American Samurai (1992)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

Sam Firstenberg

Writer:

John Corcoran (writer)

Genre:

Action

Plot:

An American reporter teams up with a martial arts expert, whose half-brother is a "yakuza"--Japaneser mafia--drug dealer to battle swordsmen from around the world n a Turkish arena.

Plot Keywords:

Martial Arts | Arena | Decapitation | Butterfly Knife | Kukri Dagger

Cast

David Bradley	...	Andrew 'Drew' Collins
Mark Dacascos	...	Kenjiro Sanga
Valarie Trapp	...	Janet Ward
Rex Ryon	...	Ed Harrison
Melissa Hellman	...	Samantha
John Fujioka	...	Tatsuya Sanga
Douvi Cohen	...	Stephane (as Douvey Cohen)
Mark Warren	...	Turk in Disco / Lars
Koby Azarly	...	Turk in Disco
Shalom Avitan	...	Turk in Disco
Baruch Berkin	...	Hotel Clerk
Arie Moscuna	...	Announcer (as Arie Muskuna)
Michael Morim	...	Police Chief
Misha Gal	...	Body Guard (as Moshe Gal)
John Slater	...	Body Guard

Also Known As:

Ninja: American Samurai (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:16 | Germany:18 (cut) | South Korea:18 | UK:18 (cut) | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Israel

Company:

Cannon Pictures

Goofs:

Continuity: During the final battle the two fighters are both wearing nearly identical black uniforms, but the fight includes footage from an earlier battle where another fighter was wearing red ribbons, they fly in and out from just outside the camera.

Movie Connections:

References Midnight Express (1978)

One of Cannon's final efforts

Having all but exhausted the exploitation of ninjas, what was Cannon to do? Right - exploit samurais instead! As well as recycle elements from their past hit BLOODSPORT, including a big burly guy with a beard as one of the contestants! It's clear the movie was cut for an "R" rating, given how some wounds and killings are not shown as clearly as you would think, but the editing also shows signs of production problems. One lengthy scene seems to have been cut in half, with the subsequent half played much later in the movie. There is also awkward narration and a very long sex scene where you never see the faces of the lovers, furthering the suspicion of frantic efforts to patch together the movie. The production values are pretty good, and Firstenberg does deliver the goods with the fight sequences, which are expertly choreographed. He doesn't do well with the actors however, having Dacascos overact at times and Bradley giving yet another uncharismatic performance.