Born A Ninja / Commando The Ninja Blu Ray Review (Visual Vengeance)

Born a Ninja is a 1988 martial arts action film written, produced, and directed by Joseph Lai (Ninja Hunt, Golden Ninja Warrior, Ninja Operation: Licensed to Terminate, Ninja Kill, Ninja Commandments, Ninja Avengers, Cobra vs. Ninja, The Power of Ninjitsu, The Ninja Showdown, Ninja Strike Force, and Ninja Powerforce). It’s a sequel to 1988’s Commando the Ninja. When espionage, absurdity, and vanishing ninjas all collide. When unlikely heroes Larry (played by: Daniel Garfield from Commando the Ninja) and David (played by: Patrick Largent from Commando the Ninja, Team of Prodigies, and Power Kids) stumble onto a long-lost WWII germ formula created by the mysterious scientist Tanaka, they’re pulled into a deadly web of shadow warfare and secret assassins. On their trail is Simon, a merciless ninja enforcer working for the cold-blooded mastermind Martin, whose scheme threatens global catastrophe. Outnumbered and outmatched, Larry and David rely on nerve, instinct, and their own unconventional fighting discipline – Hocus Pocus, a martial art as unpredictable as it is lethal!!!! Commando the Ninja (aKa American Commando Ninja and Silent Killers) is a 1988 martial arts action film directed by Chi Lo. It was written by Stephen So (Fury in the Shaolin Temple, The Ninja Squad, Ninja Hunt, Hitman the Cobra, Hands of Death, and Ninja Commandments). It was produced by Godfrey Ho (Devil’s Daughter, Manhattan Chase, Undefeatable, Lethal Panther, Top Mission, Ninja Terminator, and Challenge of the Ninja) and Joseph Lai (Born a Ninja, Royal Destiny, Rings Untouchable, Kickboxer the Champion, Year of the Kingboxer, Kickboxer from Hell, Full Metal Ninja, Ninja Terminator, and Kickboxer King). Continuing the covert war over germ-warfare secrets more dangerous than ninja blades. Once again caught in a storm of espionage, double-crosses, and stolen science, Larry (played by: Daniel Garfield from Born a Ninja) and David (played by: Patrick Largent from Born a Ninja, Team of Prodigies, and Power Kids) find themselves facing more ruthless power brokers and endless waves of attackers. As the battle escalates, two fearless allies Becky and Brenda join the fight, driving the action toward an outrageous finale of acrobatics, ambushes, and full-blown ninja madness!!!! IFD Films was known for licensing movie or television material then turning it into own productions with their own footage added to it doing their creative re-edits over the years. In the 80’s, the ninja sub-genre was highly popular so these ambitious producers took advantage of the martial arts craze with their exploitation ways. The plots for this double feature are extremely incoherent and they are confusing at times but it’s adds to it’s unique WTF charm. Born a Ninja and Commando the Ninja might be two of the worst from IFD’s deep catalog of almost 140 over the top movies which includes Ninja Terminator. I feel like they both fall into the it’s so bad that it’s good category. Daniel Garfield as Larry and Patrick Largent as David were the dynamic duo in both independent action features. They weren’t your typical good guys or heroes in these types of martial arts productions, they somehow survived multiple dangerous scenarios as a team. Both of them have a decent presence to them with easy going chemistry. The rest of the supporting cast for this double feature includes Hung Kuan (City on Fire), Kelvin Wong (Police Story 3: Supercop), Wai Shum (Long Arm of the Law), Man Fei, Martin Chan, Lo Kei, Yolanda Kuk, Wallace Man, Willie Sun, Howard Wang, and Laura Yang. Born a Ninja and Commando the Ninja bother deliver on what you would expect from something like this. They are packed with enough violence, explosions, and action to satisfy any ninja fanatic. They feel very similar to each other so I’m not surprised that they ended up on the same home video release. Producer Godfrey Ho had no shame when it came to re-using footage over and over. He managed make something out of nothing despite it’s questionable quality. The dubbing is hilarious and it makes it even more interesting. This double feature is random as hell and I am completely down with it. No one is calling either Born a Ninja or Commando the Ninja good by any means but they are super fun to experience. I might be in the minority but I hope this inspires the 100+ batshit crazy ninja features get their own releases someday because of this and other wild stuff like Ninja Terminator!!!! Let’s discuss these high definition presentations and special features from Visual Vengeance in association with Wlld Eye Releasing! These 1080i (1.33:1) uncensored transfers from SD masters from the original tape elements. Both Born a Ninja and Commando the Ninja look a little rough but it honestly their exploitation/grindhouse vibes. I’ve seen them on older DVDs and this newer upgrade blows those away so it’s an improvement compared to the past. This is the best possible quality you’ll get for this ninja double feature. It has an English Dolby Digital 2.0 track on the disc. All of the action and randomness stand out when it comes to the audio. All of the dialogue is clean, the fights are elevated, and the music has a big boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has brand new exclusive “Audio Commentaries” for both movies with Justin Decloux from The Important Cinema Club. It has the little over 11 minute “The Essential Geoffrey Ho”. It’s a video essay dedicated to the exploitation and ninja producer. He goes over the controversial career of Ho. He breaks down some of his work and other stuff that was credited with his name on it that he really didn’t direct. It has the almost 12 minute “The Law Chi Touch”. It’s a video essay focusing on the director. He brings up that he was notorious for ripping off bigger movies but he had a long career doing it. He worked with no budgets but he was able to turn a profit on his knock offs over the years. It has the little over 8 minute “Interview” with actor Kwan Chung. He chats about his early career with movies and television. He answers a phone call in the middle of this which is kinda hilarious. He has a great memory and he tells some stories during this. It has the under a minute “Image Gallery”. It has the “Original” and “Visual Vengeance” Trailers. It has a variety of Visual Vengeance related “Trailers”. It comes with a slipcover, 2 different artworks underneath, a retro sticker sheet, and a 6 page booklet. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!