Revenge of the Ninja (4K UHD Review)
Director
Sam FirstenbergRelease Date(s)
1983 (December 2, 2025)Studio(s)
Golan-Globus Productions/The Cannon Group (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: C+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: B-
Review
After the success of Enter the Ninja, Cannon Films was quick to put together another ninja-oriented action film with Revenge of the Ninja, this time featuring Sho Kosugi in the lead role and having nothing to do with the previous film narratively. Ninja III: The Domination would follow, completing a loose Ninja trilogy and further asserting Cannon’s action movie dominance during the 1980s.
Cho Osaki (Kosugi) is forced to re-locate to the United States after his family is slaughtered by rival ninjas, leaving only his mother and his son alive. He chooses to hide his past, working with a local businessman, Braden (Arthur Roberts), to import porcelain dolls for collectors. Unbeknownst to Cho, this business is also a front for bringing drugs into the country while Braden, dressed as the silver-masked “Demon Ninja,” wipes out competing mob bosses. When things start heating up and Cho’s mother and son find themselves in danger, Cho is forced to fight back.
Revenge of the Ninja is a much more aggressive film than its predecessor when it comes to the violence, and neither women nor children are excluded from it, more so in the longer international cut. The opening alone butchers the young and old alike, leaving enough characters alive necessary for setting up and carrying out the story. It’s a better film than Enter the Ninja since it has a more solid narrative drive, but like Enter the Ninja, it’s laughably entertaining, in a good way.
The critics were never kind to these kinds of films and failed to recognize the skill of those involved, especially Sho Kosugi who is giving it his all. There’s no way to overlook the film’s shortcomings, but they wind up being benefits more than deficiencies if you’re looking for a good time, no questions asked. As such, Revenge of the Ninja received a mixed reception and a decent box office take, but was much more popular on cable and in home video rentals.
Revenge of the Ninja was shot by director of photography David Gurfinkel on 35mm film, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to a triple-layered BD-100 disc. As with Kino’s previous Blu-ray presentations, this is the uncut international version and not the R-rated US version. The first two and a half minutes are comprised of opening title-based opticals via an interpositive and they’re a little rough, but things improve dramatically afterwards. Despite the heavy grain, there’s a substantial bump in clarity and fine detail, as well as a bitrate that mostly sits in the 70 to 80Mbps range with good compression. The HDR grades widen the gamut with deeper blacks and better contrast, as well as bolder hues and more accurate flesh tones. The image is stable with only minor speckling. It’s certainly the best the film has ever looked on home video, outperforming uneven presentations of the past on DVD and Blu-ray.
Audio is included in English 2.0 mono and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. Like the previous film, the original mono (in a split two-channel container) offers a solid listening experience with plenty of weight for the film’s score and some of the sound effects. The 5.1 option merely spaces this same experience out, moving those elements into the surrounding speakers without altering anything substantially. Dialogue is discernible and precise and both tracks are clear and stable without any real issues to speak of.
The Kino Lorber Studio Classics 2-Disc 4K Ultra HD release of Revenge of the Ninja sits in a black Amaray case alongside a 1080p Blu-ray containing the same new master, with an insert and a slipcover that features the original theatrical artwork. This release is also available as a part of Kino’s Ninja Trilogy 4K Ultra HD boxed set. The following extras are included on each disc:
DISC ONE (UHD)
- Audio Commentary by Sam Firstenberg, Steven Lambert, and Bill Olsen
- Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
DISC TWO (BD)
- Audio Commentary by Sam Firstenberg, Steven Lambert, and Bill Olsen
- Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- Intro by Sam Firstenberg (HD – 3:16)
- Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery (HD – 30 in all – 3:03)
- Trailers:
- Enter the Ninja (HD – 2:54)
- Revenge of the Ninja (HD – 1:40)
- Ninja III: The Domination (HD – 1:36)
- Pray for Death (HD – 2:16)
- Rage of Honor (HD – 1:37)
- American Ninja (SD – 1:50)
- American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (SD – 1:34)
- Avenging Force (HD – 1:19)
- Catch the Heat (SD – 1:51)
- The Perfect Weapon (SD – 1:57)
First up is an audio commentary with director Sam Firstenberg and stunt coordinator Steven Lambert, moderated by the late Bill Olsen. It’s a very reactionary track as the three watch it together, often stumbling over each other and sometimes going silent, but it’s still a fun track that offers plenty of information about the production, as well as anecdotal memories of the experience. Critics and action film historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema return for another over-stimulated audio commentary, offering their usual brand of enthusiastic fan-driven knowledge and expertise. In the Intro by Sam Firstenberg, he briefly details his experiences on the film before telling us to enjoy the it and recommending his audio commentary. The rest of the extras consist of a Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery, the film’s trailer, and trailers for other releases from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Revenge of the Ninja features more of the same Cannon-branded action that long-time fans have come to expect. Kino’s 4K UHD debut of the film gives the picture a much-needed upgrade and carts over all of the existing extras, adding an additional commentary. As such, it’s well worth picking up.
- Tim Salmons
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