Ninja III: The Domination 4K 1984

The 1980s marked the dawn of the era of Hollywood martial arts films. Of course, in the US, films of this genre were commercialized, and their contribution to the overall treasure trove of cinema is highly questionable, unlike Asian films of this category. However, from time to time, you succumb to flashes of nostalgia, rummage through video cassettes that have lost their former significance, and find among them copies that take you back to the fairy-tale world of ignorance that there are films that are an order of magnitude higher and more refined. In other words, you simply find a film from your childhood. And an unknown force compels you to watch it, despite a premonition of disappointment, because you are no longer the same age. But no matter what, less than five minutes later, you are already sitting in front of the TV with a naive smile, trying to analyze your once-beloved film in your own, now familiar, manner.

So, the plot and script. To say that the plot is simple is to say nothing at all. There are no interesting plot twists or unexpected denouements to be found here. Moreover, the filmmakers borrowed a number of ideas from existing films (The Exorcist stands out here). It feels like the Hollywood guys just decided to rip off scenes from other ninja movies, mix them with absurd mysticism, and pass it off as an original idea. This begs the question of whether the script was written by a first-year student at a second-rate college, who started writing it after a three-day party and finished it half an hour before the deadline, for which he received a C-minus and was satisfied. Plot holes, vague dialogue, empty actions, and predictable storytelling are all direct evidence of the above.

Direction. The fight scenes are extremely ridiculous. Even if you compare it to Sam Forstenberg's previous film, Ninja Revenge, in which similar scenes are staged at a decent level, you can't help but wonder: why did it turn out so bad here? Why couldn't they learn from their previous experience? I'm not even going to analyze the scenes with “exorcism.” But the atmosphere... Perhaps the atmosphere of those years, which serves as the backdrop for the main action (dance aerobics, slot machines, music), is the main merit of the film.

The acting. It's quite obvious that it's pointless to expect any kind of meaningful acting from the actors in a film like this. Se Kosugi didn't even make the slightest effort to carry this film. Although he could have. His previous films are proof of that. Lucinda Dickie, who practically pushed Se out of the foreground, performed confidently, but still not convincingly. It's not her role. The other actors appeared sporadically and there were no bright characters among them.