Ninja III: The Domination

Ninja III: The Domination (1984)

Runtime: 92 delirious minutes

Directed by: Sam Firstenberg

Starring: Lucinda Dickey, Sho Kosugi, Jordan Bennett, David Chung, James Hong

From: Cannon

Note that this is a **** movie the same way that I rated Miami Connection ****: how entertaining this lunacy was, utterly devoid of logic & divorced from reality. It’s no wonder this has acquired a cult following in the 21st century.

The opening 17 minutes say it all: a ninja warrior kills SOB’s then the cops (the kill count was at least two dozen in the long opening scene alone!), possessing supernatural ability, and as impervious to death as undead Jason Voorhees… or perhaps a better comparison for this motion picture, the Lady Terminator. He finally is on his deathbed, when he meets Lucinda Dickey, a win for women in STEM as she’s a telephone line repairwoman (you know, a line woman instead of a lineman)… although she’s also an aerobics instructor, as it is 1984 and she starred in the Breakin’ films! That isn’t a win for women in STEM… 

Ninja dude possesses the body of Christie Ryder to exact revenge on the cops that took his life. I laughed—I mean, frequently during The Domination. There’s an unfortunate A-hole cop (some will say ACAB) who is an A-hole and his boorish behavior towards Christie regrettably works. He also has an absurd amount of body hair! Even their relationship was hysterical… who knew that using V8 JUICE DURING SEX was a thing?! How can’t I laugh when she lives in a warehouse apartment complete w/ neon light, an arcade game, and a painting of what looks like the lady on Duran Duran’s Rio album cover? Ms. Ryder is appealing aside from her appearance!

Also appealing was the amazing synth music and awesomely bad random 80’s pop heard throughout. While not a perfect comparison-and this may make some irritated anyhow-I was reminded of the bonkers cinema of the 80’s from a Hong Kong or Indonesia. I dare not spoil any other wacky moment or wild plot points. It was nice seeing James Hong for a few minutes in the segment that was most overt horror; there isn’t much Sho Kosugi in the opening half, although his presence does help in the second half. Ms. Dickey was the highlight having to perform such a gonzo role.

There’s entertaining action, a nonstop onslaught of (apparent) coke-fueled mayhem, horror beats, and nary a dull moment due to the relentless pace. Its cult reputation is well-deserved.