Enter The Ninja (1981)

Every Friday we recommend a new movie for you to watch over the weekend. Hopefully something you've never seen, always something good.

The last few years have been pretty disgraceful in the world of the ninja. No longer are they the deadliest of assassins but now are mocked openly along side pirates and wizards. The ninja is an obvious costume choice, not a deadly threat. So lets go back to the ninja glory days (the 80’s) where America was just coming accustom to the ninja lifestyle, which was ripe for exploitation.

After training in the sacred art of the Ninja, Cole gets a telegram from an old army buddy deep in the Philippines. What was supposed to be a reunion amongst old friends soon turns sour as the resident industrialist wants to buy all the land and wont take no for an answer. Do not be confused; this is some SERIOUS NINJA SHIT. We got red ninjas, white ninjas and black ninjas! We got throwing stars, smoke bombs and blowguns! We’ve got secret oaths, and ninja commandments! I’m not exactly sure where the ninja aesthetic first came into pop culture but by the time Enter the Ninja was made, it feels pretty set in stone. Every ninja wears pretty much the same exact outfit (different colors) and is about as stereotypical as you can get.

(as well as some awesome deaths!)

There are some great characters in the film and, surprisingly, some good acting! My two favorite dudes include the troll-like boss with a hook for a hand and Dollars, the resident pornographer and religious artifact salesman

(I call him Hooker The Troll Man)

(On this side we got the crosses, and this side.... wait, who buys cut out porno?)

After Enter the Ninja a lot of shitty straight to video ninja movies came out. At first glance the covers look awesome and you think, “Ninja movie? Why not!”  but the reality is extremely boring. 90% of them are just white dudes in ninja outfits running around with no story, no characters and no hot girls. Enter the Ninja is still Ninja exploitation but it takes the genre a step further by incorporating some (and I do mean SOME) quality film making by director Menahem Golan (The Apple, The Delta Force, and Over the Top). Frank Nero also does a pretty fine job as Cole, the vet ninja!

While Enter the Ninja isn’t a Facemelting Film it’s an import one because it’s the first in a great trilogy. Return of the Ninja and Ninja III: The Domination are the sequels which blow the first one away. As far as Ninjasplotation goes, Enter the Ninja ain’t half bad! IMDB Enter the Ninja HERE Buy Enter the Ninja HERE