New York Ninja

After his wife is murdered, humble sound technician John becomes a sword-wielding ninja to take revenge on her killers across the streets of New York. 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, and how much B-movie absurdity will he encounter along the way?

Originally directed by and starring martial arts actor John Liu (The Secret Rivals) 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 being lost over time. 35 years later, Vinegar Syndrome acquired the original unedited camera negative and painstakingly constructed and completed the film, enlisting the voice talents of genre favorites Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Linnea Quigley, Michael Berryman, Vince Murdocco, Matt Mitler, Leon Isaac Kennedy, Ginger Lynn Allen and Cynthia Rothrock. Restored in 4K from the original camera elements, New York Ninja is finally available in all of its ridiculous, over-the-top ‘80s trash glory for the first time ever after spending nearly four decades in film obscurity.  (Dir. by John Liu & Kurtis Spieler, 2021, USA, 93 mins., Not Rated)