The Blazing Ninja (1973) | (VHS) | USED (MA001)

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Title: The Blazing Ninja (1973)

Alternate Title: Gate of Life or Death

Genre: Action / Adventure / Drama

Plot Synopsis
In wartime China, villagers suffer under ruthless Japanese occupation. Resistance fighters mobilize to stop the pillaging and disruption, launching a daring assassination attempt that triggers unexpected consequences and forces both sides into a desperate conflict.

Cast and Crew

• Director: Godfrey Ho

• Writers: On Szeto

• Cast:

  • Il-do Jang

  • Sony Tanaka

  • Ronny Lee

  • Tim Chen

  • Sandy Peng

IMDb Link: The Blazing Ninja (1973) 

Reviews from Letterboxd

1. vidscribbler – ★★☆☆☆
   “Starting my Ninjaugust with this Godfrey Ho hodgepodge that in true Godfrey Ho fashion does something sorta amusing every few minutes after numbing your mind with that wonderful sludgy vibe of his. Not great but an essential early showcase of many of those slipshod elements Ho would bravely hone in on while mastering his particular, singular craft.”

2. Vito – ★★½☆☆
   “In Japanese-occupied China, the leader of a resistance movement goes undercover to confuse his arch nemesis and maybe his own sister, I think? It’s hard to say for sure. I do know nobody here meets any of the standard criteria for ninjahood. What this movie lacks in coherence it makes up for in kicking, although much of that is pretty uninspired too. It’s probably best to just sit back and appreciate 1940s China’s apparent fondness for early ’70s fashion and hardcore funk. Keep an ear open around the 27-minute mark, when “Theme from Shaft” makes an unexpected and presumably unauthorized cameo.”

3. Al Lucard – ★★½☆☆
   “Oh where to begin? This is one of the first films from cult director Godfrey Ho, the “Ed Wood of Hong Kong Cinema” known for his ultra low budget cut and paste 80s ninja films. It stars Philip Cheung AKA Bruce Lai (before he was Bruce Lai) and a cameo fight from an uncredited Bolo Young. The story concerns the underground Chinese Resistance as they fight off the Japanese during World War II. This is not a war movie – this is more of a z grade “Chinese Connection” with way less plot. We have the leader of The Resistance – Tung Man (Tongueman), a Resistance member that dresses like Kamen Rider that calls the baddies “You Ninja Bastards!”, and…”

4. Comrie – ★★½☆☆
   “A slightly more enjoyable than average Godfrey Ho effort which despite smashing two completely unrelated films together that do not mash well has a laughable stolen soundtrack and a couple of very decent fights. I’m unsure when on earth this is meant to happen in a mainland China that is ruled by the Japanese but it definitely appears to be set in the 70’s, so maybe it’s some strange alt-verse that only Ho himself understands?”

5. jesse hicks – ★★★☆☆
   “A competent movie with lots of fun fights, funny dubbing, great editing and jarring audio/visual cuts, and a plot that is kind of ok.”

Meta Description:
Low-budget 1973 Hong Kong action film by cult director Godfrey Ho about Chinese resistance fighters battling Japanese forces, packed with chaotic kung-fu sequences, mismatched edits, and an unmistakable grindhouse energy.