The Best Ninja movie

Enter the Ninja and Revenge ofthe Ninja, both starring Sho Kosugi, who actually has a background in ninjutsu are good as well, but I agree, "The Octagon" is a classic!

I like The Octagon. I remember watching it back in the 80’s and I had been waiting for it to come out on dvd. The dvd is great, and the extra’s are interesting. However, the production values in this movie are hit and miss, some scenes drag on way long, and the directing could have been better in places. I do like that we can hear Chuck with is thoughts in echoing voice-over and think his performance in the film (in some places anyway) is better than in some other films of his. As another reviewer at IMDB said "The fight scene inside the Octagon between Scott James (Norris) and Kyo the Enforcer (Norton) is one of the most impressive and best choreographed fight scenes I have ever seen in any martial arts flick. No wire works, nor special camera shots...just one fluid scene of swift exchanges of blows combining Katana sword play and hand to hand combat between two badasses."

Keeping in mind when it was made though, The Octagon (1980, released 8-14-1980) is an important film in that as far as I can tell it was the first American film to popularize the Ninja. Revenge Of The Ninja came out a couple of years later (1983, 9-16-1983) and along with other Sho Kosugi films and other Ninja flicks they seem to have done more for the Ninja craze of the 1980’s than The Octagon did, but The Octagon was the first. It is an interesting take on the Ninja's in modern times setting, and its interesting to see how it was done before others tried their hand at similar formulas and storylines.

Personally though, my favorite Ninja flick at this point is The Hunted (1995, 2-24-1995) with Christopher Lambert (Not to be confused with another fine film of the same name, The Hunted 2003 with Tommy Lee Jones). Granted, The Hunted (1995) is really a modern Ninja vs. Samurai flick, but I think it stands as the best American made Ninja movie so far. Check it out if you haven’t seen it.

Well I laughed till my head hurt. This movie has so many outrageously funny scenes I don't know where to start. Oh, and Lee van Cleef appears as well =D

_____________________________
Contemplate this on The Tree of Woe

this film stank!what a load of rubbish,the fight scenes were so poor a waste of a saturday nite!even the sets looked cheap,i felt betreyed by norris watching this!

[deleted]

I vaguely remember watching The Hunted with Christopher Lambert...I think the train scene was pretty spectacular.

In regards to Ninja movies, Enter The Ninja was pretty terrible apart from the final scene. Revenge of the Ninja is where I think we really see how being a Ninja was cool to the film goer...It was directed by Sam Furstenburg who later on directed American Ninja.

Although the acting is pretty naff, I think the opening sequence is good with excellent swordplay, the baddie is an brilliant baddy who shows off some serious skills...a little known fact is that Sho Kasugi did all his action scenes when he wasn't playing himself!
The final scene is exhilarating showing classic ninja magic, hand knitting and superior moves...it is simply my favourite ninja fight scene.

What my favourite ninja/martial art film though is not Enter The Dragon, which truly brought the arts to the world is AMERICAN NINJA..

The director is Sam Furstenburg, who directed the above film, and here I think he truly understands is role...the choreography for me is superb, all the way through the film from the starting shot of the ninjas attacking the convoy, through to the scene in the depot where Joe takes on all the ninjas, which is my favourite scene in the film through to the finale where Joe with the aid of a friend brings all his forgotten skills to deadly fruition...

Ones to miss are any other American Ninjas, and any other Sho Kasugi films including the dreadful Prey for Death...

I look forward to hearing anybody's views on the above