Rating: *
Review Date: 8/15/26
Producer: Joseph Lai
Cast: Daniel Garfield, Patrick Largent
"Never trust a scientist."
Expert ninja David (Patrick Largent) is sent on a mission to Taiwan to kill a man named Tanaka, who developed a chemical warfare agent in WWII that killed thousands of Chinese people. But three other groups are also looking for him, including Uncle Mark and his two nieces, a foreign gangster named Martin, and a "hocus pocus" master named Larry (Daniel Garfield). Martin grabs Tanaka first, but he's quickly sprung by Mark's nieces, Brenda and Becky. Mark wants Tanaka's formula for his own sinister reasons, and Becky forces Tanaka to dig up a set of golden horns, which are part of an elaborate puzzle related to the formula. Larry and David cross paths while fighting Mark and Martin, and decide to join forces, which fits because their 80s fashion choices are equally appalling. A big fight goes down and Mark is finally defeated, leaving Tanaka and the golden horns in the custody of Brenda and Becky. "Born A Ninja" (1988) takes place literally days after the film's conclusion, with Martin vowing, "I'll be back to get you!"
Yes, it's a terrible, no-budget, shot-on-video quickie, but it's mildly entertaining. The martial arts choreography is actually quite fancy, and both Patrick Largent and Daniel Garfield are capable performers, but the execution tends to be stiff and sluggish. Brenda and Becky also have a couple of fight scenes which is nice to see, and there's even a hint of romance thrown in. While it's considerably better than the sequel, I don't consider that to be an endorsement.