SummaryAfter just completing his training at a ninja school, an army vet travels to the Phillippines and finds himself battling a land grabber who wants his war-buddy's property. He must also fight his rival.
Directed By:Menahem Golan
Written By:Dick Desmond, Mike Stone, Menahem Golan, Stephen K. Hayes
Enter the Ninja
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
35
User score
Mixed or Average
5.4
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
35
0% Positive
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
40% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
60% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
60
The film‘s sparse narrative exists to simply connect one action set-piece to the next, with sporadic breathing space in between. It’s the kind of undemanding entertainment which was enthusiastically lapped up by viewers during the early video rental era.
60
Enter the Ninja represents an unusual hybrid action film, an Italian Western-type story filmed as a contemporary Japanese martial arts action film in the Philippines. Results are pleasant though unspectacular.
37
Ultimately, it's hard to decide which is more deadly, the action or the dialogue. [26 Dec 1981, p.D5]
25
Despite its lack of imagination, this dull martial arts entry spawned two sequels: Revenge of the Ninja and Ninja III--The Domination.
20
Even on the level of unintentional humour this fails to entertain: the mark of a truly dreadful movie.
User score
Mixed or Average
5.4
40% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
40% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
20% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Sep 30, 2025
5
Franco Nero has done it: After years of training in Japan, he can now officially(?) call himself a ninja! In the Philippines, he visits his old Vietnam buddy, who's having trouble with hook-handed Zachi Noy and his boss/supervillain Christopher George, who has hired a gang of ninjas. Franco Nero now has to beat them all to pieces...Average early Cannon fun, never too crazy, but also never too boring, with a good cast and simply entertaining.
Production Company:
- The Cannon Group
- City Film (1980s)
- Golan-Globus Productions
Release Date:Oct 2, 1981
Duration:1 h 39 m
Rating:R
Tagline:Warriors of a lost martial art! Hired assassins ...human killing machines!
