When you see that PHOENIX THE NINJA was put out by IFD (executive producer: Joseph Lai) and written by Godfrey Ho under a pseudonym, you expect the worst; for it to be nothing more than another nonsensical cut-and-paste would-be ninja epic. However, PHOENIX THE NINJA actually turns out to be a proper film with a proper story, which is a surprise, and the second surprise is that it it's quite good.
It's a Taiwanese movie featuring a female fighter as the lead. Chang Ling puts a lot of effort into her performance and decent she is with it too. She begins the film lugging her sick nurse around the forbidding countryside, desperately seeking aid, but the plot only begins for real once the nurse dies and Ling discovers her true destiny.
For once this film's back story is actually interesting and holds together pretty well. The action bits are more haphazard but I tended to enjoy them, especially the more outre moments. A scene in which Ling is attacked on a snowy hillside by skiing ninjas recalls the highlights of the Bond/Lone Wolf and Cub franchises. This is no film classic but genre enthusiasts will be well pleased by what takes place.
It's a Taiwanese movie featuring a female fighter as the lead. Chang Ling puts a lot of effort into her performance and decent she is with it too. She begins the film lugging her sick nurse around the forbidding countryside, desperately seeking aid, but the plot only begins for real once the nurse dies and Ling discovers her true destiny.
For once this film's back story is actually interesting and holds together pretty well. The action bits are more haphazard but I tended to enjoy them, especially the more outre moments. A scene in which Ling is attacked on a snowy hillside by skiing ninjas recalls the highlights of the Bond/Lone Wolf and Cub franchises. This is no film classic but genre enthusiasts will be well pleased by what takes place.
