WARRIORS OF FIRE (1987) ** ½

Here’s yet another Godfrey Ho and Tomas Tang cut-and-paste Ninja epic.  It’s part Ninja action flick, part Vietnam movie, and part rape and revenge thriller.  It’s not great or anything, but it’s more entertaining than most of their incoherent offerings.

The Red Ninja is after some vital blueprints necessary to his organization, so he captures his old army buddy and tries to make him reveal their location.  When he doesn't give in, the Red Ninja has his fiancée raped and killed.  Her sister discovers her body, and begs the White Ninja to train her so she can get revenge. 

It doesn't get any better than the first scene.  We see the bad guy out golfing, but something is a bit off.  He’s in the woods, not on an actual course.  It becomes painfully obvious when he sinks his putt, which is nothing more than a freshly dug hole in the ground!

Then, when he has some important papers to file… BAM!  Out of nowhere, a Ninja appears to grab his paperwork!  Yes folks, there are Ninja secretaries in this movie.  I don’t know about you, but that’s just plain awesome. 

The scenes of our heroine training with the White Ninja are fun.  I especially liked the scene where he tattoos her body to permanently remind her of her quest for vengeance.  Once the Vietnam flashbacks start getting heavy, the fun starts to dry up.  By the time Ho takes to blatantly ripping off the Russian roulette scene from The Deer Hunter you know he’s grasping at straws.  Still, there’s enough nuttiness in the first hour to make this a mostly enjoyable Ho/Tang collaboration. 

AKA:  Ninja and the Warriors of Fire.  AKA:  Ninja 8:  Warriors of Fire.