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Starring
:
Alexander
Lo Rei
George
Nicholas
Eugene
Thomas
Director
:
Dennis
Wu
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NINJA
IN THE U.S.A. (1988)
A.K.A.
- Ninja In The USA
Reviewed
by Phil Mills
During
the Vietnam war Tiger McPherson was a respected American
soldier and even managed to rescue two young children from
certain death. Over the years though, Tiger has turned
towards a more profitable career path and become one of the
biggest drug dealers in the US. Even though his
life has changed, one thing has remained constant and that is
his the friendship with the two boys he once saved who have
now become successes in their own rights. Ronnie is a
police officer in the narcotics unit whilst Jerry is living
the quiet life and about to get undertake the pledge of
marriage. When a film exposing Tiger's devious exploits
turns up in Jerry's possession, Tiger kidnaps his wife and
demands the film is returned to him. However, he didn't
count on Jerry's skill in the secret art of Ninjitsu and with
the help of Ronnie he sets out on a mission to rescue his
wife.
Alexander
Lo Rei continues his on-screen affair with the Ninja mythos
for this 80's actioner that takes the masked assassins into
American territory. Oddly enough though, in this
particular outing the Ninja exploits are restricted to the
finale but the lack of costumed antics actually proves to be a
plus. By removing some of the more bizarre mystical
elements, the film displays a distinctly Hong Kong style of
action that is fast paced and extremely entertaining. Lo
Rei demonstrates his impressive ability in the martial arts,
showcasing everything from acrobatics to weapon work in
several well choreographed fight sequences (which can be
spoilt by the cropping in the full screen DVD I saw).
The real downside to 'Ninja In The U.S.A.' is the direction as
even though the story is fairly simple to follow, the editing
is choppy and often interferes with some obvious continuity
elements. Therefore, 'Ninja In The U.S.A.' provides some
entertaining action but little more, and is not essential
viewing by any standards.
Rating:
 
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