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Starring
:
Conan
Lee
Hiroyuki
Sanada
Tai
Po
Hwang
Jang Lee
Kam
Lung
Action
:
Yuen
Kwai
Meng
Hoi
Producer
:
Ng
See Yuen
Director
:
Yuen
Kwai
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NINJA
IN THE DRAGON'S DEN (1982)
A.K.A.
- Knight And Warrior; Ninja Warriors
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
Having
catapulted Jackie Chan to superstardom with 'Snake
In The Eagle's Shadow' and 'Drunken
Master', far-sighted producer Ng See Yuen decided to look
for a fresh new face to hopefully follow a similar path. After
searching for an unknown to take the lead in his new
production, Yuen stumbled upon a Chinese-American named Lloyd
Hutchinson who not only had a commanding physique and good
martial arts ability, but could also act and had a certain
screen presence which could be cultivated in future. Renaming
the young actor 'Conan Lee' and teaming him with veteran
fight-choreographer Yuen Kwai, Ng See Yuen unleashed 'Ninja In
The Dragon's Den' on the unsuspecting Hong Kong public. Not
only did the results prove very successful in terms of
worldwide box-office revenue, but they also made Conan Lee a
star.
In
a familiar narrative that is given a slightly different edge,
Conan Lee plays a hot-headed young fighter who enjoys his
brand of harmless buffoonery in the local town without a care
in the world. This calm existence is put in danger when a
mysterious assassin targets Lee's adoptive father and will
seem to stop at nothing to achieve his goal. The assassin is
in fact a Japanese Ninja who is seeking revenge for his
father's death, a death a mistakenly lands on Lee's adoptive
father's shoulders. Naturally Lee decides to use his own
well-developed skills against the aggressor and, during a
series of confrontations, the two are well-matched. After
another misunderstanding, the two are thrown together in one
final battle; an ornate fight throughout a multi-floored
pagoda. As the epic encounter progresses, each of the
combatants begins to learn more about the other and the truth
behind the current series of events. Time to discus this in
depth is quickly put to one side though when the two must team
up against a formidable villain and his numerous lackies. All
is resolved in the film's blistering final reel.
As
was mentioned, 'Ninja In The Dragon's Den' takes a
conventional storyline and gives it a slightly unusual twist.
For years, Hong Kong cinema had pitted Chinese heroes against
Japanese foes, but here the two races are merely enemies
through a misunderstanding and the film's finale shows the
strength of their teamwork. The film will not specifically be
remembered for this pleasant twist however; for a martial arts
film, it must always be the action that makes or breaks the
reputation of the production. Fans of well-choreographed
action can rest assured that 'Ninja In The Dragon's Den' is
packed with a number of excellent fight scenes and gimmicky
encounters. Seeing a Chinese fighter against a Japanese Ninja
is something that audiences had enjoyed in Liu Chia Liang's
classic 'Heroes Of The East' and once again here the contrasts
in styles makes for highly entertaining viewing. The film does
suffer from an over-abundance of comedy even in some of the
film's serious moments, but this does not irritate to any
particular extent. Instead, 'Ninja In The Dragon's Den' stands
out as a fully-accomplished kung-fu comedy with superb fight
action. With an expected DVD release from Hong Kong Legends in
the near future, this is another necessary purchase for all
Hong Kong film fans.
Rating:
 
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