in the leading roles, and features action choreography by Han Ying-chieh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Harrison (actor)</span> American actor

Richard Harrison is an American actor, writer, director and producer. Harrison was very prolific and worked with most of the well-known names in European B-movies during the 1960s and 1970s, also branching out to exploitation films shot all over the world in the early 1970s.

Godfrey Ho is a prolific former Hong Kong film director and screenwriter. Ho is believed to have directed more than one hundred films, including over 80 movies from 1980 to 1990 before his retirement in 2000. Many of his works are now regarded cult films by aficionados of Z movies as being among some of the most "so bad it's good" entertaining movies ever created.

Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese and Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling and aesthetic traditions, which Hong Kong filmmakers combined with elements from Hollywood and Japanese cinema along with new action choreography and filmmaking techniques, to create a culturally distinctive form that went on to have wide transcultural appeal. In turn, Hollywood action films have been heavily influenced by Hong Kong genre conventions, from the 1970s onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foot Clan</span> Fictional ninja clan in the TMNT franchise

|fullroster= |cat=organized crime groups |subcat= |sortkey=Foot Clan }} The Foot Clan is a fictional ninja clan in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and all related media and are the main antagonists. It is led by the devious Shredder and his second in command Karai. The Foot Clan was originally a parody of the criminal ninja clan The Hand in the Daredevil comics. In addition to the obvious similarity in their names, both clans originate from Feudal Japan, practice ninjutsu and black magic, and are now powerful global organized crime rings who are familiar with multiple illegal activities such as drug smuggling, counterfeiting of money, gunrunning, murder, assassination, computer hacking, theft, and terrorism.

<i>Drunken Master II</i> 1994 Hong Kong film

Drunken Master II is a 1994 Hong Kong action-comedy kung fu film directed by Lau Kar-leung and starring Jackie Chan as Chinese martial arts master and a Cantonese folk hero, Wong Fei-hung. It was Chan's first traditional style martial arts film since Fearless Hyena Part II (1983). The film was released in North America as The Legend of Drunken Master in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lam Sai-wing</span>

Lam Sai-wing was a Hung Gar martial artist. He was a student of the Chinese martial artist, acupuncturer and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung.

Casanova Wong, is a Korean film actor and martial artist born in 1945 Gimje, South Korea. An expert in tae kwon do, he is a leg-fighter, and is well known for his spin kicks and was nicknamed "The Human Tornado" in the Republic of Korea Army. He made many appearances in martial arts movies but is most remembered for his role as Cashier Hua in Warriors Two, where he starred alongside Sammo Hung, with whom he worked several times. Other films included Story of Drunken Master and Rivals of the Silver Fox. One of Wong's last notable movie appearances was as Kang-ho in the 1994 Korean movie Bloody Mafia.

<i>Warriors Two</i> 1978 Hong Kong film

Warriors Two is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts film written and directed by Sammo Hung, who also co-stars in the film. The film stars Bryan Leung, Casanova Wong and Fung Hak-on. Leung plays the character of the historical figure, Leung Jan, a well-known early practitioner of the Wing Chun style of kung fu. Leung's association with Wing Chun can be considered as the equivalent of Wong Fei-hung's association with the Hung Gar style.

<i>A Man Called Hero</i> 1999 Hong Kong film

A Man Called Hero is a 1999 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Andrew Lau. It is loosely based on the manhua series Chinese Hero: Tales of the Blood Sword by Hong Kong artist Ma Wing-shing. It won the 1999 Golden Horse Award for Best Visual Effects.

Wang Kuan-hsiung was a Taiwanese actor who was a well-known and popular leading man in the kung fu film genre of the 1970s and 1980s.

So Chan, also known by his nickname Beggar So, was a Chinese martial artist and folk hero who lived during the late Qing dynasty. One of the Ten Tigers of Canton, he was best known for his drunken boxing.

Billy Chow Bei-lei is a Hong Kong-Canadian former professional kickboxer and actor. He competed in the Welterweight and Super Welterweight divisions from 1977 to 1992. He was the WKA Super Welterweight champion from 1984 to 1986, and retired with a professional record of 45-0-8.

Phillip Ko-fei was a Hong Kong based actor, screenwriter and film director.

Elton Chong was born in 1955 and is a Korean martial artist, action director, and actor. Elton Chong has mostly worked in South Korea with actors such as Eagle Han-ying, Casanova Wong, Michael Wong and Dragon Lee. While most of his work is with the director Kim Jeong Yong, Elton Chong often appeared in Godfrey Ho's movies, especially Hong Kong movies that were imported into Korea. He is perhaps best known for the movie Shaolin Drunken Monkey.

<i>The Lego Ninjago Movie</i> 2017 animated film

The Lego Ninjago Movie is a 2017 animated martial arts comedy film produced by Warner Animation Group, RatPac Entertainment, Lego System A/S, Lin Pictures, Lord Miller Productions, and Vertigo Entertainment, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Based on the toy/kit line of the same name, and TV show starring the same characters, it was directed by Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher, and Bob Logan from a screenplay by Logan, Fisher, William Wheeler, Tom Wheeler, Jared Stern, and John Whittington. It is the first theatrical film to be based on an original Lego property and the third installment in The Lego Movie franchise as well as its second spin-off. The film stars the voices of Dave Franco, Michael Pena, Kumail Nanjiani, Abbi Jacobson, Zach Woods, Fred Armisen, Justin Theroux and Olivia Munn, as well as a live-action role by Jackie Chan. The film focuses on a teenage ninja Lloyd Garmadon, as he attempts to accept the truth about his sinister father and learn what it truly means to be a ninja warrior as a new threat emerges to endanger his homeland.

Chui Chung-San was a Hong Kong actor, director, choreographer, martial artist and stuntman. He was known for being an action director and stuntman. Chui was known for films such as The Rebellious Reign, Kung Fu Vs. Yoga, Two Fists Against the Law and 7 Grandmasters; as well as other various Taiwanese television shows.

References

  1. ↑ "Ninja Terminator (1985)". British Film Institute . Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  2. 1 2 "How Did This Get Made?". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-06-04.
  3. ↑ Budnik, Daniel R. (2017). '80s Action Movies on the Cheap: 284 Low Budget, High Impact Pictures. McFarland & Company. pp. 122–123. ISBN   9781476626871.
  4. ↑ Vorel, Jim; Sinacola, Dom (2015-01-29). "The 100 Best Martial Arts Movies of All Time". Paste . Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  5. ↑ Ashurst, Sam (2009-08-10). "Ninja Terminator (1985)". Total Film . Retrieved 2017-06-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.