New York Ninja (1984) - Lost John Liu Film is Finally Seeing the Light!

[bigrogie]

3 hours ago, KUNG FU BOB said:

Yes, I know! Ever since I first found out about this project I've been thinking of you, bro!

We have lots of catch-up to do. I'll call you Tuesday morning if you're available. Your phone is the same?

[KUNG FU BOB]

35 minutes ago, bigrogie said:

We have lots of catch-up to do. I'll call you Tuesday morning if you're available. Your phone is the same?

Same Bat Time, same Bat Channel.

[OpiumKungFuCracker]

22 hours ago, bigrogie said:

For sure! John Liu was always among my favorite ones.

And also one of the funniest. His facial expressions rival Jackie's 

[AlbertV]

Those in the Los Angeles area will want to know that New York Ninja will make its world premiere at the Beyond Fest. It will be at the MUBI Theaters at the Aero Theater (1328 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403) on October 2 at 7:30PM PST. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.

GUESTS: Actors Cynthia Rothrock, Leon Isaac Kennedy and Adrienne Meltzer, Producer Kurtis Spieler and Brad Henderson in person

[odioustrident]

Would be nice if someone could ask about the current whereabouts of John Liu at the screening or Q & A?

They probably have no clue but assume they put some effort into the hunt considering the effort they put it into this product.

Edited September 16, 2021 by odioustrident

[HyperDrive]

Props to whoever made that trailer for including every shot of the twin towers they could. This feels like IFD came back from the dead.  

[De Ming Li]

Great great news! Does this film feel similar to Jimmy Wang Yu’s The Man from Hong Kong in having a Chinese hero come to a Western country hooking up with a White love interest and beating up bad guys in the process? Only in this case switch Australia for the USA of course.

[Josh Baker]

On 9/18/2021 at 6:04 AM, De Ming Li said:

Great great news! Does this film feel similar to Jimmy Wang Yu’s The Man from Hong Kong in having a Chinese hero come to a Western country hooking up with a White love interest and beating up bad guys in the process? Only in this case switch Australia for the USA of course.

I wont see the resemblance until I witness the amount wanton destruction of property and violence when I watch New York Ninja.

[sifu iron perm]

 

"This city owes… justice." Vinegar Syndrome has unveiled the brand new trailer for a long lost 80s campy action film titled New York Ninja, which has been finished and is ready for release in 4K this year after a premiere at Beyond Fest. Originally directed by & starring martial arts actor John Liu in his only American production, New York Ninja was filmed entirely on 35mm in 1984, but the project was abandoned during production resulting in all original sound materials, scripts, and treatments going missing. 35 years later, Vinegar Syndrome acquired the original unedited negative and painstakingly completed the film. Now with the voices of Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Linnea Quigley, Michael Berryman, Vince Murdocco, Matt Mitler, Leon Isaac Kennedy, Ginger Lynn Allen, and Cynthia Rothrock. A sound technician for a news station becomes a vigilante ninja in NYC after his pregnant wife is murdered. Restored in 4K from the original camera elements, New York Ninja is "finally available in all of its ridiculous over-the-top glory for the first time ever… after spending nearly four decades in film obscurity." Okay, I NEED to see this.

Here's the official 2021 trailer (+ poster) for John Liu & Kurtis Spieler's New York Ninja, from YouTube:

 

John (John Liu) is just an average man working as a sound technician for a New York City news station, until one day his pregnant wife is brutally murdered after witnessing the kidnapping of a young woman in broad daylight. Turning to the police for help, John soon learns that the city is overrun with crime and the police are too busy to help deal with most of it. Dressing as a white ninja, John takes to the streets as a sword wielding vigilante hell bent on cleaning up the streets of the city he once loved by ridding it of muggers, pickpockets, rapists, and gang members. However, in John's quest for justice, he soon finds himself the target of every criminal in the city, including a mysterious villain known only as the Plutonium Killer. Will John survive to become the hero that New York City so desperately needs? New York Ninja is directed by John Liu (who also directed Zen Kwan Do Strikes Paris, Made in China, Dragon Blood in the 80s) & Kurtis Spieler (Sheep Skin, The Devil's Well). Produced by Brad Henderson, Arthur Schweitzer, Kurtis Spieler. The finished film will premiere at Beyond Fest 2021 in LA this year. Vinegar Syndrome will then debut New York Ninja on VOD / DVD later this fall. Stay tuned for more. Who's ready to watch this?

 

 

This project was linked to Taimak aka Bruce Leroy, he was supposed to be the main star of this vehicle and was going to be called BLACK NINJA! But due to budget/production issues, the project never continued. Toby Russell was signed to Direct.

 

 

 

[One Armed Boxer]

1 hour ago, sifu iron perm said:

This project was linked to Taimak aka Bruce Leroy, he was supposed to be the main star of this vehicle and was going to be called BLACK NINJA! But due to budget/production issues, the project never continued. Toby Russell was signed to Direct.

I had no idea 'Black Ninja' morphed into 'New York Ninja'! Friend of the forum @Mike Leeder recently posted some of the footage from the abandoned 'Black Ninja' production on his Facebook page.

[Mike Leeder]

New York Ninja was shot 1984, The Last Dragin didnt come out till 85 and Black Ninja the Taimak one didnt begin production until late 86/early 87,  so i think its safe to say they were seperate projects

there's also the IFD Black Ninja with Alphonse Beni

[sifu iron perm]

6 minutes ago, Mike Leeder said:

New York Ninja was shot 1984, The Last Dragin didnt come out till 85 and Black Ninja the Taimak one didnt begin production until late 86/early 87,  so i think its safe to say they were seperate projects

there's also the IFD Black Ninja with Alphonse Beni

Oh, apologies for the confusion! 

I feel silly now for asking Cynthia if Taimak's footage was left in the NY Ninja film! 

Ooops!

 

Edited October 4, 2021 by sifu iron perm

[Mike Leeder]

On 10/4/2021 at 4:31 PM, sifu iron perm said:

Oh, apologies for the confusion! 

I feel silly now for asking Cynthia if Taimak's footage was left in the NY Ninja film! 

Ooops!

 

No worries

[saltysam]

Looks like this is going to be available as a 2 disc blu ray set exclusively from the VS website on 1st November.Going to be an expensive import to the uk.

[DragonClaws]

8 hours ago, saltysam said:

Going to be an expensive import to the uk.

 

Would 88-Films pick up a title like this?.

 

[saltysam]

14 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

 

Would 88-Films pick up a title like this?.

 

Thry'd have to do a deal with VS, who own this. Possibly 101 films in the UK, they've previously licenced some VS titles (Raw Force,Spookies,Tammy & The T-Rex)

[saltysam]

From VS Facebook

"It has come to our attention that allegations of inappropriate conduct with actors were made against John Liu concerning events that may have occurred in the 90s. While we cannot confirm the legitimacy of these claims, we can confirm that John Liu was not involved in the restoration or release of New York Ninja nor the associated making-of documentary."

[Killer Meteor]

Where is John Liu these days anyway?

[Jay Stone]

Wow good thing they’re distancing themselves from him over HIS movie over some 30 year old stuff no one has ever heard about…

Edited October 18, 2021 by Jay Stone

[saltysam]

1 hour ago, Jay Stone said:

Wow good thing they’re distancing themselves from him over HIS movie over some 30 year old stuff no one has ever heard about…

There's actually a very detailed news article from the early 90's (in spanish) posted which is pretty damning. He was found guilty.

[Yihetuan]

On 10/17/2021 at 11:27 AM, Killer Meteor said:

Where is John Liu these days anyway?

I remember Matthew Edwards posted something about Liu's whereabouts back in 2019 or so. I recall he said he was living in Vietnam with his family but was in bad shape in terms of health. It was on twitter or fb but I don't know how Matt got that info.

[Yihetuan]

5 hours ago, saltysam said:

There's actually a very detailed news article from the early 90's (in spanish) posted which is pretty damning. He was found guilty.

For those that are interested, here's the news article that @saltysam is referring to that addresses the allegations and criminal conduct. Basically, grooming and abusing underage girls under guise of helping them get into the film industry.

https://absencito.blogspot.com/2008/10/siguiendo-el-rastro-de-john-liu.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR1lFQzKK4xBjYSl5KUULcu1_M4fVSOlMqzJHYJG5xjjJfGQLyGonJ5d97I

[McQuade]

Man John Liu seems to be a fucked up guy. Never liked him as an actor anyway.

But I have to admit New York Ninja looks like a lot of fun.

[ShawAngela]

9 hours ago, Yihetuan said:

For those that are interested, here's the news article that @saltysam is referring to that addresses the allegations and criminal conduct. Basically, grooming and abusing underage girls under guise of helping them get into the film industry.

https://absencito.blogspot.com/2008/10/siguiendo-el-rastro-de-john-liu.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR1lFQzKK4xBjYSl5KUULcu1_M4fVSOlMqzJHYJG5xjjJfGQLyGonJ5d97I

That's disgusting ! But I'm not surprised, since when I wrote my review of Zen Kwan Do in Paris a while ago, I wondered if John Liu wasn't a sex obssessed man since the movie he wrote or directed or I don't know whaat was so focused on sex scenes and naked women, particularly the scene where he was training in martial arts with several naked women seeming to have sex in a strange dance around him !!!

[ShawAngela]

Does anyone know if it's true that John Liu was Bruce Lee's friend ?