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Man, I really can't wait to get my hands on this movie. The first one was already awesome.

Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: Ninja: Shadow of a Tear

"This sequel to Ninja finds Casey going out for revenge and ultimately defeating a much bigger conspiracy than just the one against his family. It is loaded with fights: really awesome work whether Casey is sparring, picking fights in a rage or actually going up against bad guys. Hollywood movies don’t give you this much value." - Fred Topel, CraveOnline

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Man, I really can't wait to get my hands on this movie. The first one was already awesome.

Fantastic Fest 2013 Review: Ninja: Shadow of a Tear

"This sequel to Ninja finds Casey going out for revenge and ultimately defeating a much bigger conspiracy than just the one against his family. It is loaded with fights: really awesome work whether Casey is sparring, picking fights in a rage or actually going up against bad guys. Hollywood movies don’t give you this much value." - Fred Topel, CraveOnline

oh yeah man,cant wait for it either gonna be a fun ride :D

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NinjaII-ShadowofaTear_zps96dc7e4d.jpg
Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear
Nu Image/Swingin' Productions/Millennium Films, 2013
Directed by Isaac Florentine (Ninja, Undisputed III: Redemption)
Running Time: 95 minutes
Rated R for graphic martial arts violence and strong language.



Cast
Scott Adkins (Yuri Boyka in Undisputed II-III, John in Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning) as Casey Bowman
Kane Kosugi (Jiraiya/Ninja Black in Ninja Sentai Kakuranger, Hayabusa in DOA: Dead or Alive) as Nakabara
Mika Hijii :wub: (Kaoru in Garo, Rin in AvN: Alien vs. Ninja) as Namiko Takeda
Shun Sugata (Kamen Rider ZX, Boss Benta in Kill Bill) as Goro
Vithaya Pansringarm as General Sung
Mukesh Bhatt as Mike
Jawed El Berni as Lucas
Futoshi Hashimoto as Toji
Tim Man as Myat

Synopsis
Casey Bowman and his wife Namiko Takeda have settled down peacefully at the Koga ninja dojo, with Namiko expecting their first child. Then, tragedy strikes when Namiko is murdered by an unknown assailant using a barbed wire weapon. Fueled by anger and grief, Casey travels to Thailand and Burma to find the man responsible for his wife's murder.

Lowdown
Oh yeah - the team that brought us one of the finest martial arts films is back. Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear brings us more of Scott Adkins' unbelievable kicks and lots of outstanding fight choreography. In keeping with the tone of the first film, there are no shaky-cam effects and no cheesy CG enhancements - just simple camerawork that doesn't blink on every punch, kick, or throwdown laid by Adkins or his opponents. Never mind the plot - it's the fights that tell the story.

Speaking of opponents, Ninja II doesn't just have thugs, but sub-bosses that actually hold their own against Adkins. Undoubtedly the best fight is against Swedish martial artist Tim Man (Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Ong Bak 2). Kane Kosugi, who has been overshadowed by his father for decades, shows his true potential here as well.

Overall, if you like Ninja or are a fan of '80s martial arts films, Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear is worth picking up on Blu-ray Disc. It will make you completely forget that Ninja Assassin ever existed.

Rating: B+

Links
Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear Official Facebook

References
The Internet Movie Database

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Undisputed II: Last Man Standing

Nu Image/Millennium Films/New Line Home Video, 2006

Directed by Isaac Florentine (Ninja, Savate)

Running Time: 98 minutes

Rated R for graphic martial arts violence, drug use and profanity.

"I am the most complete fighter in the world." - Yuri Boyka

Cast

Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite, Spawn) as George "Iceman" Chambers

Scott Adkins (Casey in Ninja, Deadpool stunt double in X-Men Origins: Wolverine) as Yuri Boyka

Eli Danker as Crot

Mark Ivanir (Marcel Goldberg in Schindler's List, Karlenko in Johnny English Reborn) as Gaga

Valentin Ganev as Warden Markov

Ben Cross (Harold Abrahams in Chariots of Fire, Sarek in Star Trek) as Steven Parker

Ken Lerner (Delaney in RoboCop 2, Principal Flutie in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Phil

Synopsis

Framed for drug possession, former boxing champion George "Iceman" Chambers is sent to a Russian prison, where he discovers he has been set up to fight prison fight champion Yuri Boyka in their ring. After suffering the grueling effects of the prison's poor living conditions, Chambers accepts the challenge for a chance to be released.

Lowdown

For those unfamiliar with this film series, Undisputed was a 2002 prison boxing film starring Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames. It was quickly forgotten after its release, but some of the production team saw some potential to it and expanded it into a loose sequel that now focuses on mixed martial arts. Chambers, who was the villain played by Rhames in the first film, is now the protagonist played by Michael Jai White. Squaring off with him is the vicious Russian fighter Yuri Boyka, played by British martial artist Scott Adkins.

To call Undisputed II: Last Man Standing awesome is an understatement; it is brutally awesome, at the least. Despite not having as much screen time as White, Adkins makes this film shine with his lightning-quick attacks, including his signature spinning double kick (which he approaches his opponent with a spinning left kick, but hits the opponent's head with his right kick before landing). The fights, despite being slightly on the unrealistic side, boast some of the best choreography that easily rivals Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior. In addition, the fight cinematography is outstanding, as it does not resort to shaky-cam or unnecessary CGI effects like today's action films.

If you're a fan of the martial arts classic Bloodsport, Undisputed II: Last Man Standing is the next best thing.

Rating: A

Undisputed III: Redemption

Nu Image/New Line Home Video, 2010

Directed by Isaac Florentine (Ninja: Shadow of a Tear, Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon)

Running Time: 96 minutes

Rated R for graphic martial arts violence, drug use and profanity.

Cast

Scott Adkins (Hector in The Expendables 2, John in Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning) as Yuri Boyka

Mykel Shannon Jenkins as Jericho "Turbo" Jones

Mark Ivanir (Marcel Goldberg in Schindler's List, Karlenko in Johnny English Reborn) as Gaga

Marko Zaror (Zaror in Machete Kills) as Raul "Dolor" Quiñones

Vernon Dobtcheff (Max Kalba in The Spy Who Loved Me, Interrogator in The Day of the Jackal) as Rezo

Hristo Shopov as Warden Kuss

Robert Costanzo (Det. Harvey Bullock in Batman: The Animated Series) as Farnatti

Valentin Ganev as Warden Markov

Ilram Choi as Jerry Chai

Lateef Crowder (Eddy Gordo in Tekken, Baraka in Mortal Kombat: Rebirth) as Andriago Silva

Esteban Cueto as Sykov

Synopsis

Years after suffering a humiliating defeat and a broken knee at the hands of George "Iceman" Chambers, Yuri Boyka steps back into the ring to once again become the Russian prison champion and compete in an international tournament called the Prison Spetz Competition (PSC) to win his freedom or face execution.

Lowdown

Undisputed II: Last Man Standing and its antagonist Yuri Boyka won numerous praise from martial arts film buffs, so it was fitting to continue the story of everyone's favorite Russian prison fighter. Undisputed III: Redemption picks up where its predecessor left off, turning Boyka from villain to a broken man and progressively into an antihero. He is paired with American convict Turbo, who has a loud mouth and a couple of hard fists to go with it. As participants of the tournament, they face a diverse array of fighters from around the world that use taekwondo, capoeira, and various forms of MMA. The storyline also works well, with its strong themes of betrayal and survival throughout the tournament.

As usual, the film captures some of the most outstanding fights ever put on film. Most notable is the semifinal round between Boyka and Brazilian fighter Andriago Silva. But perhaps the film's downside is the tournament itself feeling too short, as it focuses more on the interaction between Boyka and Turbo in the labor camp sessions.

While not as memorable as the second film, Undisputed III still delivers with bone-crunching action and intense fighting only Scott Adkins can deliver. No doubt that a fourth installment will be coming soon.

Rating: B+

References

The Internet Movie Database

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I have all six of the classic Tomisaburo Wakayama movies.

I have all the Season-1 discs of the TV series released by the defunct Tokyo Shock label. It's the only season they ever managed to release. Bastards.

This particular TV season-1 episode was never rebroadcast in Japan, nor was it ever included in the official VHS and DVD releases from Japan. Prolly elsewhere, too.

Finally found it last year on yt.

Yay!

BUT.

It's in Italian.

I don't know Italian, but it's all good. I still know the damn story and can still follow it. It's just a little weird hearing them speak in Italian.

Like I said, it was never rebroadcast nor was it ever included in the vhs/dvd releases.

Because, boobs. Prolly.

Not really sure. Season-1 had other episodes that have shown boobs, too.

This one prolly just really really ticked off the japanese censors back in the day to force it off the rebroadcast and vhs/dvd inclusion.

As such, this episode is prolly one of the bestest episodes of S1. Very violent as usual, too. Really excellent swordfighting on par with the film version and the Zatoichi series.

Kozure Okami. aka Lone Wolf and Cub. TV version.

Original episode-2 ~Oyuki~

Enjoy.

Even in Italian dub...

https://youtu.be/0Wx3bfCXPj8

:hail: :hail: :hail:

:touche: :touche: :touche:

Edited by treatment
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