Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Enter the Ninja Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 13, 2017

Menahem Golan's "Enter the Ninja" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Cole

Note: Menahem Golan's "Enter the Ninja" is included in this double-feature release from Australian label Umbrella Entertainment.

Menahem Golan's Enter the Ninja is one of those films that are great to see very late at night. It relaxes you and then slowly makes you fall asleep. The best of these films were made during the late 1980s and early 1990s by small studios that no longer exist.

Franco Nero is Cole, an army veteran who has traveled to Japan and trained hard to become a ninja. After he receives a scroll that certifies him as Master of Ninjustu, Cole travels to the Philippines to visit Frank, an old friend who years ago saved his life. When they meet, Cole realizes that his friend has become an alcoholic and is on the verge of a serious nervous breakdown. Frank’s beautiful wife, Mary Ann (Susan George, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry), tells Cole why -- because a powerful local businessman (Christopher George, City of the Living Dead) has tried to force them to sell their property and the pressure has collapsed their marriage. Soon after, the businessman’s thugs appear, but Cole kicks them out and decides to extend his stay to protect his friend. Eventually, the businessman hires Cole’s rival from his training days in Japan, Hasegawa (Shi Kosugi, Black Eagle), to kill him and deal with everyone else that questions his authority.

There is a lot of enthusiasm in this film, but it isn’t enough to mask its mediocrity. The script, in particular, is very weak. There are so many questionable relationships and subplots that it would be a lot easier to name the few that actually make some sense. For example, it isn’t surprising that Frank’s beautiful wife quickly jumps in Cole’s bed. It also isn’t surprising that Hasegawa can’t stand Cole -- as a ninja he is absolutely appalling. The remaining elements of the story are basically all over the place and so incompatible that it is hard to believe that someone thought that they would actually work.

The real problem, however, is the quality of the acting -- it simply isn’t good enough. Indeed, these types of action films do not always require solid scripts, but they need the right actors that understand the project they are committing to and what is expected of them. In this film the wrong actors are asked to play the wrong characters. Nero, for instance, isn’t the right actor to play the veteran-turned-ninja. His body posture and especially the way he looks at his opponents would be far more appropriate for a reformed Italian gangster in a Fernando Di Leo film. Kosugi brings the right energy to the film, but because the atmosphere is so awkward it routinely looks like he is overreacting. (See the end of Cole’s training course). Then there is George whose character clearly wants to connect with someone that actually understands how she feels but instead is forced to look tough with a rifle that is way too big for her.

The action -- which is almost certainly the reason why you want to see the film -- is also average at best. There are a lot of loud sounds and noises that are used to enhance the intensity of the fights, but many of the supporting actors are too slow and too stiff to be taken seriously.

The editing is very uneven. There are many awkward cuts and transitions which create the impression that plenty of the footage was hastily put together.

Enter the Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Menahem Golan's Enter the Ninja arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same older master that Eureka Entertainment accessed and worked with when they prepared the British release of Enter the Ninja in 2016. I did some direct comparisons and I could actually spot the exact same blemishes and stains during select sequences. Obviously, the same basic limitations remain. While some of the daylight footage can look decent the darker/indoor conveys plenty of crushing; there is noticeable flatness and in some areas it is beyond obvious that existing details are in fact missing. Elsewhere highlights can quite inconsistent, causing anomalies that actually affect the integrity of the color scheme. Saturation and nuances should also be a lot better. The good news is that there are no traces of recent degraining or sharpening adjustments, but there are random halo effects and grain isn't properly exposed and resolved. Image stability is very good. Lastly, there are some minor dirt spots, a few flecks, and random tiny stains. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Enter the Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono). Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

I can only echo the comments that I left in our review of the Region-B release. It is pretty easy to tell that the audio has not been recently remastered because there is some unevenness that has a noticeable impact on fluidity. On the other hand, depth and clarity actually remain quite pleasing.

Enter the Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers - original trailer for Enter the Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

Enter the Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't think that Franco Nero was the right choice to play the ninja in this film. The whole thing looks very cheesy and not in a cool way. If you disagree with me and happen to be a fan of Enter the Ninja, take a look at this double-feature release from Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The other film that is included with it is Revenge of the Ninja.