Shadow Ninja

It is obvious that “Shadow Ninja” is not the original title of this film. The words “Shadow Ninja” are pasted over the original title (grind-house style), and stay on the screen for an uncomfortably long time. I suspect that maybe ninja movies were doing better than kung fu movies at the time, since there isn’t a single ninja in this “Hong Kong Special” that I can find. Of course, being Shadow Ninjas, perhaps I just couldn’t see them…
As usual, many things are the same in all of these movies. Everyone wears slippers and is outdoors a lot (Wait a minute, I must amend that to say the hero in this movie wears and fights in western-style shoes at one point.) Every time a punch or kick is supposed to have landed, a loud “thwarp” will be heard, like two boards slamming together. The requisite streaming blood adorns the looser of each sequence.
The “plot” of this movie is a strange one; all fun and games and then suddenly the brutal stabbings begin. This sort of sweet-and-sour thing is not uncommon in these movies, but this one really hits the extremes in both directions. All of the humor is cheesy and over-the-top (like the dubbing), but occasionally made me smile. Other standouts include “White Norman” (who can really climb a wall) and the portable “naughty picture show,” a good idea if I ever saw one.
The hero has an aloof and easy smile, and seems relaxed even in the center of a fight. The thing is, if they had a decent script coupled with this kung fu, this movie would have been an absolute classic. As it is, the great fight choreography and execution. This movie kicks some ass.