When I was looking for a URL for my blog, I was disappointed and irked when I found out someone was squatting www.movieoftheweek.com. I didn't want to settle for a .net web address, but in my quest, I discovered the unique .ninja domain, and the rest is history.
Speaking of ninja, to this day, I still consider Revenge of the Ninja the greatest ninja movie ever made. Yeah, it's a B-movie, and some of the acting isn't exactly award-winning, but for a kid growing up in the '80s, it's one of the most extraordinary things ever, and no other ninja film I've seen so far has surpassed this movie.
Films about the mysterious Japanese assassins were prominent in the 1980s, and although revenge is a common theme in martial arts films, I think what makes Revenge of the Ninja a great movie is its solid screenplay and action sequences. Plus, the film's synthesizer score perfectly complements the movie.
Some of the action and fight scenes in Revenge of the Ninja may not be as fast by today's standards, but they're cool nevertheless, some of which were refreshingly new at the time. How many movies have you seen an old lady do martial arts fighting or a little boy wield a katana? I didn't think so.
An actual practitioner of ninjutsu, Sho Kosugi is not only the star of Revenge of the Ninja, he also choreographed the fight sequences. His son in real life, Kane, is also featured in the film. Incredibly, the movie's director, Sam Firstenberg, had no prior experience directing action films.
I've always wanted to see an epic movie entirely about ninjas from the Edo period of Japan, some of whom were female (kunoichi). Hollywood, are you listening?! In the meantime, Revenge of the Ninja has become a cult classic and is a must-see for martial arts fans, and as good as it is, I wouldn't mind seeing it get remade.
Comments
Post a Comment