The Lone Ninja Warrior (HK 1984)

Rating: **

What a confusing piece of film this is! It's a convoluted Hong Kong swordplay film with some bizarre ninja wackiness thrown in. A master swordsman named Snowy White has made himself a lot of enemies due to his proficient sword work, and it seems like everyone in the film is out to kill him. Lots of trickery, deception, and secret schemes are carried out, and it never becomes clear who the villains are and what their motivations are. Allies and enemies exchange loyaties constantly until pretty much everyone is dead. To even further add to the chaos, there's a couple of kung fu midgets, three completely silly ninjas (accompanied by goofy sound effects), a hunchback with a ridiculous overbite, and a corpse-like vampire girl whose father steals blood for her to drink. Fortunately, the swordplay is good and frantic, and there's plenty of it. There are also several pretty women on hand, including one drop-dead cute swordswoman who wants Snowy White for the death of her father, but ends up riding off into the sunset with him at the end. Huh?