Pray for Death (1985)

After a peace loving Japanese immigrant and his family become victims of a crime syndicate, a master ninja emerges.

Director:

Gordon Hessler

Writer:

James Booth

Stars:

Shô Kosugi, James Booth, Donna Kei Benz

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shô Kosugi	...	Akira Saito
James Booth	...	Limehouse Willie
Donna Kei Benz	...	Aiko Saito (as Donna K. Benz)
Norman Burton	...	Lt. Anderson
Kane Kosugi	...	Takeshi Saito
Shane Kosugi	...	Tomoya Saito
Matthew Faison	...	Sgt. Joe Daley
Parley Baer	...	Sam Green
Robert Ito	...	Kaga
Michael Constantine	...	Mr. Newman
Alan Amiel	...	Vinnie Seline
Woody Watson	...	Cohen
Charles Grueber	...	Sgt. Trumble (as Charles Gruber)
Nik Hagler	...	Pirelli
Chris Wycliff	...	Joe Benson

Storyline

Akira Saito, a Japanese businessman lives in Tokyo with his Japanese-American wife Aiko and their children, Takeshi and Tomoya. When the family has a chance to move to the United States so that Aiko can teach the children about their American heritage, they pack up and head for Houston, Texas and run a restaurant. This is where the trouble begins. A band of crooked cops store stolen goods in the back room of the restaurant and unknown to the Saitos family, a priceless necklace (the Van Atta necklace), is wanted by a local syndicate. When one of the dirty cops decide to take the necklace for himself, the syndicate goes after the previous owner of the restaurant, then after the Saitos'. When one of the boys is kidnapped by top thug Limehouse, Akira quietly rescues him. However, when Aiko and Tomoya are run down by Limehouse in an effort to get the necklace, Akira has had enough. For years, Akira has kept a dark secret. Akira finally decides to unleash his dark side.

---

Plot Keywords:

japanese immigrant | ninja | psychotronic | chop socky | kung fu | 

---

Taglines:

They shattered his American dream.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

A nindzsa imája a haláláért

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pray Films, Trans World Entertainment (TWE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The characters of Takeshi and Tomoya, played respectively by Kane Kosugi and Shane Kosugi, are the middle names of the two actors.

---

Quotes

Limehouse: I'm going to rip your stinking guts out.

---

Connections

Referenced in Adjust Your Tracking (2013)

User Reviews

You cannot escape your shadows, my son. You will always be a ninja!

A man wants to leave his country behind and start a new life in America.

Unfortunately, he runs into gangsters that thought he stole a necklace from them. His family is in danger, and he reverts to his true calling

• a ninja - to get justice.

Shô Kosugi gives us a great martial arts/revenge flick. His acting isn't the greatest, but his fists speak loudly.

He warned them, and now, they will pray for death.

Gangsters, crooked cops, and the most dangerous man in California are no match. Even the kid (Kane Kosugi) is dangerous with nun-chucks and darts.

They had to really stretch credulity at the end as he fought James Booth. He sliced thought a dozen men, but they stretched this battle out.