American Samurai (1992)

An American reporter teams up with a martial arts expert, whose half-brother is a "yakuza"--Japaneser mafia--drug dealer to battle swordsmen from around the world n a Turkish arena.

Director:

Sam Firstenberg

Writer:

John Corcoran

Stars:

David Bradley, Mark Dacascos, Valarie Trapp

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Bradley	...	Andrew 'Drew' Collins
Mark Dacascos	...	Kenjiro Sanga
Valarie Trapp	...	Janet Ward
Rex Ryon	...	Ed Harrison
Melissa Hellman	...	Samantha
John Fujioka	...	Tatsuya Sanga
Douvi Cohen	...	Stephane (as Douvey Cohen)
Mark Warren	...	Turk in Disco / Lars
Koby Azarly	...	Turk in Disco
Shalom Avitan	...	Turk in Disco
Baruch Berkin	...	Hotel Clerk
Aryeh Moskona	...	Announcer (as Arie Muskuna)
Michael Morim	...	Police Chief
Misha Gal	...	Body Guard (as Moshe Gal)
John Slater	...	Body Guard

Storyline

An American reporter and a martial arts expert with a half-brother who is a yakuza drug dealer battle swordsmen from around the world in a Turkish arena.

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Plot Keywords:

martial arts | arena | kung fu fighting | gladiator | wu shu | 

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Genres:

Action

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ninja: American Samurai

Filming Locations:

Turkey

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cannon Pictures, Global Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During the opening sequence, both the set and a member of the crew are reflected in the windows of the airplane.

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Connections

References Midnight Express (1978)

User Reviews

One of Cannon's final efforts

Having all but exhausted the exploitation of ninjas, what was Cannon to do? Right - exploit samurais instead! As well as recycle elements from their past hit BLOODSPORT, including a big burly guy with a beard as one of the contestants! It's clear the movie was cut for an "R" rating, given how some wounds and killings are not shown as clearly as you would think, but the editing also shows signs of production problems. One lengthy scene seems to have been cut in half, with the subsequent half played much later in the movie. There is also awkward narration and a very long sex scene where you never see the faces of the lovers, furthering the suspicion of frantic efforts to patch together the movie. The production values are pretty good, and Firstenberg does deliver the goods with the fight sequences, which are expertly choreographed. He doesn't do well with the actors however, having Dacascos overact at times and Bradley giving yet another uncharismatic performance.