NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (October 2023): Kino have transferred Menahem Golan's Enter the Ninja to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. The HD presentation is exported with heaviness, similar to many 80's films transferred to 1080P. The grain often resembles noise but overall the appearance is solid; clean and consistent.

Enter the Ninja was released on Blu-ray by Kino in 2015, HERE but this is labeled a Special Edition and includes a new commentary. It was also released on Blu-ray as part of a UK Eureka box set of The Ninja Trilogy on Blu-ray in 2016. 

NOTE: We have added 52 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (24-bit) in the original English language. Franco Nero's voice is DUB'ed. Enter the Ninja has many aggressive conflicts that come through with audible depth and a score by W. Michael Lewis and Laurin Rinder (both credited with Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle and the In Search of... TV series theme etc.), sounding decent in supporting the film. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by 'Action Film' historians Mike Leeder (editor of 100% Jackie Chan: The Essential Companion) and Arne Venema. They have some fun discussing the film's details. They export their knowledge of the genre's extensive films of the 70's through to the 90s. They talk about Mike Stone, Sho Kosugi, Franco Nero ('the man, the myth, the moustache'), the history of Ninjas etc. and many other similar film efforts and anecdotes of the production (snakes, mosquitoes etc.). Also included is a trailer.  

Menahem Golan's Enter the Ninja was a commercial success, entirely filmed on location in Manila, The Philippines. It was the first effort in Cannon Films' Ninja Trilogy, followed by Revenge of the Ninja (1983) and Ninja III: The Domination (1984) which helped initiate a stream of ninja-themed Hollywood films during the early 1980s. This series of movies launched the career of the Japanese actor and martial artist Sho Kosugi. He had extensive training in Shindō jinen-ryū Karate, Kendo (bamboo swords), Judo, Iaido, Kobudo, Aikido and, the initial intended focus of the films, Ninjutsu (espionage, unconventional and guerrilla warfare.) The title, Enter the Ninja, was an attempt to capitalize on the success of Enter the Dragon, (also mimicking that opening) although despite a large number of, hooded-cloaked, fighting assailants it lacked the finesse of Bruce Lee's iconic 1973 movie which would represent his final completed screen appearance before he died at the age of 32. So we get a quasi entertaining mish-mash with its major attribute being handsome, if sadly DUB'ed, Franco Nero and, one of DVDBeaver's favorites, the lovely Susan George who, with no thanks to the one-dimensional dialogue, portrays a sexy-independent gal who slips seamlessly into the role of a "damsel in distress". Enter the Ninja has garnered a cult following despite its awkwardness. Previous digital editions often become scarce in quick fashion. The Kino Blu-ray will satisfy the film's niche fans with solid a/v and the new, fun, commentary. To each his own.

Gary Tooze