Shadow Fury (2001) User Reviews

Action , fighting and explosions starred by a cloned Ninja fighter

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 5 October 2007]

The film concerns a near future when the World Health Organization prohibits globally on all human cloning . However a discovery creates genetically engineered . Nova Corporation hires to Madsen (Sam Bottoms), a tough bounty hunter with bad liver . He sets off in pursuit Takeru (Funaki) , a perfect ninja clone with extraordinary strength and agility . He has been created by a scientist named Dr Oh(Pat Morita) , Madsen must destroy Oh's lab about replication of enhanced human beings and any clones and the killer Ninja . But the laboratory explodes and Tareku on the loose . Madsen is helped by the lovely Dr. Foster (Alexandra Kemp) and taking on another Doctor who is developing the Alpha phase project containing 256 live specimen failed prototypes with physical deformation and mental incapacitation . The Doctor creates a new perfect killing machine , as disposal required , a teen named Kismet, a miraculous advance in slickness and intelligence . Meanwhile , a gunrunner (Fred Williamson) hands over Madsen weapons and Ninja arms such as Shuriken and Katana .

The picture is a low budget actioner with suspense , spectacular fights , and crude violence . The movie displays nice choreographic struggles with punches and kicks and sensational bounds and leaps by the killer Ninja . Wooden acting by Sam Bottoms, an actor whose career began splendidly (Apocalypse now , Bronco Billy) but failed , continuing with television movies ; plus , Alexandra Kemp , a German actress playing several B films (Sumuru , Dracula 3000 , Space travesty) , furthermore Noriyuki Pat (Pat Morita of Karate Kid, recently deceased) , Fred Williamson , a Blaxploitation King and a child played Taylor Lautner . The motion picture was regularly directed by Yokoyama , an usual stunts coordinator and habitual director of Power Rangers episodes . Rating : Mediocre but some moments result to be entertaining.

If you find the VHS tape at Goodwill, as we did, it's certainly worth a purchase for a dollar or two. But probably not more than that.

[tarbosh22000 · 5/10 · 1 February 2024]

When Dolly the Sheep was cloned in July of 1996, it was a very inspirational time for us all. Now everyone on earth knew we were open to a world of sheep-cloning possibilities. It was only a matter of time until we got cloned ninjas. Clearly, "clone fever" is what inspired Dr. Oh (Morita) to create Takeru (Funaki), a nigh-on unkillable super-ninja with amazing fighting and murdering capabilities. After cloning is banned, Dr. Oh sics Takeru on his former associates Dr. Forster (Kamp), Dr. Markov (Vahanian), and Dr. Hiller (Kolman), in some sort of act of revenge. So Nova Corp, the original clonemakers (which should be their slogan) hires a bounty hunter named Mitchell Madsen (Bottoms) to stop Takeru. Because Madsen has a failing liver, he thinks he can kill two ninjas with one stone and take Takeru's after he smites him down.

In order to achieve his goal, Madsen goes to see Sam (The Hammer), a sort of Machine Gun Joe character. Meanwhile, Nova Corp is developing a sort of super-teen with Martial Arts abilities named Kismet (the original tot is played by Taylor Lautner, but he grows up fast and two other people - including MMA man Bas Rutten - take on the role as well). As if all that wasn't enough, your classic Hooker With a Heart of Gold named Sasha (Grae) somehow manages to fall in love with the emotionless Takeru. But can Takeru learn to...love? And will friends become enemies and enemies become friends? Who has the ultimate SHADOW FURY?

While it opens with a bang, and the idea of cloned ninjas is a fairly cool one, we suspect that this is the type of production that really, really hoped it would become a cult movie but never did. As we've seen countless times before, you cannot intentionally manufacture a cult movie. It just has to happen on its own. That aside, Shadow Fury seems to fall into the category of the Scanner Cop series, the Cyborg Cop series, Steel and Lace (1991), The Demolitionist (1995), or even perhaps I Come In Peace (1990). We're not even going to mention the similarities to The Terminator (1984). It's all served up with a strong Japanese twist, thanks to director Makoto Yokoyama, who worked a lot with stunts, including with the Power Rangers. That style just may come across here in the wackier side of the unrealistic, wire-type fighting.

Pat Morita's hair in the film is almost worth the price of admission alone. Maybe it was inspired by Anime characters, but who can really say? It's as over the top as some of the fight scenes. Alexandra Kamp looks a lot like Sarah Palin, at least in her role here as Dr. Forster. Fan favorite Fred Williamson doesn't do a lot. It's a glorified cameo, but we were still happy to see him. The character of Madsen (characters named Madsen and Forster? Could the writers have been deliberately referencing Tarantino-associated actors here?) was ably done by Bottoms. It seems they were going for a They Live-era Piper vibe with this character. What with the other references on show, that's probably the case.

There really are some cool ideas here, and the silliness, action and silly action will carry you relatively easily to the 90-minute mark. But something still feels missing that would make it a more satisfying viewing experience. It's hard to say what that is, exactly, but by 2001, DTV was in the doldrums. Perhaps it's that, plus the references to other things, and synthetic fight scenes - in place of a more substantial heart and soul - that would cause viewers not to totally warm to Shadow Fury.

All that being said, if you find the VHS tape at Goodwill, as we did, it's certainly worth a purchase for a dollar or two. But probably not more than that.

This film deserves more credit *may contain spoilers*

[GIZMO35_PF · 8/10 · 4 April 2005]

This film is quite rare to find in the genre of action/sci-fi but once you see it, you'll find out why it is so different than other cliché films of it's type. It is sometimes predictable but you will feel sympathetic for the main character even though he isn't real. All the fight sequences rip off Jackie Chan movies but they are executed with raw intelligence. We see that Michell has troubles with his liver but the main character kills himself with Kismet to give up his life so he could save Mitchell. It might seem a little cruddy for a film like this one but it does make you feel for something that isn't real let alone makes you want to feel anything for the characters. If you have time, watch this film and you'll be surprised, like me, on how much emotion is packed into an action/sci-fi film.

Rated MA15+ for Aussies for Violence, Language and Nudity

OKAY but Less than stellar

[gobeauty-1 · 6/10 · 29 March 2005]

I bought this film for the sole fact that Bas and Funaki from Pancrase were in it. I had no idea what its story was like except that it involved ninjas and Bas was the bad guy. I thought it was an OK film but it could have been better. The fight scenes with Funaki were pretty cool and the final fight between him and Bas was really cool, but the story, acting, and characters were kind of mixed up. Pat Morita should have been in it longer too. The actors looked like they were really trying to act good but ended up less than stellar. The hired killer, Madson, was actually funnier in serious spots than his comedy lines. Anyway it was an OK film because Bas and Funaki were in it, but if they weren't I probably would not have even looked at it.

Go rent this movie...Immediately!

[Ajohnson73 · 10/10 · 30 December 2004]

I love this movie!!! Everyone should rush out and rent it! A "take no prisoners" kinda movie that is very entertaining. A must see! My hats off to the writer and the director. A Superb film!

A brief synopsis: In the future, a bounty hunter must stop a vengeful scientist and a killer clone!

Starring the 'dry as a bone' Sam Bottoms - Excellent performance! as the bounty hunter, and MMA Star Masakatsu Funaki as the kick-ass, road-weary warrior clone. Bas Ruten is superb, as always, as the older version of the ultimate battle clone. Pat Morita is great as the white, wiry-haired mad scientist, and the always cool, Fred 'The Hammer' Williamson makes a few appearances. 'The Hammer' has got the cool gadgets (He is the Q character, if you will).

Great editing, great casting, and very fun to watch. A roller-coaster ride, for sure. Great flick!!

-J.Alan Johnson ([e-mail])

Worth watching for the fight scenes

[pierre_lestallion · 17 February 2003]

It is based in the future where genetic cloning of enhanced human killing machines is possible. However to prevent this from happening the world health organisation makes this cloning illegal. A group of scientists at the Nova Corporation, a leader in cloning research, have made miraculous advances in the replication of human beings. When one of their colleagues, a mad scientist by the name of Dr. Oh( Pat Morita ), creates an "Obedience Strain" that will allow him mind control over the clones, Nova Corp casts him out and revokes his license. Dr. Oh vows revenge on his three partners, Drs. Markov, Forster and Hillier, and creates a clone that is the perfect killing machine, Takeru, a killer ninja clone. Meanwhile, Nova Corp learns of Dr. Oh's plan and dispatches a bounty hunter, Madsen, to destroy Dr. Oh, Dr. Oh's laboratory and any clones he may have developed. Madsen has his work cut out for him because with Takeru on the loose, it's only a matter of time before the clone finds them all! Madsen kills Dr. oh but suffers severe injury at the hands of takeru. With Takeru on the loose hunting down those who killed his maker Madsen is hunting Takeru with the plan of killing him and using his liver to replace his own as he will die without a liver transplant due to his excessive drinking. Dr.Markov is then eliminated by Takeru and Madsen teams up with Dr.Forster( Alexandra Kamp-Groeneveld) to take down Takeru. Meanwhile Dr.Hiller has created clones of his own to take out Takeru. Takeru then meets up with a lonely prostitute who teaches him to be human. In a confrontation with Madsen Takeru has a change of heart and decides to let Madsen live rather than kill anymore innocents. Takeru falls in love with the prostitute. In an accident Takeru kills the prostitute as she attempts to stop him killing again. Takeru is grief and guilt stricken and teams up with Madsen and they go up against Dr.Hillier's evil clones for the big finale where Takeru takes on Kismet. Even though some of the acting isn't up to much the fight scenes are first class as the 2 fighters( Bas Rutten & Matsakatsu Funaki ) are from the UFC and have fought each other for real in the octagon!

I think we're a clone now.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 7 July 2019]

In the near future, a vengeful scientist, Dr. Oh (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita) sics a ninja clone (Masakatsu Funaki) on his former associates. Panicking, they obtain the services of a sullen killer for hire (Sam Bottoms) to go after the ninja. But our supposed antagonist is actually struggling against the compulsion to kill since it is something he's been conditioned to do, and not something he truly wants to do. The ninja falls in love with a sweet-natured hooker (C.G. Walker), ultimately teaming up with the hitman to exact some old-fashioned justice.

For a routine B movie with a rather familiar storyline, "Shadow Fury" entertains adequately. Certainly, if you're a fan of mixed martial artist Funaki, you may be amused; his performance is stiff, but it does seem to suit the role. He gets the most to do with his character, which adds some weight since he is living that old science-fiction trope of an automaton discovering or strengthening their humanity. For MMA fans, it will be nice to see Funaki square off against his peer Bas Rutten, although the latter only comes in near the end. Morita, a.k.a. "Mr. Miyagi", does look like he's having some fun playing a cliched role, even sporting cliched mad-scientist hair.

A lot of the writing and acting is pretty cheesy. Still, it's fun to watch Allan Kolman do his thing as the villainous Dr. Hillier. You may recognize him from another creepy role as a parasite victim in David Cronenberg's "Shivers". Fans of Taylor Lautner (from the "Twilight" series) will note that the actor (nine years old at the time) plays the youngest incarnation of the Rutten character, who matures at a very rapid pace. Fred "The Hammer" Williamson is kind of wasted as a bar owner who doubles as a weapons dealer.

The action scenes are decent enough. "Shadow Fury" won't knock anybody's socks off, but it holds the attention. There's also a fair amount of gore, a bunch of explosions, the sexily dressed Walker, and a reasonable amount of poignancy to make this an okay viewing.

Six out of 10.

I was furious after watching!

[life_is_nothing_without_movies · 18 January 2004]

Why did I rent this, you ask? I was hoping for a new martial arts hero. Boy, was I wrong! There are not enough words in the great American thesaurus for me to describe how dreadful this was. Acting was worse than a pornographic film and the action was lame. I suffered through the 90 minute, straight-to-video release and almost threw the disc out my window! Guess I'll be sticking to Chan & Li for the time being.

It was so awful it was excellent

[gtrwizrd · 8 July 2005]

It was so bad it was hilarious. The bad guy originally tries to kill this girl and by accident he kills his own girlfriend and then he becomes best friends with the girl he wanted to kill in the first place. The bad guy turns into a good guy who was blown up, stabbed, shot & hand grenaded. He still lived to kill himself with a sword that he had lost in the middle of the battle and then grew other swords out of his pocket or wherever. The whole movie was about a bunch of alcoholics with no good livers to go around. The good guy couldn't kill the bad guy shooting him or stabbing him all over but he killed him when he stabbed his FOOT. We laughed thru the whole very dramatic/action movie.

Could have a lot been better.

[lonewolf105 · 9 July 2004]

I gave this movie a chance. At times I was entertained but at other moments all I could think was "What were they thinking?". I really liked Masakatsu Funaki. He reminds me of Sho Kosugi, my idol in the 80s. OK so Funaki is a lot more buff than Sho ever was. This is the first film I've seen him in. According to his profile he's a pro wrestler in Japan. I hope he makes more movies in the U.S..

The story made little sense. At times I was ready to fall asleep. The only thing that saved it for me was the kickass action, care of Funaki. I would be awesome to see him do some cool modern day ninja flicks. For a buff guy he can move pretty quick. Another kickass person in this flick is young Taylor Lautner. This little guy only has one scene but wow I was impressed,and I've been in martial arts for 25 years. Back to the sucky story. At one point the heroes have to fight these mutants,but they look and act like zombies. What's that all about? The Bottoms character is suppose to be dying and needs a liver. By the end of this movie I wanted him to just die already. Like I said. The action is the only thing that made it worth watching. If your not a martial arts fan, you may not like it.

Even the spectacular stunt/fight scenes can't redeem it

[Wizard-8 · 27 December 2003]

While Japanese filmmakers seem to be losing their penchant for stiff atmospheres in movies, as this film suggests, there's still a lot of work to be done - at least for these particular Japanese filmmakers! Now, the stunt and fight scenes *are* spectacular, with ingenious use of wirework showing amazing stuff that even CGI can't do. However, the screenplay is unbelievably bad, even by comic book movie standards. We have characters who are just a step removed from real cartoon characters (check Morita's wild-haired and chortling scientist character!), sometimes spouting incredibly moronic dialogue. The story is a slow-moving, often illogical mess with some dumb plotting - like how Bottoms' character is told to track down one character, and the next scene has found him - with *no* explanation as to how he found him! Bottoms, by the way, is a real poor choice for an aging mercenary character, unconvincing even when simply shooting a gun. It doesn't help that his character is completely unlikable, even though he's the lead. Williamson is a welcome presence, though like Morita, he's only in the movie for five minutes! Had he been cast in the lead, playing his often-used Jesse Crowder character, without doubt it would have been easier to sit through.

Cloned Ninja in the future

[fab-one · 30 August 2002]

In the beginning of the story, it reminds me about the movie Karate Kid, because of Pat Morita. He died so soon in the movie. There are lots of scene that are not so convincing. In times that Madsen, the bounty hunter, was already down and helpless, Takero, who has the opportunity to kill the man who killed his creator, just walked away. Anyway, Takero's reluctant to kill Madsen is one of the factor that lead them to battle Kismet. 7/10