DanTheMan 2
Marking the true turning point when Cannon Films would become the Cannon Films I know and love, Enter the Ninja is a beautifully insane concoction of B-movie buttery goodness. Part camped-up comedy gold, part genuinely thrilling actioner, the film wastes no time in making ninjas look unbelievably awesome. Granted, there are a lot of moments of spoon-feeding us the lowdown on ninjutsu, but there are too many goofy one-liners and honest sincerity in its heart for me to hold that against it, given this was the film that kicked ninjas into the mainstream. So much of what Menahem Golan brings to the table creates a truly wild experience filled to the brim with boundless energy and corny, nonsensical fun with a suitably funky soundtrack in tow. The narrative is consistently engaging and easy to follow, although the love triangle subplot involving alcoholism, impotence and betrayal might be one of the most demented additions to a film like this. Franco Nero is about as handsome a man as has ever existed, oozing with action star charisma from behind his bushy moustache; it makes you forget just how implausible he should be as the film's hero, although the film is stolen by the explosive intensity of Sho Kosugi, despite his limited screentime in comparison to both Nero and a delightfully villainous Christopher George. Though The Octagon had laid the groundwork, Enter the Ninja does more, establishing the familiar onscreen presence of Ninjas for decades to come. Yes, it's daft, it's fun, but that's Cannon for you, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
11/10/25
Full Review
Jens B
Franco Nero has done it: After years of training in Japan, he can now officially(?) call himself a ninja! In the Philippines, he visits his old Vietnam buddy, who's having trouble with hook-handed Zachi Noy and his boss/supervillain Christopher George, who has hired a gang of ninjas. Franco Nero now has to beat them all to pieces...
Average early Cannon fun, never too crazy, but also never too boring, with a good cast and simply entertaining.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
09/30/25
Full Review
Ola G
Cole (Franco Nero), a mercenary and veteran of the Namibian War of Independence, completes his ninjutsu training in Japan. Cole goes to visit his war buddy Frank Landers and his wife of two years, Mary Ann Landers (Susan George), who are the owners of a large piece of farming land in the Philippines. Cole soon finds that the Landers are being repeatedly harassed by Charles Venarius, the wealthy CEO of Venarius Industries, in order to get them to sell their property because, unbeknownst to them, a large oil deposit is located beneath their land. Cole thwarts the local henchmen Venarius has hired to bully and coerce the Landers. Cole and Frank infiltrate Venarius' base, and defeat a number of his henchmen. In the aftermath, Frank gets drunk and confesses to Cole that he is impotent. Mary Ann comes to Cole that night and they have an affair. Venarius, learning that Cole is a ninja, hires a ninja of his own to eliminate Frank and Cole - Hasegawa (Sho Kosugi), who is a rival of Cole from their old training days...
In a contemporary review, Robert Brown of the Monthly Film Bulletin gave the film a negative review, stating that it "seems singularly lacking in even the commercial ingredients that made Enter the Dragon such a successful showcase for the Kung Fu genre". Brown commented that Golan "never seems to have decided which genre he was exploiting, and ended up mistakenly crossing romantic drama with martial arts". A review by Hubert Niogret in the French film magazine Positif found the film's only purpose was to create a commercial project that was only popular for less demanding audiences and was only popular in the summer in France where there was little competition for quality cinema. Richard Harrington of The Washington Post wrote that the "plot limps along looking for convenient excuses for Ninjas to enter into brawls", noting that "none of the reasoning, acting or dialogue is particularly bright much less believable" while "the best directing in the film comes from fight choreographer and ex-karate champion Mike Stone, who obviously gets his kicks in". From a retrospective review, Donald Guarisco of AllMovie stated that film was a "pretty lackluster affair". Guarisco also commented on Franco Nero that it "looks uncomfortable as the ninja expert and fails to perform convincingly during the fight scenes" and that Susan George was wasted as the damsel in distress. Although noting a large amount of fighting scenes in the film, he felt that they did not have skillful choreography and sharp editing to make them visceral for the film. (Via Wikipedia)
I remember this film's cover art vividly back in the 80´s, but I cannot recall if I did see it back then. I don't think so, and now it was time to have a look at this martial arts film. It's clear that Franco Nero is not all that comfortable in this role as a ninja and it's also clear that he only does the close up scenes when he does put on the ninja costume, creating a pretty wobbly performance. I agree with Robert Brown of the Monthly Film Bulletin saying Menahem Golan "never seems to have decided which genre he was exploiting, and ended up mistakenly crossing romantic drama with martial arts". The end product is just a mix of genres that hardly satisfies considering the title of the film. The lovely Susan George just becomes a damsel in distress and her appearance is wasted. And Sho Kosugi does his best of being the bad ninja. "Enter The Ninja" is just a B-movie that might excite someone on a nostalgic level having seen it back in 1981, but not for someone else.
Trivia: The film began a craze of ninja-themed Hollywood films during the early 1980s and was the first film in Cannon Films' Ninja Trilogy, an anthology series which includes Revenge of the Ninja (1983) and Ninja III: The Domination (1984). The film launched the career of Sho Kosugi, who went on to play the leading role in both the film's sequels, while also starring in other 1980s ninja-themed films and television shows such as The Master (1984). (Via Wikipedia)
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
07/06/25
Full Review
CodyZamboni Z
Ultra lame, Boring action scenes, A waste of talent, Only spark is Sho Kosugji,
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
02/08/25
Full Review
Andrew M
Excellent martial arts exhibition in this film.
Comedic beyond anything I have ever seen in a martial arts movie, especially anything involving Mr. Parker.
The movie does not have an American feel which I find most interesting since Ninjas were such an American obsession when the film was made.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
10/11/24
Full Review
Alexander B
It had terrible fight choreography especially from the lead character who I could tell was not a martial artist. The special effects were pretty bad even for the time. It did have some funny moments but they weren't intentional. The villian was a good martial artist so he should have been the main character.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
04/12/23
Full Review
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