ENTER THE NINJA
US, 1981, 91 minutes, Colour.
Franco Nero, Susan George.
Directed by Menahem Golan.
Enter the Ninja is a violent martial arts adventure with a strange mixture of credentials. An American production, it is directed by Israeli director Menahem Golan (Kazablan, Lepke, and the serious The Magician of Lublin). The film focuses on the Japanese Ninja but has them operating for an American multinational boss in the Philippines. The hero is any American - played by Italian Franco Nero. While the film is average martial arts enjoyment, it seems to suffer from the mixum-gatherum of its ingredients. The film focuses on Japan and its traditions of martial arts and their influence in America in the '70s - at least in the entertainment world. The film also has the ingredients for social criticism of the Philippines in the '70s - with echoes of the Vietnam war. The film however is the conventional martial arts confrontation between good and evil.
1. The popularity of martial arts films in the '70s and '80s? The American version? The influence of the Asian and Hong Kong films? Audience interest? Entertainment? Values?
2. The locations and settings: the United States, the contrast with the formal beauty of Japan and its violent arts? The contrast with the Philippines - plantations, multinationals, the towns? The meeting of East and West? Atmospheric score?
3. Audience expectations of the action: the hero and his training, his being hired to combat evil? The Ninja champion and his skills and confrontation with the hero? The background of social crisis, friendships, the villain and his power and use of martial arts henchmen? His defeat? Did the film have anything special to offer over the formula?
4. The plausibility of Franco Nero as Cole? Age, training? The introduction to Cole and his passing the qualifying tests for enrolment in the order of the Ninja? The skill in speed, alertness. accuracy of wounding opponents etc.? Audience interest in the initial tests? His going to the Philippines and his friendship with Frank and Mary-Ann? Frank's death? Mary-Ann? (and Susan George's southern belle style)? His encounter with the hoods. the barroom brawls etc.? His tracing the difficulties to company mogul Charles Venarius? The discovery of his rival, the evil Hasegawa? The burning of the village, the murder of Frank, the kidnapping of Mary-Ann?, the confrontation with Hasegawa at the old gymnasium, the killing of Venarius and his guards? The final fight and rescue of Mary-Ann? His moving away, having achieved his ambition? The wandering hero?
5. Christopher George as Venarius - the background of multinationals, offices, big buildings, oil deals? His bodyguards? His use of Ninja warriors? The oil ambitions? The unscrupulous violence? The confrontation with Cole and his death? An appropriate villain? Hasegawa as the evil Ninja, employed by Venarius, confronting Cole? The skill of the final confrontation? The embodiment of evil?
6. Mary-Ann? and her relationship with Frank. with Cole. being kidnapped, the nobility of her decision to hold the plantation in Frank's memory and as a confrontation of the multinational oil companies?
7. The appeal and skill of the action sequences?
8. The background of the Philippines and the criticism of the Marcos regime and its dealings in the '70s? Satisfying action adventure with the social touch?
