Shameless Pile Keeps on Growing: Shinobi

Today's quick find deserves its own post. When I visited a charity shop I found some regular DVD:s and then this box of awesomeness:

The box had only words Shinobi Heart Under Blade written in Latin alphabets. After checking what was inside I decided to take a risk although there was no mention about English subtitles. After all the price was only 3.50€ and Shinobi means ninja so it was an instabuy.

The movie was "Shinobi: Heart Under Blade" (2005) and it got quite good reviews. It seems that the movie is more in the vein of Hong Kong wuxia dramas, and less Sho Kosugi or Michael Dudikoff. Somewhere it was described as Romeo & Juliet with ninjas.

There are four DVDs:
1. The movie and trailers for other films (the movie has English subtitles. However the menus are in Japanese so navigating the menus takes a bit of trial and error.)
2. Iga Clan Bonus Disc containing making of featurette, premiere featurette (without subtitles), cast interviews and deleted scene.
3. Kouga Clan Bonus Disc containing featurette about effects, another premiere featurette, storyboard comparison, featurette about ninja weapons, another featurette about special effects, location featurette, TV spots and trailers.
4. Heaven music video by Ayumi Hamasaki.

The DVD holder was also pretty:

There was a lot of stuff in the box, a book, flyers and a smaller box full of cool stuff:

The book had pictures of the characters, locations and background information (in Japanese of course):

The box contained cards with pictures of cool ninjas, pretty ninja-girls and some mysterious characters:

Then there was a ninja-pouch with some mysterious ninja-powder and rubber-shuriken with suction cups:

There was also Iga Ninja Clan lapel pin

T-shirt and Kouga Ninja lapel pin are missing but I can't really complain considering that the full Shinobi Limited Premium Edition costs over 100€ in teh internets. All in all a nice and surprising find.

After digging up some information about the film I found out that it is based on Futaro Yamada's novel "The Kouga Ninja Scrolls." It has nothing to do with Ninja Scroll anime or series but it is closely related to anime-series "Basilisk" as both of them are based on the same book. I have "Basilisk" on DVD also but I haven't watched it:

Movie Review: 9 Deaths of the Ninja

9 Deaths of the Ninja a.k.a Nine Deaths of the Ninja a.k.a Deadly Warrior a.k.a American Ninja 

Crown International Pictures, USA, Philippines, 1985. 

1. Ninjas are agile and move at night & cats are agile and move at night. => Ninjas are cats.
2. Cats have nine lives => Cats die nine times.
Conclusion: Ninjas die nine times... Nine Deaths of the Ninja! 

Somewhere in the desert two American ninjas destroy a terrorist outpost. But it was just a drill to demonstrate DART teams strength. DART team are Spike Shinobi (Shô Kosugi), Steve Gordon (Brent Huff) and communications officer Jennifer Barnes (Emilia Lesniak). 

Spike Shinobi

Steve Gordon and Jennifer Barnes

In Philippines terrorists butch Honey Hump (Regina Richardson), questionable surgeon Dr. Wolf (Bruce Fanger) and nazi Alby 'The Cruel' Brant (Blackie Dammett)  kidnap bus full of tourists. Their intention is to free their always happy leader Mohammed Rahji (Sonny Erang) and drive away anti-drug operatives. Albert is like parody version of Dr. Strangelove. 

Alby 'The Cruel' Brant

Honey Hump

Mohammed Rahji

DART team investigates who leaked list of DEA agents to the terrorists. While investigating clues they meet midget assassins. Wut? Also one thug falls about 9 feet and dies. I guess he wasn't a cat. Meanwhile the terrorists have a polka party (!)

Kung fu midgets

Polka party!

Jennifer Barnes and Major Quirino (Vic Ordonez)

This a weird ninja film. Opening titles are a mix of James Bond- style titles mixed with martial arts film opening where a ninja practises his skills. Kosugi does the ninja stuff, fighting against some randomly appearing ninjas while Huff does the shooting. The characters and events are too absurd to this be taken as a serious action film. Impossible to know if this was supposed to be an action comedy imitating Roger Moore's Bond-films or did the absurdity just make it more comical than intended. On second thought they can not have been serious. Well it does not really matter. With bad acting, silly villains, wacky disguises and ninja gadgets this is hysterically entertaining bad film.

Also Shô Kosugi's sons Kane & Shane offer some backup to the heroes.

Shane & Kane Kosugi

Part of The 2016 Movie Watching Challenge (#8. Movie that has a cover you can use as a mask or "movieface")

Rating: So bad it is good

Starring: Shô Kosugi, Brent Huff, Emilia Crow (as Emilia Lesniak), Blackie Dammett, Regina Richardson, Vijay Amritraj, Lisa Friedman, Kane Kosugi, Shane Kosugi, Bruce Fanger, Sonny Erang, Aiko Cownden, Jennifer Crumrine, Helen McNeely, Protacio Dee, Judy Wilson, Joji Nagai, Ken Watanabe, Vic Ordonez, Lea Navarro, Ric Segreto, Ron Milhench, Jacques Gervais, Warren McLean, Susan Meyer, Sam Lombardo, Nancy Keaton, James Crumrine, Emebet Aigaz, Des Ayallew, Cynthia Villa-Abrille, Henry Strzalkowski, Ann Milhench, Chantal Manz, Marina Miatke, Allen Beatson, Mike Alejandrino, Timoteo Bismark, Kess Burias, Carissa Carlos, Imelda Dominguez, Gina Valenciano, Mabeth Webb, Lani Fernando, David Brass, John Ladalski, Louie Senn 

Director: Emmett Alston

Movie Review: Ninja Dragon

Ninja Dragon

IFD Films and Arts Limited, Hong Kong, 1986. 

International crime lords play poker with banker and ninja master Gordon (Richard Harrison). Bank always wins so Gordon wins lots of properties. The crime lords want revenge. Tiger Kwok (Shut Chung-Tin) plans the assassination of Gordon's business partner Ronald. 

International crime lords

Ninja master Gordon

Tger Kwok

Tiger Kwok goes to Shanghai Triad Godfather's wake (so Ronald was the Godfather). He vows revenge (although he arranged the murder). Godfather has two daughters Phoenix (Lily Lan Yu-Li) and Fanny (?) who will take over the Godfather's businesses. Gordon asks Dragon (Chang Kuo-Chu) to help the daughters restore their power. Paul (Paulo Tocha) and Fox (Miao Tian) are trying to gain advantage so Dragon must stop them. 

Dragon

Paul (Paulo Tocha)

Phoenix and Fanny

Dragon arrives just in time when goons of Fox are trying to kill the sisters. Then Dragon goes to Godfather's funeral. Also Fox goes to the funeral to bring flowers. Tiger plans to kill Dragon and take over the leadership of the gang (however no one does not notice anything fishy even when Tiger shows his unreliability several times). 

Fox Chan

Ninja Camo!

Triad warfare

Then we see ninja (Richard Harrison) training in camouflage suit (the evil ninjas wear red). Little pickpocket kid steals Dragon's keys and foils assassination attempt. The captured killer then bashes his own face so he can't be recocgnized. Gordon starts his own war against Paul and his gang. Fox wants to take over Phoenix's turf. After Dragon foils another attempt to assasinate Phoenix, the mobsters kill Dragon's girlfriend. Dragon does not notice anything. Lots of scheming, murders and ninja battles ensue.

Sword training

Godfrey Ho films are made by cutting scenes from different movies and inserting some new footage. This film is an uneasy mash-up of unknown Taiwanese triad gangster epic "Dark Trap" and ninja film. Also the music is "loaned" from other films, at least music from "Dune" was used here. The IFD Film opening logo uses music from "Star Wars". 

Ninja workout

The plot is confusing mess. It is hard to figure out who is on whose side. The dubbing is hilariously awful. Mob boss Paul's (Paulo Tocha a.k.a Bruce Stallion) fake cockney accent cracked me up every time he appeared on screen. The action ranges from Hong Kong gunplay to ninja action where ninja suits and weapons appear magically from thin air. Although the repetitiveness and brutality of the original "Dark Trap" take away some of the wackiness, it is narrowly so bad it is good. 

Rating: So bad it is good 

Starring: Richard Harrison, Paulo Tocha, Chiang Tao, Pierre Tremblay, Suen Kwok-Ming, Chang Kuo-Chu, Shut Chung-Tin, Lily Lan Yu-Li, Lau Yin-Fong, Wang Hsieh, Miao Tian, Cheung Chung-Kwai, Chen Yan-Yan, Melvin Pitcher, Cheung Yiu-Sing, Man Man, Cheung Bo-Sin, Lo Dik, Liu Wai, Chiang Chi-Ping, Lam Gwong-Chun, Yung Shun-Hing, Choi Chung-Chau, Freya Patrick, Martin Lee, Konrad Chang, Jean Tang, Mason Shin, Billy Pang 

Director: Godfrey Ho

Movie Review: Samurai Fiction

Samurai Fiction (Esu Efu Samurai Fikushon)
Starring:  Morio Kazama, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Tomoyasu Hotei, Tamaki Ogawa, Mari Natsuki, Taketoshi Naitô, Kei Tani, Fumiya Fujii, Naoyuki Fujii, Ken Osawa, Hiroshi Kanbe, Ryôichi Yuki, Akiko Monô, Taro Maruse, Ramo Nakajima, Ryô Iwamatsu, Shôgo Suzuki, Piêru Taki 

Director: Hiroyuki Nakano 

Pony Canyon Inc., Jungle, Digital Garage, Future Pirates Inc. Peacedelic Studio, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Rentrak Japan Co. Ltd., Japan, 1998. 

In 1696 Feudal Japan Heishiro Inukai (Mitsuru Fukikoshi) is a son of samurai. Samurai Kazamatsuri (Tomoyasu Hotei) is given duty to guard a sword given to Nagashima clan by Shogun Tokugawa. Kazamatsuri steals the sword. Heishiro's father Kanzen (Taketoshi Naitô), who is one of the clan's leaders, does not think Heishiro is not yet ready to be a samurai because he is short tempered. Heishiro goes after Kazamatsuri against his father's wishes. 

Heishiro Inukai

Kazamatsuri

Kanzen Inukai

When Heishiro leaves with two friends Tadasuke Kurosawa (Ken Osawa) and Shintarô Suzuki (Naoyuki Fujii), father sends two ninjas to protect him. They cause more harm than help and Heishiro is badly wounded by Kazamatsuri. Old samurai Hanbei Mizoguchi (Morio Kazama) and his daughter Koharu (Tamaki Ogawa) heal him. Meanwhile Kazamatsuri visits Lady Okatsu's (Mari Natsuki) gambling house. Heishiro recovers and trains with a wooden sword. There is a budding romance between Heishiro and Koharu, which causes manga-style nosebleed jokes. This middle part looks like an old samurai-movie with soundtrack changing to more traditional style tunes. At this point the film has loses its pace before returning to the main story. 

Lady Okatsu

Hanbei Mizoguchiand Koharu

Heishiro and Koharu

The film pays homage to the style of the old black & white samurai classics, but with Tomoyasu Hotei's surf rock soundtrack. And this was one of the films that Tarantino took ideas for Kill Bill- movies, most recognisable  are the battle scenes behind colourful screens. The sword-fights are not bloody, but the screen flashes red when someone is killed. 

Tomoyasu Hotei is Toshiro Mifune- style cool anti-hero. Morio Kazama is overly polite sword-master. There are funny supporting chatracters such as way-too-too old ninja Kagemaru (Kei Tani). Also Mari Natsuki makes a good performance as a leader of dimwit Yakuza-clan. 

Kagemaru

There are some Zatoichi references and the stolen sword was from Toshiro Mifune's collection. Heishiro's friends are named Tadasuke Kurosawa (Ken Osawa) and Shintarô Suzuki (Naoyuki Fujii), possibly referencing to Akira Kurosawa, Shintaro Katsu and Seijun Suzuki. Old samurai's name Hanbei Mizoguchi refers to Kenji Mizoguchi. Ninja Akakage refers to 60s ninja-series "Kamen no Ninja Akakage" and Ninja Hayabusa possibly to "Ninja Gaiden" video games and Ninja Kagemaru to movie "Iga no Kagemaru". 

Ninjas!

Zatoichi doppelganger

Although the movie starts well and has good cinematography throughout, it still has the flaws of many modern Japanese action films: dragging middle part where not much interesting happens.

Rating: Good