Born a Ninja/Commando the Ninja Double Feature: Collector's Edition – Visual Vengeance (Blu-ray)

Release Dates: Taiwan/Hong Kong, 1988 (Commando the Ninja, Born a Ninja)
Director: Law Chi (Both Films)
Cast: Man Fei, Patrick Largent, Hung Kuan, Daniel Garfield, Howard Wang, Kelvin Wong, Laura Yang, Lo Kei, Yolanda Kuk, Wai Shum, Martin Chan, Wallace Man (Commando the Ninja), Man Fei, Patrick Largent, Martin Chan, Daniel Garfield, Lo Kei, Yolanda Kuk, Wallace Man, Willie Sun, Howard Wang, Laura Yang (Born a Ninja)

Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 86 Minutes 26 Seconds (Commando the Ninja), 89 Minutes 19 Seconds (Born a Ninja)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Interlaced / MPEG-4 AVC (Commando the Ninja), 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Born a Ninja)
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.95

"This shot-on-video martial-arts double feature from Joesph Lai and IFD Films unleashes pure 1980s ninja chaos as two unlikely heroes are dragged into a war over stolen germ-warfare secrets. Featuring disappearing ninja assassins, endless waves of thugs, criminal masterminds, insane effects and the mysterious 'Hocus Pocus' magic fighting style - It's full-tilt SOV insanity, delivering cult ninja action at maximum volume.

Born a Ninja is a wild SOV martial-arts action romp where espionage, absurdity, and vanishing ninjas collide. When unlikely heroes Larry and David stumble onto a long-lost WWII germ formula created by the mysterious scientist Tanaka, they're pulled into a deadly web of shadow warfare and secret assassins. On their trail is Simon, a merciless ninja enforcer working for the cold-blooded mastermind Martin, whose scheme threatens global catastrophe. Outnumbered and outmatched, Larry and David rely on nerve, instinct, and their own unconventional fighting discipline - Hocus Pocus, a martial art as unpredictable as it is lethal.

Commando the Ninja (a.k.a. American Commando Ninja, a/k/a Silent Killers) cranks the chaos up even higher, continuing the covert war over germ-warfare secrets more dangerous than ninja blades. Once again caught in a storm of espionage, double-crosses, and stolen science, Larry and David find themselves facing more ruthless power brokers and endless waves of attackers. As the battle escalates, two fearless allies - Becky and Brenda - join the fight, driving the action toward an outrageous finale of acrobatics, ambushes, and full-blown ninja madness." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 1.5/5 (Born a Ninja), 1/5 (Commando the Ninja)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "SD masters from original tape elements."

Born a Ninja and Commando the Ninja comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.6 GB

Feature: 18.2 GB (Born a Ninja), 16.4 GB (Commando the Ninja)

The sources look rough, especially Commando the Ninja, which is interlaced. That said, the included screenshots give you a clear idea of what to expect.

Audio: 2.5/5 (Both Films)

Each film comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital stereo mix in English with removable English SDH. Although dialogue comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced, things are limited range-wise.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a Visual Vengeance trailer for Born a Ninja (1 minute 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a original trailer for Born a Ninja (2 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a Visual Vengeance double feature trailer for Born a Ninja and Commando the Ninja (57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a original trailer for Commando the Ninja (1 minute 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Kwan Chung (8 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), a video essay by  Justin Decloux titled The Law Chi Touch (11 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by  Justin Decloux titled The Essential Godfrey Ho (11 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Justin Decloux and Will Sloane of The Important Cinema Club for Commando the Ninja, an audio commentary with Justin Decloux for Born A Ninja, reversible cover art featuring original VHS art, a 'Stick your own' video store sticker sheet (first pressing only), two folded mini-posters with original VHS art, a 6-page leaflet with an essay titled Looking Back at American Commando Ninja and Born a Ninja written by C.J. Lines, and an O-card slipcover (first pressing only).

Other extras are Visual Vengeance trailers for Furious, Ninja Operation Knight and Warrior, and Ninja the Protector.

Summary:

Despite a prolific filmography that stretches beyond 50 years, Law Chi is not a name that most Hong Kong cinema fans will recognize. His most notable films are The Crippled Masters and Amsterdam Connection.

A Chinese terrorist group, Japanese ninjas, and Russian mercenaries are in a race to capture a Japanese scientist and his formula for germ warfare.

Commando the Ninja is the film that establishes who all of the main players and their motivations are, while Born a Ninja picks right up where its predecessor left off. There is so much overlap between these two films that they will have you feeling déjà vu. Both films essentially revolve around a central conflict: the efforts to capture, and at times retain, the Japanese scientist. This conflict serves as a backdrop for numerous fight scenes throughout the movies.

With the home media market exploding in the 1980s, there was an increased demand for new products, most of which were cheaply made and thrown together. Case in point: films like Commando the Ninja and Born a Ninja, which were made by IFD Films & Arts Company, a company known for taking existing footage and merging it with newly shot footage to create an entirely new film. The films not only share a cast but also reuse several shots. However, the main distinction between the two is that Commando the Ninja focuses more on exposition, while Born a Ninja features continuous action.

Despite these two films' many shortcomings, they do have some charms, like atrocious dubbing that’s unintentionally funny and impressive stunt work. Unfortunately, their biggest drawback is how their narratives just drag, and it's clear that if they were condensed into one film, the end result would be better. Ultimately, Commando the Ninja and Born a Ninja are two ultralow-budget action films that even the most diehard ninja aficionados will find a chore to get through.

Visual Vengeance gives Born a Ninja and Commando the Ninja their best home media release to date.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer