BURIED TREASURES: NINJA III: THE DOMINATION

 

A review by DJ XL5

First, we have to set things straight; unlike its title implies, NINJA III: THE DOMINATION is not the sequel to any other ninja films. It’s a ninja movie released by The Cannon Group in the 80s who had previously found a niche in films depicting the infamous Japanese spies assassins. The two previous films in this pseudo-franchise were ENTER THE NINJA (featuring the legendary Franco Nero (of DJANGO fame), Susan George and Christopher George!!!) and REVENGE OF THE NINJA (also directed by Sam Firstenberg and not a sequel to ENTER THE NINJA). The only link between the three films is the presence of actor Shô Kosugi who portrays a different character in each production.

 Note from Eric: The eighties were the Golden Age for the rise of Ninjas as a staple of American popular culture. Movies like Sam Peckinpah's THE KILLER ELITE (1975, with James Caan and Robert Duvall) or Eric Karson's THE OCTAGON (1980, with Chuck Norris and Lee Van Cleef) introduced ninjas as a mysterious enemy to be destroyed by our rugged heroes. But it took Cannon Films to make them the actual focus of movies. They would keep the party going for years with the AMERICAN NINJA series starring Michael Dudikoff and David Bradley. It's through this period that comic books got into the Ninja bandwagon when Frank Miller introduced them in his first DAREDEVIL storyline in issue #168 (January 1981) which also included the first appearance of ninja assassin ELEKTRA. This lead to Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman to parody the Miller style in their indie 1984 comic book TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE, which further made the word NINJA a part of the pop culture lexicon. Now back to our scheduled program, and DJ XL5's review of NINJA III.

 

Christie (Lucinda Dickey) in the process of being exorcised from an evil Ninja in NINJA III.

 

 Ninja III: The Domination offers us so many reasons to be unforgettable and beloved. First, there’s an hilarious golf course massacre scene and an 8-minute long chase scene involving ninjas, cars, helicopters and choppers which has to be seen to be believed. You also get a two-minute shameless and totally gratuitous aerobics scene and some weirdly choreographed ninja fight scenes. You get to witness an evil ninja exorcism and experience a V-8 drenched  love scene that will forever reside in your brain as an indelible mind-worm.

 

No, a ninja didn't throw a can af V-8 through Christie's throat; she is instead in the throes of passion, trying to evoke 9 1/2 WEEKS.

 

What is NINJA III about really? A telephone line-woman and aerobics instructor become possessed by the spirit of an evil ninja she met on the road after he was shot down by a clueless firing squad of cops circling him. Our heroine Christie is now visited by neon beams and a floating bushido sword. Now controlled by the killer's vicious and relentless wrath, she sets out to brutally attack his killers and enemies. Her baffled policeman boyfriend decides wisely to bring her to a Japanese exorcist (Played by none other than James Hong). The old wise man reveals that “only a ninja can destroy a ninja”. They therefore seek the aid of Yamada (Shô Kosugi), a ninja hunter and from that point, what was left of a somewhat traditional scenario goes blissfully off the window.

 

Lucinda Dickey faces David Chung as he prepares to transfer his soul into her.

 

Whoever though a combo mixing Ninja movies, FLASHDANCE and THE EXORCIST was a good idea will be ecstatic about this wild proposition. Ninja III: The Domination features Lucinda Dickey whose claim to fame were the films GREASE 2, BREAKIN' and BREAKIN' 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO (also directed by Sam Firstenberg). The film presents a typically eighties' eye candy art direction complete with Jane Fonda's Original Workout outfits, video game machines and Patrick Nagel’s distinctive artwork on the walls. The synth soundtrack is also branded with a red-hot iron as a true icon of the era! 

 

Director Sam Firstbender and action star Shô Kosugi.

 

Director Sam Firstenber was a staple of Cannon Pictures and was also responsible for many action films of the 80s and 90s, notably American Ninja (1985), American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987), Delta Force 3: The Killing Game (1991), American Samurai (1992), Blood Warriors (1993), Cyborg Cop (1993) and Cyborg Cop II (1994).A man whose whole career can be summed up in a series of bargain basement videocassette jackets. Talking about working for Cannon, he said this in an interview to promote his new book: 

"Menahem was not interested in making high quality movies. They were aimed at a low common denominator. We were just told to make films with good stories, that made sense and were entertaining, and could be sold in America and around the world. We weren't expected to make highbrow, artistic movies. This was all fine but when you told people you were working for Cannon, they saw you as part of a machine that made trashy movies. It was hard to break out of this mold and move to the next level, which was Hollywood studio movies, and I didn't succeed." 

 

One of the most stunning rendition of the Ninja III poster (most likely from Ghana)

 

Scream Factory released the film in a Collector's Edition Blu-ray set in 2018 with a new transfer and additional supplemental materials, but it is sadly out of print. However, it is still available on some outlets. Seek it out if you want your mind to be forever altered by this true gem of the eighties.