The Story Behind Ninja III: The Domination
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- Ever wonder who came up with the idea for a supernatural ninja avenging his own death through an aerobic instructing telephone engineer? I spoke to members of the cast and crew, including writer/director Sam Firstenberg, to discover the story behind Ninja III: The Domination.
Thanks for watching, I'm on Patreon and have books available if you'd like to support what I do.
Patreon: www.patreon.co...
Books available from all good, bad and so bad they’re good retailers. But mainly Amazon:
'The A to Z of Superhero Movies: From Abar to Zsazsa Via the MCU’
USA - www.amazon.com...
UK - www.amazon.co....
'The Bad Movie Bible: The Ultimate Modern Guide to Movies So Bad They’re Good'
USA - www.amazon.com...
UK - www.amazon.co....
Twitter: @BMovieBible
As a kid, I was always impressed by the evil ninja’s seemingly endless supply of ninja stars. 🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟
Cannon was the ultimate purveyor of cinematic schlock during the Eighties. You knew you were in for a good time when you saw their logo.
Truth! The Barbarian Brothers was my favorite movie as a kid 😄i had an awesome childhood lol
Not always a good time but mostly
Every once in a movie, they would put some good money and talent behind the productions. The first American Ninja movie, and famously Commando, were well produced and well done action films.
@@RobinDale50 I assume you're referring to Commando with Arnold Schwarzenegger. That movie was produced by Silver Pictures, not Cannon. Cannon did produce Cobra with Sylvester Stallone.
Thank.
God.
Oh man, just found this video. I saw this movie in the theaters the weekend it came out - I was 7 and forced my mom to take me, hah! We went to a dump of a grindhouse local theater in my neighborhood, the pre-gentrification rough and tumble lower east side of Manhattan, NYC, in the early 80s. LOVED this movie!
This movie is my 80s growing up!! I went as a ninja like 4 times for Halloween during the 80s.
Yes! Great fun in the 80s...i went as Ninja for Halloween too..even hid on neighbors rooves😛
Did no one recognise or see you the first three times?! :) 😅 80s we’re so good indie ninja flicks.
@@KeithWilsonUK lol 😂😂😂 nobody seen me!
Yeah! 🤣
I had a broom handle that I painted black, with gold tips!
My ninjering stick!
I just finished watching “The Story Behind Ninja III: The Domination” and in my opinion it is fantastic. This is the must accurate and precis description of the behind the scene of this movie that I have encountered to date. Excellent research and presentation, informative and entertaining at the same time. It reveals new unknown facts and set the record straight on some misconceptions. I am sure it will delight the army of loyal fans and followers of Ninja III: The Domination.
Thank you very much, Sam. Those words mean a lot to me! And thanks for the time you gave up to make it happen.
Just love revenge of the ninja you did :D "Only a ninja can stop a ninja"
Yes I second this i don’t think I came across a video for ninja 3 on RUclips that wasn’t just making fun of it but actually had some production info…I had no idea that it was filmed before the original Breakin’
Ninja IV with Kane and Sho Kosugi, Michael Dudikoff, Lucinda and other Cannon alumni sounds good. Maybe like a "Ninja" expendables???? I hope this can happen.
You never know, it might.
Ninja 3 "the Abomination" is an all-time classic in the Ninja movie genre. I saw it in the theatre when I was a teenager, then had it on VHS for awhile, & it's still one of my favourites. The Hunted (1995 Christopher Lambert) is the best.
David Chung Sho kasugi...I watched this movie over and over on VHS Back in the late 80's. David Chung as the evil green ninja is epic. RIP David Chung,thank you.
This shit was indeed epic. I was lucky enough to see this in the theatre and then a billion times on cable and VHS rental.
I was lucky enough to catch the beginning of this movie on Showtime or Cinemax back in 1985 or '86 while my parents were out of the room. I was about 7 or 8 and just sat in wide-eyed horror at the amazing golf course massacre sequence. My parents came in and turned off the set, but the damage was done: I had become a ninja fanatic!! That opening golf sequence is still as awesome all these decades later.
Same story here around the same time, I remember this movie getting a lot of play on at least one of the movie channels then. Between all the people who saw it on cable and VHS, it had to have been considered a big success even if people didn't go to theaters for it. It's one of those.
I was lucky with my parents. They took me to see this masterpiece in the theatre in Chicago. It was part of a double feature with C.H.U.D. I was around 8 or 9 years old. I was blown away and that opening scene was tattooed on me forever. Loved the movie. I don’t remember none of CHUD, but I vividly remembered this movie. The theatre was packed so I don’t know, to me it looked like people wanted to see it.
I remember Enter the Ninja with Franco hero I believe.
@@ChristopherNeeme HBO and cinemax
Same exact scenario. The billiard ball crush scene has not left my consciousness.
Amazing video man! I so remember seeing this VHS rental back in the 80s and just recently watched it again on Amazon Prime. Awesome movie.
I saw interview recently with Lucinda Dickey...my mind was blown to realize she was in 2 movies i really liked as a kid(Breakin 2 and Ninja.3)(didnt know she was same actress in Ninja 3)🙂...soooo cool..so
went back and watched both....really fun -loved Ninja 3..reminded me of my own imitative Ninja phase as a kid..😃🥰🎥
When I was a kid I rented this movie every single week from blockbuster. My parents could have bought me a thousand copies I rented it so much.
Why didnt you just downloaded from internet? You could have saved alot of money
@@fitnesschefen 😂
Sam is a great guy. Always talks to his fans. And this.....this video! Masterpiece! Thank you.
As a boy, I was part of the "Sho Kosugi Fan Club"......complete with an eye patch, root beer powder (yes), paper and pencil that can work underwater, paper that dissolves in water after you write a message on it (mixing those up was a fun experience), the greatest Kosugi Ninja poster, and the best plastic sword a nine year old had ever seen (really....still have it). This video brought back some great memories. Your channel is priceless.
I miss Sho very much. I'm still in martial arts, and teach children jiujitsu (well...I'm sure I will again once the plague is finally contained).
Thanks kindly. That sounds like the best fan club ever, now very jealous.
Childhood memories are precious I am happy I contributed to yours.
@@samfirstenberg3719 God bless ya, Sam! Hope all is well
Sho Kosugi stared in an episode of Ninja Sentai Kakuranger along with his son, Kane Kosugi who was playing Ninja Black, Jiraiya. It was a two-part episode and the both father and son fought each other in a bloody, spectacular battle. I highly recommend checking it out.
Used to watch his two sons compete in several ninja warrior contests.
@@rogueJ They are also in some of the video games based on that show
Yeah I watched that last month
I checked Ranger Wiki. Kane Kosugi also has the honor of being in a season of Kamen Rider and Ultraman.
@@chwenhoou Yeah he was a renagade evil Kamen Rider in a spinoff speacial episode of Kamen Rider Revice (2021) and he played as Ultaman Powered which was an American made Ultraman show that ran for 13 episodes around 1995 but was never aired in the U.S. or on Japanese TV just straight to Japanese home video plus a 3DO video game.
Including Neil Breen as a foreign director (Martian) was a nice touch, although Mars is in the Solar system. He's definitely from another star system.
He created that star system too.
characters he play literally do indicate they come from another world so...
Breen is from the planet Schlock....lol
.....Some say he came to our solar system in a vehicle
that oddly looked exactly like a big can of tuna.
This movie brings back childhood memories. I remember one if the first things I wanted to be as a kid was a ninja! Loved the whole mythology of the story. This movie is one of my favorites and will always be a classic to me.
Revenge of the Ninja is one of my favorite movies ever. Fun fact...as an 80s kid... I thought the American Ninja movie was based on Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe 😂
AVENGING FORCE WAS ANOTHER STONKER . . . WEAPON OF A HOME MOVIE :)
Also one of my favourites 👌
I helped look after Sam Firstenberg for a week at a film festival a few years ago. He's quite possibly the nicest man I've ever met, and yeah, everything in the video is pretty much true. Kosugi fumed at "American Ninja" as well, which is why, for a while, it was known as "American Warrior". Weirdly, Samurai Cop, Troll 2 and The Room feature side by side. At the same festival, I've looked after Matt Hannon, (the same year as Sam), Claudio Fragasso and Rossella Drudi and Greg Sestero from each film respectively too! As for Sam returning to directing, he told me he had the chance to go into big-budget movies when Hollywood took over (much as Andrew Davies went from Seagal and Norris to The Fugitive), but he said he didn't want to have a studio controlling him, and, though he sometimes misses directing, he just had too much fun (and freedom) in Cannon. Now, he makes and sells furniture, which makes him happy and seems to be quite profitable, meets up with Dudikoff, who lives nearby, on a regular basis, and sent us the film he made in 2003 in his house to screen the year after he came. I made the mistake of asking him pretty much the minute we met about Steve James. He got really choked up talking about him. He loved Steve dearly, and desperately wanted Riverbend, which he directed as a favour to Steve, to be a huge hit to show Steve could lead a film as well as having martial arts skills. Alas.
Thanks for sharing. Was the festival you mention CutreCon in about 2016? The first time I approached Sam for an interview (that's in the Bad Movie Bible book), he'd just got back and had had a great time. Either way, yeah, one of the nicest guys I've come across in this industry. An absolute diamond.
@@TheBadMovieBible Yeah, end of January 2016, if I recall. I've met some great folks thanks to Cutrecon (still can't believe I'm become friends with Steven de Souza), but Sam's on a whole other level of nice. I remember sitting with him during a screening of trailers of bad films. He cracked up the whole time, but started wheezing with laughter at one particular trailer. He said "Toni, this is sh*t! You have to tell me what film it is! I have to see it!" That was when I reminded him it was Cyborg Cop 2. Which, as you know, he directed. When I told him, he nearly died laughing.
My friends and I used to rent “Ninja3” almost every weekend as kids. It was great, the supernatural aspect made it the most over the top fun time watching.
Ninja 3: The Domination was my first experience of a good, bad flick. Nobody I knew heard of it, but it was my favorite of the ninja movies (I had them all). I knew it was bad and cheesy. But I loved it for that! I love this movie. Funny that Sho Kosugi didn't like this film as this movie made him a super star in my eyes.
Only as an adult did I ever pick up on how creepy the boyfriend was. Trying to pick up a girl after 20 of his co-workers were just brutally murdered and stalking her later when she said no. The actress did a good job with what she was given. It's no masterpiece. Just massively entertaining!
Bad and cheesy? Back then? Cheesy dialog existed in all 80s films. This movie was amazing, and everyone I knew thought so as well.
@@LurnWell I had a running joke as a kid, "Notice the wind?" that drove my friends nuts. It was always there when she turned. It wasn't bad as I LOVE this movie. But come on, it wasn't going to win any Oscars for acting and story. She tries to dance a demon away, the V8 thing (I hate V8), the over the top stuff like crushing the ball, ninja demon exorcisms, the spinning around on the ropes, etc. Yeah, a lot of cheesy dialog existed in other movies this movie just had more of it. After a hundred+ viewings I knew its shortcomings but I also loved them. Many of those viewings continued throughout the 90s so it may affect my perception. The beginning attack is more fun and awesome than most of the CGI fests of today's movies.
Sho Kosugi may not liked her but I thought she did great. I would have loved seeing them team up and fight together at the end. Maybe some of his fighting abilities and knowledge sticks with her after the exorcism. Could have set up for a possible sequel. If horror movies taught me anything is you can never fully kill a great bad guy. We can dream, right?
Revenge of the ninja . Was the most entertaining of them.
@@jerrywoods4066 Yeah I agree, 'Revenge' is the best overall ninja Cannon flick, heaps of fun but not as wacky as Ninja3
(All 3 make for great 'movie night with the boys' material tho)
@@zetetick395 interesting I just watched it like a month ago . Haven't actually seen it in atleast 10 years
Revenge of the Ninja was a fckn classic. I remember watching that movie over and over as a kid. Everyone was into martial arts and especially ninjitsu. The 80s was a cool time and we all wanted to be ninjas or Bruce lee
I LOVE THIS MOVIE HAD SUCH A CRUSH ON Lucinda Dickey. 😘😍😍😘😘😍😘😍 And Heather Thomas from The Fall Guy, TV series.
I've seen a number of videos on this movie, and this is the first time I am hearing Lustbader being mentioned. His book, The Ninja is fantastic, and I would love to see it on screen one day. On another note, Lucinda Dickey, what a treat for my teenage eyes back in the day. Also, dude, 6:03 "hairy love interest"? 🤣🤣🤣
The method of engaging the film itself in a (self-effacingly silly) "dialogue" via extremely clever edits has got to be the most refreshingly original take on the b-movie video essay format I have yet encountered. A perfect way to drive home your point throughout.
Profound observation
@@samfirstenberg3719 thank you :)
This movie is awesome and scary as shit. To think a single ninja was capable to almost wiping an entire police force was terrifying to me as a kid back then. The movie made me believe that shurikens and katanas were more eficient than shotguns.
I was 6 years old back in 85 when I seen this on the HBO and fell in love with this movie I never looked at it as a girl fighting a man . I seen it as a ninja’s revenge movie and yes the mad Sho showing us had badass ninja really are .
Your Neil Breen joke was to the point, non-verbal and funny. Well done sir.
It was really quick an many may have missed it but when the narrator suggests that non-English speakers have created both some great and some pretty horrible films for Americans, he places pictures of certain directors and the great or terrible film that is associated with them along with their respective countries. When it comes to Neil Breen, he's apparently "MARTIAN"!! Brilliant!! That gave me a good enough laugh to convince me to subscribe. Thanks for that, Bad Movie Bible!
15:35 First you put Robocop up there with Casablanca and Chinatown, THEN you call Neil Breen a Martian......You sir, have a new subscriber!
I didn't know that these Ninja movies were somehow connected to the Lustbader's series of book. That's actually very interesting, as I approached ninja movies thanks to the novels
Discovering a new YT channel that hits the right notes is a rare thing indeed. Glad I've stumbled upon this one. Great videos. Down the rabbit hole I go. Neil Breen-Martian. Nice touch.
When I was a kid I had to spend summers with my family in Lake Tahoe, There was a total of 1 Video Store. I rented Pee Wee's big Adventure and Ninja 3 Every weekend. I loved the movie, But even at the time I was like 12 or something I laughed from beginning to end at how bad the movie was. Ty for the stroll down memory lane.
The 80's was such an awesome time to grow up, I loved this movie and all the other ninja movies when I was growing up
It’s my favorite movie also didn’t know sho played the bad ninja too and also Steve is a legend he played most of the ninjas in the films
The most entertaining Cannon ninja movie for sure, Revenge of the Ninja is still the best and glad you mentioned that Avenging Force is underrated,one of the best action thrillers from cannon, perfect movie.
amazing video again. you bring a very certain quality to your videos. I can't place it but they feel like the rare gems of doc-vids you would find late on channel 4 pre Internet era. excellent stuff!
Van Damme is such a badass that he managed to make an appearance in this martial arts movie review that isn't even about him 🤣
He just kicks holes through any 4th wall he chooses!
_"Hoooly shit! He's in a breakdance movie now!!"_ '@_@'
In the early 80's, ninjas were everywhere. Literally everywhere! Even Magnum P.I. jumped on the bandwagon and did a couple of ninja-themed episodes. By 1987-ish, they were all gone...
My favorite Ninja movie of all time.
I still rewatch these movies. They were the superhero movies of the 80s.
It's so fascinating how smaller productions like this had more leeway than mainstream franchises.
they have more freedom to do what they want than the big studios
@@henryscafe8364 'had', because are there any independent studio today that makes films like this?
@@B.B.Digital_Forest They could if they tried but it would be considered dated today. I read director Ed Wood tried to sell a 30s/40s style horror script to Universal (this was he 50s) but they didn`t buy cause they weren't in that market anymore. That`s how he did films himself like Bride of the monster which was his 30s/40s style horror movie in the 50s.
The basic answer to your question, no they don`t make movies like this today :/
I love this movie. My buddy and I went to see it in the theater when it came out, we were absolutely obsessed by ninjas back then. When it came out on VHS, he and I had every single line memorized, could point out almost every single goof (we never noticed the sound guys sunglesses until I saw this video) and could almost reenact the entire movie.
I love this movie... ever since I was a kid in the 80s. Not many people know this gem. I never even liked the other Ninja movies. This one was special! "He's only sleeping!"
There was an obscure fighting game in the arcade that never had any home console on any generation called Survival Arts and a quick cash in to Mortal Kombat.
Since Ninja III The Domination has Lucinda Dickie as an aerobics instructor/Ninja, the video game Survival Arts had a female Ninja character named Tasha and her attire consist of Aerobics tights and leotard and wields a Katana, in which sorta drew inspiration to Lucinda Dickie in Ninja III The Domination.
Sounds like a great game! This was a great movie. Very fun and awesome and it captured our imaginations. That’s what movies are supposed to do.
nah, the game is shitty, unfortunately.
As a child I used to get so happy when this movie came on,still one of my favorites!
I just found your channel. Absolutely wonderful stuff.
Love these "story behind...". It's unique to this channel
man we loved these movies as kids back in the 80s.
Ah yes. This and Revenge of the Ninja are the ones I watched in my home Cable TV when I was 4th and 5th Grade Elementary student.
Good times.😌
Sho Kosugi kept it all together for me his authenticity was natural.
remember watching this in the 80's, loved it. but didnt see it for a while till 2020 I saw a clip. searched for it on a few apps I have, couldnt find it. so searched and bought the dvd.
Loved this movie as a kid and thought she was so gorgeous, I loved Gymkata also.
I only seen these movies when I stayed all night at a friend's house or cousins. Ninjas were huge back then. We use to all, make numbchuks and throwing stars. We would cut up broom handles and stuff, there was a local hardware store right by our street. We would by a little chain and eye screws. That was the days, until one of the assholes thought they would wack you in the leg. Lol
Man great video....me and my buddies rented this from the local video rental store EVERY weekend. Fascinating to hear the story being this film
My friends and I snuck into the theatre to see this- loved every second of it.
The golf course scene is class.
I'm actually speechless after seeing that Ninja Temple was a Matte Shot... The thing is seamless.
Eric Van Lustbader's novel The Ninja is a damn fine read. Complex, intense and gives the ninja characters a real sense of power. He can't write female characters to save himself, but everything else really sizzles. Read it if you haven't. Damn shame it never saw the big screen.
In the first 6 seconds of this video, they are filming in what is now the Great Arizona Puppet Theatre (back then it was an abandoned Mormon church) in Phoenix. I do know why it makes me super happy to see it.
You're my sensei. You did your homework. The Neil Breen joke was so funny.
The tomato juice seen was absolutely brilliant 😂that always stayed with me when I was a kid and watched this for the first time when it just went to VHS lol
I like the fact that this is based on a true story. The golf course scene absolutely happened. Same with the helicopter commandeering.
For some reason I get Sigourney Weaver being possessed in Ghost Busters, and even Lisa in Weird Science, vibes every time I see Christy in this movie. But yea, it makes sense that her persona was derivative from Flash Dance and Poltergeist, which preceeded it.
I remember as a kid in the 80's, the golf course scene really scared me. I thought it was so barbaric. I would fast forward that whole scene. Now I take great pleasure in watching it. Being on Ninja 4!
Ninja 3 is on of the first movies I ever seen on the big screen in theaters as a child. This movie started my fascination with Ninjas and at the same time my one of the first fine woman I recognized as kid lol
Ninja 4…!!! Let’s Go.!
I grew up watching these movies on VHS. It brought back a lot of memories watching this video and thinking Sho was the sh**.!
Thank you for the back story and walk/kick down memory lane.!
"Neil Breen: Martian" XD I almost choked on my lunch.
I first saw this movie on cable TV, I think it was HBO. This was in 1986, and I thought this was the best ninja movie ever.
I always thought Sho Kusugi scenes were the highlight from this movie.
I adored Revenge Of The Ninja as a kid. I now live a few blocks from the stone fountain where the hobo took a shuriken to the eyeball in that film.
If you're ever in Salt Lake, it's on the south east corner of 1st and State Street.
Another excellent and informative video! Great stuff!
Watched "Revenge of the Ninja" at the cinema, age 8 and I loved it. The days you could watch pretty much anything at the cinema (at least in Spain).
Amazing video you blow other more popular movie reviewers out of the water including a couple of hack frauds who will remain nameless. You deserve much more followers than you have.
I can still see the VHS box sitting on the shelf of the local video store. Ah, memories 😊
Great video as always.
18:18 Is that villain Reverse Michael Jackson...?
It has been the best ninja movie from 84 till now
This movie is in my top 10 of all time. I absolutely adore this film. I've been a fan since I was a kid in the 80's. I know I was too young to watch it but it taught me women were bad asses, don't f with ninjas, police suck, break dancers are secretly Ninja and Sho Kosugi is the most bad ass man alive. Seriously that opening scene is one of the greatest scenes ever made. Most kids wanted Ninja Turtles and all I wanted was Ninja 3 again and again. God I love this movie so much 10/10
I rented this movie a zillion times when I was little. Sho Kosugi was a badass.
This was the first ninja movie that I remember watching.
My favorite 3 movies... Master Firstenberg ROCKS.
I always remember the VHS cover to this film as a kid, going into my local video/game rental place. Just thought the cover looked cool. I never watched the film, but it was always there on the shelf by the counter.
I'm proud to be the one thousandth 'like' on this breakdown of the flick with the best opening ten minutes this side of Pixar's Up. Well done, sir.
The villain ninja in this movie should've been a comic book bad guy with his powers
Anything with Sho Kusugi back then was a sign of a good time. I don’t know how many times I rented Ninja III from the vid store….
This movie is a guilty pleasure and yes the weakest of the 3 but Lucinda Dickey had a wonderful screen presence and with a little time and polish she could of gone on to bigger and better things. Sho Kosugi was a name that made me grab a movie in the if I saw it on the video store shelves he filled the screen from side to side and that made me want to see more.
Oh man! Lucinda Dickey! From Breakdance to Ninja!
My whole childhood! I was an adult when I finally realized Enter the Ninja and Ninja 3 were connected(smh i know) and they share some of the same soundtrack.
I remember these in school. Ninja 4. Hell yes
19:13 Sam Firstenberg, with "Shmulik" facemaask, lol - Dude knew what kinda stuff he was making! 🤣_👍
@ 18:20 pretty positive that’s Anthony Keidis’ father Blackie Dammit. As the bad guy
My favorite ninja movie. Ive watched it about 40x.
Wowee, I used to go running all through Papago Park & climbed those buttes when I worked at the Phoenix Zoo right there. Too bad they didn't work the alligator lagoon into their movie since they were filming it there.
We had this tape on VHS when we were kids and we sure as hell were scared of getting caught watching my Dad's porno, so we watched the hell out of this movie
Ninja III and American Ninja had me thinking I could be a ninja in real life..man o man..those were the days
I watched this movie as a kid. The whole time I thought part two was about the flash back. I would watch this movie like 100 times as a kid it is still bad ass!
Myself and the first partner I ever lived with used to do 'good, bad movie night' every weekend and Cannon movies were regular go to's! Nostalgia overdose
I loved this movie since I was a kid, still do. 80’s charm I would say.
I loved it when I was younger, this & Sakura Killers....
I watched all of the "Ninja" movies in the series back in the HBO/Cinemax- Cablevision days. "Cannon" was the cream of the crop in cheesy action movies back then.
19:38 🤣🤣🤣 Neil Breen as a Martian. That would explain so much.
4 decades later my a$$!! I had this on beta max when this came out. And holy cow did I love this franchise. But this one especially.
Neil Breen's nationality as "Martian". Love it.
Loved all these as a kid, but Revenge of the Ninja was the bomb.