Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9658 in VHS
• Released on: 1994-07-07
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Formats: Color, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Customer Reviews

Great Movie!
This movie was inadvertently recommended to me by Amazon (probably because I bought a couple of Jackie Chan flicks)and immediatly I was transported back to 1984 when I used to watch this on HBO after school. I must've seen it about 30 times when it was on then. So I preordered without question when it came out on DVD about a year and a half ago. Sho Kosugi is amazing! I couldn't believe I never sought these films out sooner (me being a huge Bruce Lee & martial arts films fan). The acting is pretty laughable but what martial arts film has GOOD acting? The music wasn't bad and I loved the theme that played while Cho (Sho Kosugi) was breaking the seal on his Ninja katana in the temple. That scene to this day sends chills up my spine. I got a good laugh out of how Bradon (the evil masked Ninja) had so many weapons on him, including a life sized decoy of himself! Even the Indian from Grizzly Adams fame made a cameo as one of the mob boss' goons. The biggest laugh of all was the gang in the playground. An unlikely group consisting of a biker, a martial arts thug, a cowboy, and a jive soul brother! YMCA anyone? LOL! The blond floozie was a waste of space... As Cho said, I think she forgot her pants. And who can forget the acrobatic Oba-san (granny?) The fight scenes and use of the Ninja weapons made the film.
Not much on extras as there's just the theatrical trailer. It's in mono and panscan. Would've been nice in widescreen but what can you do? It's a B movie...
Now all they have to do is release the other movies on DVD like Enter the Ninja and Ninja III: The Domination.

Finally - the ultimate ninja film arrives on DVD
Anyone who, like me, grew up watching this film will be celebrating at long last a DVD release, which is well overdue.

The best news of all, is that for the first time ever, we are getting the most complete cut of the film to be released. Previous home VHS releases in the USA have had numerous scene cuts and it's even worse in the UK, where whole sections were cut out. However, the restrictions on film violence have changed over the years which means that for this DVD release, everything is in. By that I mean, the shuriken fighting, the face injuries, the nunchakus, even the ridiculous blood spurt at the end - all in.

Whether these improve the film is debatable - but for Sho Kosugi and martial arts fans - at least we are now getting the whole picture.

The DVD features the original trailer - which contains yet more scenes that would never make the final cut - and are forever lost. Although the DVD is light on extras, it does present the film with a very crisp and wonderful newly mastered DVD print - everything looks better than ever before.

It's still silly. But it happens to be the best ninja film ever made, and Sho Kosugi's finest hour. A must-see that goes into the collection with the Bruce Lee epics.

This ninja film is very good, but is now an edited version!
When I first saw this film on HBO back in the 80's, I loved it. But I have rented this film many times on the video version, and up to four gory scenes were edited out. It was very irritating. There is a scene where a ninja takes out two mafia guys, by cutting one of the guy's arm off, and this scene is now cut out. I really hope these four scenes are put back in if this film makes it to DVD.