Customer Reviews

Nine Deaths of the Ninja [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Sho Kosugi made some very entertaining Ninja movies in the '80s. This is NOT one of them. Perhaps you've seen "Enter the Ninja", "Revenge of the Ninja", or "Ninja III: The Domination"? Well, DON'T expect that level of quality from this film. The incomprehensible story is a waste of time. The sole enjoyable scene involves Sho fighting off four Kung-Fu midgets.

As for the DVD itself... Oh boy, how can I say this... It is simply the WORST looking AND sounding DVD I've ever bought. It is pan-and-scan and is frequently so DARK it is hard to tell what is going on. There are no extras, just chapter search. SPECIAL NOTE: To emphasize the shoddiness of this disc, I must point out something-- there was a scene where profanity had been bleeped out, making me wonder if they used the network TV version (the rating on the case says R, but it has obviously been altered).

My first viewing of "9 Deaths of the Ninja" came via a grainy, taped-off-cable Beta tape recorded years ago. The movie itself is a cheesy delight and required viewing for any true lover of bad cinema. This baby is bursting at the seams with deplorable acting (including what is unquestionably the WORST fake accent in film history), gratuitous nudity, wild kung-fu action sequences, and a threadbare plot that's both laughably absurd and impossible to follow. "Serious" martial arts fans who detest this movie need to get a clue: "9 Deaths of the Ninja" is without a doubt the most entertaining ninja film of the 80's.

Needless to say, when I discovered the film on DVD...I was overjoyed. No more endless tracking adjustments on my Beta machine! I promptly purchased the disc and headed home, eager to see a crisp version of one of my favorite obscurities.

Of course, this was all too good to be true. The Rhino reissue is tremendously edited, with ALL of the sleazy nudity removed from the print. This causes the film to be even more confusing and nonsensical than ever, as entire scenes are missing. Even more astounding is that certain scenes containing mild violence are removed, while the more graphic ones remain intact. Additionally, all swearing has been edited out (even though there was precious little to begin with). At one point the word "crap" is censored. Lame.

Even more insulting is the fact that the transfer is extremely muddy, rendering many scenes unwatchable. Truth be told, my 15-year-old Beta tape looks better than this.

As a consumer, I feel cheated. As a rabid "9 Deaths of the Ninja" fan, I feel heartbroken. The only thing saving this DVD from a one-star rating is the fact that, even in this lobotomized form, "9 Deaths of the Ninja" makes for an entertaining experience. It helps if you've never seen the film before and don't know what you're missing.

I'm not sure if the video version is censored, but I would recommend searching your local video store for a rental copy. Fans of trashy B-movies will not be disappointed. Stay away from the DVD, however. Even the low price can't justify this atrocity.

AS much as I want to agree with Mr. Jack Anderon's review of this movie, I can't, cuz I just dont get it! How could anyone who enjoyed Fried Green Tomoatoes like this movie?!? Actually I change my mind because a better question is how couldn't they!?!? This movie is Fantastic!! I do feel jipped though, because of all the Sho Kosugi movies that I know of, this maybe the only one I hadn't seen previously, so my first viewing was of the DVD version, which as I have read in other reviews, is highly cut up. But I feel the other reviewers do judge it a little too harshly, as this movie has some classic scenes of modern cinematography, Including: The Kung-Fu Midget Fight, The Sickly Guy Jumping Through A Table and Dying(?), and the mullet-ridden kung-fu dancing girls of the opening credits. Hopefully if the sales are enough, they will re-release some of the other Sho greats such as: Pray for Death (my Favorite), any of the Revenge or Enter the Ninjas, and.. well.. thats about it that i want, they already released Black Eagle, and thats about all I know of..

This movie is not only the worst ninja movie and Sho Kosugi movie ever made but it could possibly be the worst movie ever made in the history of cinema. We are talking Ed Wood territory here and beyond. This movie is amazing in its total badness. How these movies ever get made is beyond me.

This video was rented completely by mistake, but my friends and i ended up with the funniest film ever created. A ninja called Spike; midget mexican bandido ninjas; a lesbian guerrila psycho; a wheelchair bound Hitler wannabe; a man who can only communicate through laughter; a considerate henchman who replaces a helicopter door after it has been broken off; and perhaps the funniest dialogue ever written by man, woman or child. You know it's gonna be good when they try and rip off James Bond credits at the beginning, with Kosugi wielding his sword in the medium of dance. Words alone cannot tell you how good it really is. Everyone in the world must own a copy now. They should be given free at birth.

Alright, now listen up. This is one of the worst films ever created. It is also the funniest movie I own (next to Spaceballs). Everything about Nine Deaths of the Ninja is so bad that just when you think it can't possibly get any worse, it does. But oh my did I laugh watching it. If you like bad films at all, do yourself a favor and buy this movie. Take every single cliche about bad action movies, throw in a bunch of ninjas, add some laughable villains, and make sure to remove anyone who knows how to make a movie from the crew. Now you see how much fun this film is. Every character in the film is a one dimensional stereotype. The villains are pathetic, and the heroes are idiots. The dialogue is hilarious, and nobody can even deliver their lines correctly. Look, I'm the co-head of the Bad Movie Club at my school. I've seen plenty of bad movies, but Nine Deaths of the Ninja is hands down the funniest of them all. Care to argue? Email any other terrible movie titles to theaterofcheese@hotmail.com for consideration in our club.

I rented this movie to see Sho Kosugi and he was great in it!! the story is about an anti-terrorists group lead by sho kosugi. When a school bus of tourists is hijacked, the three anti terrorists must fnd out where they are and stop the terrorists from getting there demands meet. They want their leader, a pysco murder that is in prison, to be released. Only Sho and he two companions can stop him and free the hostages. In a action comedy that will have you on the edge of your seat, they set out through the jungle to find the terrorists hide out. With Sho leading the pack and using all his ninja skills to defeat the enemy the battle is on!!! If you are a Sho Kosugi fan, or just a martial arts fan you should go and see this. I thought it was a great movie, and Sho was so awesome!!!

This movie lacks the serious representation of the NINJA scene that chris farley brought us in the movie Beverley Hills Ninja. The action starts out fast paced but curved to the left just a little with the romantic subplot. The nude scene leaves little to the imagination, i almost made my little girl go to sleep without seeing the ending. But all in all this is the best we have seen from Emmett Alston. I recommend taking a look at this movie if you enjoyed Fried Green Tomatoes and Dirty Harry 1 through 3.

I'm an old die hard fan of Sho. This movie must have put him in sum serious bankruptcy. Not even close to Master Lee, but atleast Sho doesn't Chuck up the speed of the camera. I thought the renegade soldiers were the best actors. I treated myself to a very special dinner because I was able to finish the rest of the movie. I still have the DVD, WHY! because it was my first DVD and I thought about it. I've watched it once about a year ago and have forgotten how cheesey it is so, I think I'll watch it again to see what the cheesey plot was about, you know what...if they didn't waste their time making cheesey movies that only ptupid seople would buy they could give all this wasted money to the homeless.

The movie is an excellent piece of celluloid, yet this DVD version leaves much to be desired.