Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

Enter the Ninja Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 7, 2023

Menahem Golan's "Enter the Ninja" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

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 Ninjutsu, 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, Enter the Ninja arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

This release is sourced from the same older MGM master that has been licensed to various boutique labels around the world. (For example, this Region-B release from Eureka Entertainment was sourced from it as well). Kino Lorber's original release from 2015 was sourced from it as well.

So, what is different now? This time, the encode has properly set gamma levels and a higher bitrate. (This release uses a dual-layer disc, the previous release uses a single-layer disc). Unfortunately, the master is quite weak and the adjustments do not produce any meaningful improvements in quality. Indeed, the entire film still looks quite soft and flat. Contrast is routinely very underwhelming as well. In wider shots, like this, there is simply not enough proper detail, so on a larger screen various areas of the film do not have a convincing organic appearance. Color reproduction is average at best. While some primaries are acceptable, supporting nuances are disappointing. Darker areas where shadow nuances are important can be especially problematic. Finally, it is very easy to spot various tiny nicks, blemishes, and stains. All in all, Enter the Ninja needs to be properly remastered at least in 2K so that it looks as it should on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

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. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

While there are no serious anomalies to report, I feel that a brand new remastering job would make it stronger. Why? There are some areas with quite a bit of action that sound a bit anemic, which is how it becomes easy to tell that the current master was prepared some years ago. If you turn up the volume enough, you will probably notice that the upper register is not quite as solid as it could be. Again, there is nothing that may negatively affect your viewing experience, but the audio can be healthier and more attractive.

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

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. These guys routinely do commentaries on various cult and favorite action films, and I enjoy their enthusiasm and knowledge quite a lot. They routinely have very interesting comments about the era in which the films were funded and produced, their reception, and the impact they had on the careers of the directors and actors that made them. This commentary offers the same format. There are plenty of very interesting -- and true -- observations about the history of the ninja films, some clichés they used and other clichés they created, the type of action fans expected from them, etc. Also, there are a few interesting clarifications about the locations that are seen in Enter the Ninja and how some reappeared in popular cult films produced by Roger Corman, as well as Menahem Golan's failure to understand the world of ninja.

• Trailer - presented here is an original U.S. trailer for Enter the Ninja. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

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

Kino Lorber's reissue of Enter the Ninja offers a different but still underwhelming technical presentation of the film because it is sourced from the same weak old master that was used to produce the original release in 2015. However, there is a predictably good new audio commentary on it from critics Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. If you decide to pick it up, it will have to be for the audio commentary.