Member ThunderScore Posted August 27, 2012 Member Share Posted August 27, 2012 Once again, something I'd never given a second thought to back in the day, but recently discovered that it might be something of interest... Apart from Chuck Connors (THE RIFLEMAN) packing some familiar heat (and looking a bit like Two-Face)... ...Also didn't know it was something of a co-production that included John Ladalski in the cast... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member QueMuchita Posted August 27, 2012 Member Share Posted August 27, 2012 I love this movie... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phoenix Posted August 27, 2012 Member Share Posted August 27, 2012 I love this movie... I'm a big fan of the ending sequence. Somebody on here mentioned they had bought an official looking mainland release of this, anyone know if I can get that? It didn't seem to be a VHS conversion. I can't see any images in the first post in this thread, if there are any. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ThunderScore Posted August 28, 2012 Author Member Share Posted August 28, 2012 I'm a big fan of the ending sequence. Somebody on here mentioned they had bought an official looking mainland release of this, anyone know if I can get that? It didn't seem to be a VHS conversion. I can't see any images in the first post in this thread, if there are any. I've seen it on eBay.. I really wish this film had been marketed a little differently. It totally fell under the radar... There's only the one image (til now) posted in this thread, which was used for (among other things) the Key Video box art, which barely features any ninja. Instead opting to showcase the only name in the cast, Chuck Connors - (who only has a small amount of screen time) is certainly well represented here... holding a rifle and wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers cap and jacket (He was the star of THE RIFLEMAN and prior to that played for the Brooklyn Dodgers). WHITE PHANTOM (1987) was a sequel of sorts to this, with a lot of the same people behind the scenes, and Bo Svenson taking over from Chuck as "The Colonel". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phoenix Posted August 28, 2012 Member Share Posted August 28, 2012 Thanks ThunderScore, I can't purchase anything right at the moment so I hope copies are around in the future. I wish Sakura Killers would get a widescreen release. Never knew about the White Phantom film... Is WP any good? Ninja action wise, or any similarities to Sakura Killers? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member sifu iron perm Posted August 31, 2012 Member Share Posted August 31, 2012 still have my shitty vhs copy..the trailer of this was badass..the score/music was another touch! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted August 31, 2012 Member Share Posted August 31, 2012 Promotion for ninja movies in the 1980s was quite peculiar, considering the look of some trailers... Never heard of this film, but it seems like a nice flick, from the images posted and what people say about it on this forum. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ThunderScore Posted August 31, 2012 Author Member Share Posted August 31, 2012 (edited) SAKURA KILLERS has some interesting people in the cast, such as the afore-mentioned John Ladalski... Though I'm a bit surprised that nobody's mentioned an uncredited Jack Long as a Ninja Master... ...Who trains stars Mike Kelly and George Nicholas... ...While nominal star Chuck Connors encounters some local talent... All in all, very enjoyable! Edited December 11, 2016 by ThunderScore 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted September 1, 2012 Member Share Posted September 1, 2012 Thanks for the pics, ThunderScore. That masked guy in the last one reminds of the Ninja Kids/Ninja Death/Ninja Kiss Of Death/Venom Of The Ninja (all of these titles referring to the whole trilogy if I'm not mistaking) movies by Joseph Kuo in which you have a guy wearing a similar mask. Here's a french trailer of this one, in case some people may not remember it: (interestingly, while this was released as a trilogy in the US, it was released as a single movie (called Ninja Kids) in France after being heavily edited) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ThunderScore Posted September 3, 2012 Author Member Share Posted September 3, 2012 (edited) Where SAKURA KILLERS was a totally amazing surprise, WHITE PHANTOM is almost pretty much what was expected, tho it was actually shot in Taiwan. One of the locales in the film, an abandoned resort project in the Sanjhih district was also used in the IFD film GOLDEN NINJA WARRIOR... (Thanks to fellow KFC member & friend Jesús Manuel and his awesome Golden Ninja Warrior blog for first uncovering this fact!) While the Ninja scenes are decidedly not too impressive (despite how this might look)... Star, Judo Black Belt holder and 2009 Martial Arts Master Hall of Fame inductee Bo Svenson not surprisingly has the best fight of the film... While it can't be said for sure if Bo's Colonel Slater is the same as Chuck Connors' (whose character had no last name), the Sakura Ninja (with the same logo) are present here, just not nearly as accomplished... Edited December 11, 2016 by ThunderScore 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted September 3, 2012 Member Share Posted September 3, 2012 Where SAKURA KILLERS was a totally amazing surprise, WHITE PHANTOM is almost pretty much what was expected, tho it was actually shot in Taiwan. One of the locales in the film, an abandoned resort project in the Sanjhih district was also used in the IFD film GOLDEN NINJA WARRIOR... (Thanks to fellow KFC member & friend Jesús Manuel and his awesome Golden Ninja Warrior blog for first uncovering this fact!) Yup, this looks familiar: It also can be seen for a split second http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X9MZIcalrs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ThunderScore Posted September 7, 2012 Author Member Share Posted September 7, 2012 Checked out the Chinese DVD of SAKURA KILLERS which was advertised as being widescreen - it's not - it's PAL and has English/Chinese audio with Chinese subs and that's about it. I'd speculate the film was probably shot full frame - there doesn't appear to be any visual info missing from the either this or the Key Video VHS. While the cover had some images not at all from the film, the disc proudly displays the colorful art that can be seen at the start of this thread... Color me disappointed... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shapes Posted September 8, 2012 Member Share Posted September 8, 2012 Sakura killers was shot on 16mm so no widescreen version 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phoenix Posted September 8, 2012 Member Share Posted September 8, 2012 I'd hope the image quality of the DVD was at least better than a VHS capture. I would probably still buy it... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ThunderScore Posted September 8, 2012 Author Member Share Posted September 8, 2012 I'd hope the image quality of the DVD was at least better than a VHS capture. I would probably still buy it... I purposely left out any mention of the quality. It looked a bit dark and murky, which might be from the PAL-NTSC transition. Couldn't say for sure that it came from VHS either. I don't regret getting it since there isn't anything else at this time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phoenix Posted September 8, 2012 Member Share Posted September 8, 2012 I purposefully left out any mention of the quality. It looked a bit dark and murky, which might be from the PAL-NTSC transition. Couldn't say for sure that it came from VHS either. I don't regret getting it since there isn't anything else at this time. Thanks for all the info, ThunderScore. That's the reason I would purchase this release if it's still floating around in future. Thanks to Shapes for confirming that a widescreen release will never happen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shapes Posted September 8, 2012 Member Share Posted September 8, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Phoenix Posted September 8, 2012 Member Share Posted September 8, 2012 Thanks, that's a nice cover- I like the shots on there. I wonder if lobby cards exist. Here's the trailer, if it hasn't been posted already, for anyone who hasn't seen this. I had a copy I lost and then I had to look for it for quite a few years. The film is cheesy but great fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted September 9, 2012 Moderator Share Posted September 9, 2012 12,800 Yen for a VHS!? Wow, so things really have always been ridiculously expensive in Japan, that's the equivalent of $165! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted September 9, 2012 Member Share Posted September 9, 2012 Nice artwork you shared there, shapes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Lung Wang Posted January 16, 2016 Member Share Posted January 16, 2016 This is such a fun film ! I love the crazy quotations all the way through, such as: "I offer pain, not praise !" "That could be a big threat to the U.S.A." "Ha ! You guys are dead !" "Sonny ! Wake up Sonny !" and "Ninja must be strong, unconquerable, never be defeated, you are no ninja !" It's so unintentionally hilarious. Great stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted January 18, 2016 Member Share Posted January 18, 2016 I have not seen this for ages but it was released over here too as vhs. Have fond memories of sakura killers... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted January 7, 2020 Member Share Posted January 7, 2020 It should be mentioned that the villain and action director of White Phantom is the late great Lung Fong, who was credited as Jimmy Lee. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shaolin swords Posted April 17, 2022 Member Share Posted April 17, 2022 i saw this as a kid ones and never saw it again like 20 plus years ago its crazy i caught it on tv like last night at all places i would see the movie again was on tv i always wonder what was the name of the flick and never knew in till last night would love to get an offical dvd or blu ray on this flick great flick if any one can point me into the right direction for physical would appreciate it 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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