Ninjavember: The Octagon (1980)

 The Octagon (1980) dir. Eric Karson, American Cinema Productions 

While the Ninja High School lookback will continue, why not take a look at some of the films that helped shape the ninja craze here in the US?

We open with a training camp of some sort. The instructor (Yuki Shimoda) informs the class that if they betray the group, they and their families are dead. We see some of them in action when they assassinate a diplomat. 

Scott James (Chuck Norris) is dancing his troubles away though. He catches the eye of Nancy (Kim Lankford) and the pair hits it off. Scott takes her home but someone is waiting on them. Scott puts up a good effort, but he gets knocked out. When he comes too, Nancy and everyone else is dead. 

Scott then rushes to see his old buddy McCarn (Lee Van Cleef). McCarn is starting a new job of hunting terrorists and he wants Scott to join, but Scott turns him down. 

Scott is driving away when he spots a car stuck in a ditch. He helps the driver, Justine (Karen Carlson) and for a reward, she steals his cars keys. Scott manages to get a ride and confronts her at her home. She offers to drive him home but Scott notices they have a tail. He manages to lose the car and asks Justine out. She accepts.

Scott swings by McCarn's place and what does he see? The same car that chased him and Justine. He points this out to Justine, and she confesses the whole thing was a set up. She hired McCarn to be her bodyguard and she wants to hire Scott for another job; to wit, she wants him to kill a man.

This isn't some random killing though. No, her father was the one murdered in the beginning of the film and she's a bit miffed. She's found the ringleader of the terrorists, Seikura (Tadashi Yamashita) and he's Scott's half-brother!

Scott really isn't into the whole murder thing and leaves. Pity that once you get drawn into something like this, leaving is much easier said than done...

Pretty good. The 1980 novel the Ninja was the first mainstream exposure in American, although ninjas had been a thing in Japanese popular culture since at least 1911. Martial arts films were still a niche thing though, with the looming shadow of Bruce Lee hanging over everything. Norris handles the leading role pretty well, letting his costars handle the drama and he handles the kicks.