New York Ninja Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

New York Ninja Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 5, 2021

The story of “New York Ninja” is remarkable. Director/star John Liu elected to bring his martial arts mastery to America in 1984, looking to capitalize on the growing hunger for ninja product during the decade. He was handed a small budget and a limited crew, setting out to create an action bonanza in the big city. However, things didn’t go as planned, and cash ran out, leaving the mostly shot feature on a shelf for decades, abandoned by its creator. In 2020, Vinegar Syndrome got their hands on film cans, launching a mission to make sense of silent footage shot 36 years ago. Instead of trying to decode Liu’s original vision (an impossible task), the company decided to create an updated version of “New York Ninja” using dubbing and editorial puzzling, emerging with a celebration of Liu’s cinematic enthusiasm, reviving 1984 butt-kicking for 2021 audiences.

John (John Liu, revoiced by Don “The Dragon” Wilson) is eager to celebrate news of his wife’s pregnancy, but the party is ruined by her murder at the hands of vicious gangs controlling the city. Abductions are at an all-time high, with the Plutonium Killer (revoiced by Michael Berryman) out to collect young women for a human trafficking ring. Frustrated by crime and police inaction, John becomes the New York Ninja, setting out to accomplish what Detective Williams (revoiced by Leon Isaac Kennedy) refuses to do, shadowing reporter Randi (revoiced by Linnea Quigley) as she investigates the source of urban horror.

“New York Ninja” is “re-directed” by Kurtis M. Spieler, who takes on the herculean task of making a movie out of a movie that’s already made. Left with reels of footage, Spieler embarks on a quest to make some sense out of Liu’s original vision. And when that doesn’t work, he creates his own picture, shaping a story out of John’s thirst for revenge, becoming a vigilante for a city that needs all the help it can get. John becomes a Clark Kent-ish character, working with Randi as a soundman before slipping away to do New York Ninja business, and there’s certainly a lot of that in the feature, which is action-packed as Liu oversees numerous, loosely choreographed sequences of combat, including an especially strange scene of hunting, finding the Ninja on roller skates, slapping baddies down while speeding along the sidewalk.

Liu isn’t a master moviemaker, and his taste for broadness is present throughout “New York Ninja,” which gets fairly goofy as actors offer massive reactions to minor incidents, and there’s a distinct genre path for the story with the Plutonium Killer, who feeds on glowing green energy and hates sunlight. The feature isn’t a refined piece of work, going cartoon more than a few times, but Spieler does a wonderful job reworking the material to fit a fresh narrative, creating momentum with John’s manhunt, which often finds him on rooftops and city streets to take care of business. The picture is also an outstanding portrait of the Big Apple as it was at the time, with Liu exploring neighborhoods, skylines, and marquees, giving those tuned out of the overall mayhem something to see.

New York Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Pulled from eventual destruction, "New York Ninja" lives again on Blu-ray, with the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) sourced from a 4K of the 35mm camera negative. The viewing experience is fresh and inviting, with detail especially valuable during NYC tours, preserving the time capsule fun of the endeavor's resurrection. Skin surfaces are exact, along with fibrous costuming, and urban distances remain dimensional. Colors are vivid, exploring the concrete jungle of the city, with its cooler blues and whites, while street signage offers striking hues. Period clothing delivers compelling primaries, and skintones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is fine and film-like. Source is in excellent condition.

New York Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix deals with dubbed performances, and vocal work is crisply defined, exploring different dramatic approaches. Scoring supports with authority, offering sharp instrumentation with synth surges and snappy percussion, providing fullness. Sound effects register as intended.

New York Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1

• Intro (2:02, HD) offers initial thoughts and a project overview from Vinegar Syndrome's Kurtis M. Spieler.

• Commentary features Kurtis M. Spieler.

• "Re-Enter the 'New York Ninja'" (48:44, HD) is a sizable documentary on the creation of the lost martial arts picture. Authors Chris Poggiali and Grady Hendrix provide some background information on director/star John Liu, who made a name for himself as a master of flexibility, with the ability to "super kick" his onscreen enemies. Liu's early career achievements are noted, along with the international appeal of his endeavors, which eventually made their way to America. Distribution executive Arthur Schweitzer, editor Jim Markovic, makeup effects artist Carl Moreno, and actress Adrienne Meltzet examine the creation of "New York Ninja," finding Liu trying to pull off an action movie with a tiny crew and no money, using guerrilla filmmaking techniques to complete his days around New York City. Losing funding, the footage was eventually caught up in bankruptcy woes. Decades later, a pallet of film cans was offered to Vinegar Syndrome, inspiring an idea to take the unfinished feature that didn't have sound and try to make sense of it. Company team Ryan Emerson, Ralph Stevens, Kurtis M. Spieler, Brandon Upson, and Brad Henderson went to work on a new version of "New York Ninja" without Liu (who's difficult to find these days), hoping to recapture the era-specific feel of the effort, including a voice cast than includes Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock, and Michael Berryman. Praise for the score (by Voyag3r) is also included.

• And a Trailer (1:27, HD) is included.

Disc 2

• "Re-Directing 'New York Ninja'" (18:33, HD) sits down with Vinegar Syndrome's Kurtis M. Spieler, who handled directorial duties for this reworking of the John Liu film. The interviewee explores the organization of the raw footage, which was freshly scanned and prepared for editorial analysis, with Spieler trying to spot slates to help make sense of it all. When that didn't work, plans for a different movie were made, inspiring Spieler to use a 1984 mentality to bring a new version of "New York Ninja" to life. Dialogue and dubbing are highlighted, along with scoring achievements.

• "Locations Unmasked" (13:59, HD) is a nicely edited overview of New York City spots where "New York Ninja" was filmed, hosted by Michael Gingold.

• Deleted Scenes (26:59, HD) presents lengthy shots and scenes from "New York Ninja," which are analyzed by project director Kurtis M. Spieler.

• B-roll and Outtakes (10:18, HD) is raw footage from the "New York Ninja" shoot, including stunt work, slates, cast and crew camaraderie, and general production atmosphere.

• Still Gallery (4:23) includes BTS snaps and a glimpse of a "New York Ninja" promotional button.

• "The Music of 'New York Ninja'" (10:43, HD) features interviews with Voyag3r, who provided the score for "New York Ninja." Members Steve Greene, Aaron Greene, and Greg Mastin walk through the creative process, also detailing their fondness for the subgenre.

• Original Sizzle Reel (9:27, SD) is a VHS copy of footage used to help raise money to finish the film.

New York Ninja Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Cannon Films and Troma Entertainment had a baby, it would be "New York Ninja." What Liu originally captured in 1984 is crude but feisty, with the production eventually graduating to more reckless stunt work to provide a worthy finale. What Spieler does is rework it all in a compelling way, offering a fresh approach that respects production elements from the 1980s (including synth scoring) while working with 2020 tools to liven up an abandoned project. It's a fun viewing experience, but it's also a fascinating one as Vinegar Syndrome pulls off an unusual production challenge with infectious enthusiasm.