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Master (1984)

Master Ninja


Cast:

Lee "I made Kurt Russell Escape From New York" Van Cleef is John Peter McAllister
Timothy Van Patten is Max Keller
Demi "Post Parasite and pre-Bruce Willis..." Moore is Holly Trumball
Sho "Cho Osaki from Revenge of the Ninja" Kusagi is Okasa


What the box says:

A Korean War veteran, who remained in Japan after the war, is on the run with his youthful friend from his ninja sect after returning to America against its wishes.


Plot:

Max Keller, the schluppy guy, gets thrown out of a bar. He retaliates by chaining the biker’s motorcycles together in the parking lot. Elsewhere, in Japan, a gaggle of ninjas try to attack the first Occidental Ninja Master, John Peter McAllister, (Lee Van Cleef) to no avail. He's returning to America to find his daughter, he just discovered that existed.

Holly Trumball, better known as Demi Moore is being chased by a sheriff. She runs out and jumps in Max's truck. He automatically assumes she's in trouble and drives off with her with a cop car in Roscoe P. Coltrane Hot Pursuit.


Just remember Demi Moore as aguest star in a series about the first Occidental Ninja Master...

Later, Ninja Lee Van Cleef is dropped off at a bar. In it, the sheriff who chases Dem Moore also wants his sword which leads a fight Max jumps into before Ninja Van Cleef intervention ensues. Well, Max and Master drive off.

At the local airport, a lawyer representing Mr. Christiansen, the local mogul, wants Demi's dad to sell the airport. As all gruff dads’s portrayed by Claude Akins, he refuses. Some goons set several planes on fire.

Max offers to help Ninja Master search for his daughter if he trains him. Well, Ninja Van Cleef refuses to train him. They see a fire and drive to the airport. Master rescues Demi.

Max goes to Mr. Christiansen's party ad gets thrown out after accusing him of the fire. Ninja Master changes his mind and decides to teach him.


We need a montage...
Let the training montage begin that has Okasa, a ninja, following Lee Van Cleef.

That night, Ninja Cleef attacks the sheriff and convinces him to name names about who started the airport fire. Max heads to Christiansen's building through the front door while Ninja Van Cleef scales the building. Max catches up with Christiansen before he disposes of all the incriminating evidence. Van Cleef is distracted by having to fight with Osaka.


You thought ninjas were tough without chainmail face masks...

Why a Ninja could beat Robin Hood....
Van Cleef refuses to kill Osaka.

Max and Master learn that Cleef's daughter is in San Francisco. On to the next episode, they reach the city by the bay. At a Flashdance-styled dance club, Kelly is next to Terri, Van Cleef's daughter in a picture. Japanese gangsters want Mr. Patterson, the owner of the club to invest in their protection business.

Max finally gets the address for Terri. Driving around, they realize the gangsters are following them on the Street of San Francisco. Able to ditch them so Van Cleef can get the drop on their pursuers and forces the car to crash.


Shouldn't a Ninja-high wire act be a big draw in a circus?

The Japanese gangsters are positive that Patterson has hired Van Cleef. They decide to kidnap Patterson's daughter, Kelly.

Van Cleef tries convincing the handicapped Jill; Patterson's other daughter, to try to keep enduring more of the physical therapy.

Ninjas grab Kelly and call Patterson for a $20,000 ransom or else. Van Cleef has an idea for Jill to deliver the money.

During the drop, Van Cleef manages to claw onto the bottom of the gangster's car which gets him to their headquarters.

Later, the gang wants the lien on the club signed to them.

Max and Master rappel to the gang's hideout. They take Kelly and the money out by tight-walking to the next building. The ninja wants to fight Van Cleef who easily beats the evil ninja.


Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting....Those cats were fast as lightning...

Later, at the club, dance fu ensues. Jill is able to walk enough to dance with her father. Van Cleef learns that Terri isn't his daughter. So his search continues...


What I say:

The mid-1980s action series....Ahhhhhhhhh...As any kid who loved the A-Team or StreeetHawk or the series like Blue Thunder, most series had the recognizable vehicle. However, this series had something else. The rise of ninjas...The power of ninjas on TV, watch as the star magically changes from a name actor (Lee Van Cleef) to an acrobatic and masked ninja. This series did come out before the Karate Kid. A martial arts master teaching some one to stand up for themselves is very similar. The mid-80s had a few martial arts series like Sidekicks with Ernie Reye Jr.

One of the tough actors in the who never got the Clint Eastwood: Lee Van Cleef. He did have several Spaghetti Western roles. However, this may be one of the most hard to forget. The first Occidental ninja who sprouts off the bits of philospohy almost as much as Mr. Miyagi.

The buddy TV-show. The first American trained as a ninja who leaves to search for his daughter and let the adventures ensues after he takes a guy under his wing. With Lee Van Cleef, he'll need a sidekick that'll help keep things going and almost kiddiefy the show. I kept thinking of Timothy Van Patten as Willie Ames, the sidekick on Charles in Charge. Typically, the student isn't that impressive and is more annoying than anything else. He is the narrator who keeps us from being lost of the deep plot lines we'd not get otherwise. Sorry, my sarcasm just sort of flared up in that last sentence..

Claude Akins and Clu Gallgher pop up in the first episode because back then they guest-starred in so many TV-series. However, they aren't the most famous guests to most people of today. Somehow, Demi Moore is guest starring in an episode of a 1980s action series that is best remembered for some of its episodes being riffed on Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

The show has to have more than them just driving around helping people out of trouble. The A-Team and Highway to Heaven was doing that enough on NBC at that time. A little bit more than some colonel chasing after them but not quite like a Inspector Gerrard following Richard Kimble in the Fugitive, Osaka is the evil ninja who chases Lee Van Cleef for leaving the ninja clan to serach for his daughter. He pops throughout the series. The evil ninja is chasing after the Master for dishonoring the ninja clan by leaving it. Searching for the newly discovered family memeber is always a big motivation on TV shows.

Anyone can guess any website like www.sideorderofninjas.com may have a somewhat fantical ninja obsession. For out of over 370 reviews, several martial arts movies may not have Ninja in the title such as Master. Many ninja movies are taking footage and randomly inserting some scenes to make films that have random white guys popping in and out to try and fool people into renting these movies in the 80s such as Ninja Death 1, Ninja Destroyer, and Ninja in the Killing Fields.



2 1/2 NINJAS

Quotable Dialogue

"The only Occidental American to become a ninja..."
"Ever meet a ninja in a bar?"
"A ninja must have perfect balance."
"What good is a ninja teacher without a student?"
"That's not dancing. That's aerobics."
"You're a dancer, DANCE!"


Morals of the Story

Vans need hamsters.
Hamsters should be named "Henry."
Ninjas carry suitcases.
Ninjas are very persuasive in convincing people to confess partners in crimes.
Ninjas commonly wear contact lenses.
Ninjas know how cool Steve McQueen is.


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