Enter the Ninja

Don't mess with a White Ninja!

The 80's were a unique decade in so many ways, that I will introduce you to today's magnificent forgotten gem with a small time travel capsule. Whenever someone thinks of the 80's he's likely to describe the explosion of canned pop music, glam rock, horrible hairdo, violent warfare events (ok, this happens all the time) the greatest videogame consoles, going to the Arcade center and watching magnificent cartoons and Animé. However, not many seem to remember that the 80's were the golden decade for video rental stores thus providing the film making industry a huge field of interest. I remember how cool it was to browse for the weirdest, most obscure titles next to my dad. He would rent sexploitation, I would rent martial arts, cartoons and early OVAS.

Today's entry is one step above the many martial arts flicks made during the 80's. Usually, when we think of the "one man army" and/or "ultimate hero" cliche, we think of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Silvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nevertheless, the true connoisseur knows for sure that those were not the only tough men around. In fact, Italy provided the world of cinema with three magnificent men: Terence Hill, Bud Spencer and Franco Nero.  

Don't worry, I'm the good guy!

Django does Ninjitsu!

Enter The Ninja, is a 1981 movie filmed in its entirety in the Philippines (you would surprise at the amount of movies that were made there during the 70's & 80's) The lead role is in charge of the Italian equivalent of all the American action heroes put together, and  no, I'm not exaggerating. Cole (Franco Nero)  is a former war hero (no, not Vietnam) who spends his time in Japan perfecting his body and soul through the secret art of ninjitsu, while in the Philippines his best friend Frank (Alex Courtney) is having a bad time as he's being constantly harassed by a businessman who wants his property. Unaware of this, Cole finishes his training, thus being granted the Ninja master degree. 

Back in the Philippines, Mr. Venarius (an over the top Christopher George) is preparing for a final warning on Frank's property. The property in stake is worth millions of dollars as it's got a massive oil fountain about to be discovered. 

Are you talking to me?

Tell me more about fuckjitsu please.

The movies universe, as you already know, is a unique place where coincidences conveniently happen to help plot development so, Cole decides to pay a little visit to his old time friend. Nevertheless, Frank has changed so much since the last time they met. His hero days are long gone, and his current days are spent drinking while Mary Ann(Susan George) his sexy wife with a beautiful British accent, takes his place as "the man".  Seeing all of this, makes Cole decide to give Frank a hand. 

As above mentioned, Enter the Ninja is one step above its counterparts in many aspects. On the one hand, the acting is above average, at least for this kind of movies (Check the American Ninja saga and you'll see what I mean) Also, despite not being that original, the plot makes sense and the scenes develop accordingly with lots of action in between. On the other hand, the special effects, the fight choreographs, the ninja costumes and gadgets where all developed with extra care and it shows. In addition, W. Michael Lewis & Laurin Rinder's score set the mood for each of the characters and the pace of the movie. Something many martial arts films from the same decade lack deeply. Menahem Golan knew what he was doing when he directed this gem. Furthermore, Franco Nero gives the film credibility and his convincing performance is that of an experienced actor. 

Do films know something we don't about business men?

Mary Ann in her prime.

The body count in this movie is amongst the highest on its genre and that's the magic of the film universe as there are no cops around, not even for a second during the whole deal, which leaves you wondering if it's convenient to take that vacation cruise to the Philippines with that amount of killing. Cole, says "Ninjas don't kill, Ninjas terminate" and that they only do it for protection of themselves or in this film case, protection of the weakest (my god, it seems like every Manila inhabitant is in danger if they cross themselves with the White Ninja) 

Of course, taking down Venarius' thugs is no deal at all for Cole, so after several failed attempts, Mr. bad businessman decides to hire a true Japanese Ninja, someone from the not so distant past Cole lived in Japan. Enter: Hasegawa(Sho Kosugi) the black ninja, who not only is Cole's former ninjitsu classmate but also, the exact opposite of everything our hero stands for. This guy has no self control, he likes to show off his Ninja talents no matter how helpless his victims are. This guy, enjoys murder like I enjoy my coffee in the morning. Eventually, he destroys Frank property, mercilessly attacks his workers and gets the job done, meaning he kills Frank and kidnaps Mary Ann, so that (obviously) Cole will meet Mr. Venarius buy offer inevitably. 

Fruit Ninja? Never heard of her!

Hasegawa gets the lady.

Overall, a great piece of entertainment. This film will not only please martial arts fans but also, the casual viewer and obviously the connoisseur. Besides, you don't wanna miss one of the best performances Franco Nero has ever done out of the many western like films he's done before. Also, Susan George is a hottie for sure! a pity she's not in the nude though.

Here's the movie trailer:

Django 2 IL Grande Ritorno (Django Strikes Again)

Bad guys better hit the road fast 'cause Django is back!

Django is a 1966 Italian Western film directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Franco Nero in the eponymous role. The film earned a reputation as being one of the most violent films ever made up to that point and was subsequently refused a certificate in Britain until 1993, when it was eventually issued an 18 certificate. The film was downgraded to a 15 certificate in 2004.

Although the name is referenced in over thirty unofficial "sequels" from the time of the film's release until the early 1970s in an effort to capitalize on the success of the original, most of these films were unofficial, featuring neither Corbucci nor Nero. Nevertheless, Nero did reprise his role as Django in 1987's Django 2: Il Grande Ritorno (Django Strikes Again), in the only official sequel to be written by Corbucci. Nero also has a cameo role as the eponymous character in 2012's  Django Unchained.

Former cowboy, current monk.

The bad guy and his servant.

The official sequel project was born in parallel with Duccio Tessari's Tex e il signore degli abissi, in view of a commercial revival of the Italo-western cinema. After the commercial failure of Tex, Sergio Corbucci, who had initially accepted the direction of the sequel and had just written the story of the film, eventually refused to shoot it. Nevertheless, since Franco Nero was still interested in the sequel, the filming continued under the direction of Nello Rossati.

 

The film was filmed in its entirety in Colombia, hence the excellent Spanish pronunciation of most of the supporting cast. Also, it was the last appearance of Christopher Connelly, who died of cancer the following year.

 

Now let's get down to business and discuss the plot:

Twenty years after our last encounter with a machine-gun toting wanderer named Django, we finally get to see what became of him in the years since his big gun-down in the cemetery, shooting the bad men with hands turned to hamburger under the hooves of horses (Remember, the 30 unofficial sequels are not canon Django)

Django becoming a slave.

I'm back bitches!

This time around, the conventions of the first movie have been completely thrown out the window, a bold move on the part of the filmmakers that raised the ire of many Django fanatics. They proceeded to monkey around with the rule book and delivered a truly surprising sequel.

While numerous impostors strutted their stuff across movie screens for twenty years, the real Django headed south, leaving the sun-baked border towns of the first movie for even stranger places. Laying low and living the life of a cloistered monk, he traded his hat, pistols, and wanderlust for long hair and robes, his coffin long since buried.

Also gone are the influences of Sergio Leone and the American westerns, replaced by action and heroics more in the vein of Schwarzenegger and Rambo, prompting the brooding Django to try his hand at snappy verbal quips as he blows up and blows away heavies, "Here, smoke this.", while the ending is reminiscent of the Charles Bronson vehicle The Evil That Men Do.

One man army.

Gimme a blowjob before Django gets here, I know I'm  gonna die.

Overall, I thought it was great, with some inspired villainy by butterfly lover Christopher Connelly and a sympathetic role for the great Donald Pleasence. Franco Nero is as good as ever and actually more likable this time, going from amoral gunman to holy avenger and protector of children.

It's now been twenty-plus years since we last saw him. I think that maybe it's high time for Django to strike yet again. 

Here's the movie trailer:

Django Unchained

the spaghetti western legend lives on.

Quentin Tarantino's latest opus, a Western set two years before the Civil War, concerns a former slave named Django (Jamie Foxx). He is freed by bounty hunter Dr. King Shultz (Christoph Waltz) in order to help him with a bounty. Quite quickly, Shultz takes Django under his wing and trains him as his partner. But he made him a promise: that he would rescue his wife from a plantation owned by the ruthless Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). And rescuing her is not going to be all that easy.

Dr. King Schultz, dentist and bountyhunter.

What pains me the most about Django Unchained, as a die-hard Tarantino fan, is just how sloppy it all seems. I enjoyed every minute of it, but I could never shake the feeling of how messy and thrown together it all feels. Portions of the film feel episodic (the search for the Brittle Brothers, mentioned heavily in the trailers, begins and ends practically within minutes), and some scenes just seem to play out just for the fun of it. Another scene from the trailers involving a lynch mob with bags covering their faces seems added for comedic purposes, and has no real point of actually existing. More than any of his films before it, Django feels like Tarantino simply making a movie for sheer pleasure and with no outside motivations or controllers. 

BFF.

The film threatens to go totally off the rails at any given moment, and lacks any real sense of direction or focus. It may sound ridiculous, but the loss of editor Sally Menke confirms a sneaking suspicion I always had about Tarantino – he needed a steady right hand to help encourage him as to what was needed and what was not. I do not want to criticize Django's editor Fred Raskin, but it is obvious he is no Menke and that works against the film heavily. It lacks the polish we have come to expect, and is practically stripped of the glossy/cool texture so prevalent in Tarantino's work up until now.

Django's learnings.

But then maybe that was his intention all along, and perhaps Tarantino is airing out his frustrations with life and film in general. Django is deliberately shot on film (or at least from the print I saw), and looks very gritty and messy at all times. It is significantly more brutally violent than anything he has worked on before (the borderline cartoonish Kill Bill included), and has a very go for broke attitude about itself. The film seems to revel in how brilliantly it can splatter all the blood and gore (done through the use of squibs and no digital!), and how uncomfortably numbing it can make the violence. I know he does not care what people think of his films, but this movie especially seems like an emphatically raised middle finger to the establishment. And for all of my complaints about how messy it all feels, I was never once bored or felt like the movie was dragging itself out. The staggering 165-minute running time shockingly flies by faster than you might ever imagine.

Racist piece of shit.

Acting wise, Tarantino stacks the deck with a number of recognizable character actors young and old for roles that vary in size. Most have very few lines, if any at all, and seem to just stand by, just as content as the audience is to watch the action unfold. It is a little off-putting, especially with how important some of these characters are initially made out to be. Washington as Broomhilda von Shaft (one of the most subtle references he's ever dropped) does well as the helpless victim and frequent dreamlike object – but she never really gets to show off any of her acting prowess outside of her facial reactions. They are increasingly effective, especially during horrific flashback scenes. But her work here feels ridiculously stunted in comparison to the other leads. Samuel L. Jackson, much like Tarantino himself, seems to just be having fun in his role as Candie's adviser Stephen. He plays on every ridiculous stereotype he ever has been associated with and then amps it up to a near ludicrous state. He is frequently hilarious, but the role seems to border on parody more than anything else.

the ultimate scene: the original Django meets his offspring.

Surprisingly, Foxx takes a very long time settling into the leading role. It may just be the character, but it is quite clear from the on- set that he is not very comfortable in Django's shoes, and leads credence to why Will Smith, amongst so many others, dropped out of the picture so quickly. But once he finds his footing, he does a fantastic job walking the thin line between empathetic and sadistic. It is not an easy character to play, but Foxx makes it his own, bringing a sense of style and grace that are virtually absent from the rest of the film. And of course, he gets all the best lines.

Slave trade was even tougher.

Waltz and DiCaprio are the clear standouts however, nailing every nuance of their sadly underwritten characters. While Waltz plays the straight man, DiCaprio is delightfully unhinged and vicious. Both are playing directly against type, yet are strangely comfortable in the roles. Watching them act circles around the rest of the cast, Foxx included, is the true highlight of the film. I just wish they were both given additional emphasis and more to do. 

Stephen is the funniest character of the flick.

For all of its numerous faults, I had a blast watching Django Unchained. It is hilarious, it is a lot of fun, and is wildly enjoyable. I genuinely think it could have been a lot better if there was more focus and direction, but this is very clearly a picture Tarantino wanted to make on his own terms. And for that, I applaud him for the effort. It is not his best work, but certainly not his worst. 

The first nude scene ever in a Tarantino movie is here.

Beat around the bush.

Overall, an entertaining film that could have used some help while editing so that it wasn't unnecesarily a far too long movie with scenes that could have easily been cut to make the story go faster and mind only on the important issues strictly related to the script's main story.

Here's the movie trailer:

Django

Great movie poster.

Most of the readings I did from my online research on Sergio Corbucci's work led me to think he is not really a great director, but that doesn't stops us, connoissuers. Having been introduced to this spaghetti western classic by my dad years ago when I was still a junior high student I have to blame my father for making me the heir of his 60's and 70's movies addiction.So let's go straight to the point: Django.

Actually, the story in Django isn't hard to follow, unless you're unfamiliar to this movie genre, which,if you're reading this blog, makes you a connoisseur. The story follows a simple plot line, where Django is our hero, a tough man looking for trouble with the wrong people. He hates violence towards women and doesn't agree with those in power, get the idea? I'm sure you do.

Dogs aren't Django's best friends.

Franco Nero is in his iconic role as the title character (♪♫ Djangoooo!♪♫), a man dragging a coffin into town and with some payback to deliver against a man known as Mayor Jackson, and is actually caught up in two warring factions: a group of anti mexican red-suited a la KKK members, and a crazy group of Mexicans, with women thrown from here to there and in-between. Django, of course, doesn't want to get involved with that, but he does, and it becomes a whole big thing. In fact, this was the first in a whole franchise of Django- some official and most not, leading up to a japanese tribute remake known as Sukiyaki Western Django, a film in which Quentin Tarantino himself played his own part. I read somewhere that on this film we get to see about 150 corpses!

A real hero.

Then again, it's the look of most of the characters that becomes more and more striking as the movie goes on, including one snarling gunman with bad teeth and big gums, and the stone-faced Jackson himself who Django has the chance to kill early on but leaves alive (somewhat bewilderingly, then again there would be no film and less conflict for otherwise amazing comic-book gunslinger Django). What Corbucci can deliver alongside his cast of mostly bit players and hamming-uppers, is a kind of tough but loose style; he won't go to extremes like Leone with a close-up or a far-away angle, he'll just zoom and veer right into the action and get all of the bloody, crazy killings right up close and fast as possible. He's an expert exploitation director and a decent stylist, with a little artistry and a warped form of professionalism.

Happiness is a warm gun.

So, for any and all genre fans, spaghetti western you'll see why Django gets its reputation, for better or for worse, usually the better. It's sometimes sloppy and occasionally not altogether well-made, but it soaks up its audience with its character as he kills quick with his huge cannon of a machine gun and has a final scene at a cemetery that is in the books somewhere as a mark of a true bad-ass. 

Look at my shiny little gun mama!

Spoiler poster.

Classic poster.

To finish today's entry as usual, I give you the tempting movie trailer in case you still haven't seen such a magnificent piece of Italian spaghetti western.

Stay tuned for the next movie review!