Nero, 40 when ENTER THE NINJA was made, wasn't an unknown actor-he'd experienced huge success at home starting with DJANGO and was in constant employment between Europe and Hollywood since the mid-1960s-and by this point in his career, headlining a hit movie and having his voice replaced was insulting, to put it mildly. The decision to dub him has remained the primary complaint that fans have about ENTER THE NINJA, and as the actor has become a beloved cult movie icon over the decades, it seems even more egregiously boneheaded now. Even for viewers who might be unfamiliar with Nero, the dubbing is obvious, as the voice doesn't fit the veteran actor at all. While it certainly has higher production values than a Santiago joint, it also appears to be completely looped in post-production, with Italian star Franco Nero's thick accent distractingly dubbed over by what sounds like an American voice actor whose specialty is the narration of workplace instructional videos. This is mostly because it was shot in Manila and uses some familiar locations seen in Filipino action films, not to mention a supporting role for American expat and Santiago regular Ken Metcalfe, who also worked as the film's location manager. Santiago in execution than it does Golan-Globus. ENTER THE NINJA became a surprise hit when it arrived in theaters in October 1981 but in retrospect, it feels more Roger Corman or Cirio H.
In 1981, the Golan-Globus incarnation of Cannon was still finding its footing and it would be another couple of years before they started to hit their stride as the "contract signed on a cocktail napkin" madmen that cult movie fans find so endearing today. Ninjas appeared in American films prior to Cannon's interest in them, most notably 1980's THE OCTAGON, a minor drive-in hit for Chuck Norris, but with the release of 1981's ENTER THE NINJA, ninjas became a ubiquitous pop culture fixture throughout the decade, and proved a very lucrative genre on video and cable. The mainstreaming of the ninja in American movies is something that must rank high on Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus' list of accomplishments as the heads of Cannon. Cast: Franco Nero, Susan George, Sho Kosugi, Christopher George, Alex Courtney, Will Hare, Zachi Noy, Constantin de Goguel, Dale Ishimoto, Ken Metcalfe, Joonee Gamboa, Leo Martinez, Jim Gaines, Michael Dudikoff. Co-starring Susan George (Sudden Terror) and Christopher George (Day of the Animals).Directed by Menahem Golan. The two masters make use of all the exotic weaponry at their disposle, making this one of the most sensational battle-to-the-death sequences ever filmed! Hollywood legend Menahem Golan (The Delta Force) directed this fast-paced, high quality, tough-as-nails martial arts film with style and poise. Coming to the aid of his friends against some land grabbing oil barons, he easily takes on all opponents until a Ninja assassin Hasegawa (Sho Kosugi, Revenge of the Ninja) is brought into the fray. Set in Japan and the Philippines, the film tells the story of Cole (Franco Nero, The Mercenary) a westerner who's been inducted into the secret fighting rituals of the Ninja. The Ninja is the highest honor given to the dedicated followers of Ninjutsu, the deadliest of all martial arts Enter the Ninja explores the absorbing detail the Ninja's lethal, little-known the Art of Invisibility which includes the use of hypnotism, explosives, and super-human acrobatic fighting skills.