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Taiwanese martial artist John Liu in a still from New York Ninja. The Hong Kong movie veteran never finished his 1980s action spectacular, but it finally has a release thanks to film distributor and restorer Vinegar Syndrome.

Hong Kong martial arts movie actor’s lost 1980s action film was never completed – until now. The story behind New York Ninja

  • John Liu’s unfinished New York Ninja was among old film reels destined for the dustbin that were acquired by film distributor and restorer Vinegar Syndrome
  • With no script, call sheet, credits nor sound, the team faced a huge challenge finishing the movie, as well as one looming question: where was John Liu now?

In the winter of 1984, Taiwanese martial artist John Liu Chung-liang, famed for his high-kicking roles in Hong Kong movies like Secret Rivals and The Invincible Armour, travelled to New York, where he planned to write, direct and star in a modern-day action spectacular, New York Ninja.

But after weeks of shooting, something happened, and the film was never completed… until now.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Vinegar Syndrome, a boutique film distributor and restoration company based in the US city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, New York Ninja has been revived 37 years after production wrapped. On October 2, the film had its world premiere in Los Angeles. This week, it’s being released on Blu-ray via the company’s own label.

“I was sitting by myself watching this footage – I’m thinking, the world has got to see this,” Vinegar Syndrome’s Kurtis Spieler says.

A riotous throwback to a golden age of VHS action classics, New York Ninja is fit to burst with violent street gangs, covert Interpol agents, face-melting supervillains and John Liu’s deadly roller-skating vigilante. It’s a so-bad-it’s-glorious cult classic in the making, but the film almost never saw the light of day.

“We are film preservationists at heart,” says Ryan Emerson, co-owner of Vinegar Syndrome, in the documentary Re-Enter the New York Ninja, which played alongside the film and attempts to piece together its ramshackle production.

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The company came into possession of New York Ninja almost by accident, acquiring the film reels as part of a larger collection, which had come perilously close to being discarded.

“We could never throw away a film, even if it was unfinished,” Emerson says. “There’s always value to it.”

Spieler adds: “When I found out about these unedited camera rolls in our archive. I asked if we could scan it, and if it’s any good, would they let me finish it? The owners agreed and let me run with it.”

One of my first jobs for the film was to find John ... he lived in Vietnam, basically in a shack on the water, with no electricity, let alone a phone or a computer
Producer Brad Henderson

He spent the next two years working on the film, mostly at nights and on weekends. But with no script, no call sheet, no credits and, crucially, no sound whatsoever to guide him, it was an unprecedented challenge.

“Basically, I had to go by the slate at the beginning of each shot,” Spieler said at a Q&A session following the film’s premiere. “I compiled a list of finished scenes, or scenes I thought I’d be able to finish, and laid them out in order. And when I did that it made no sense.

“That’s when I realised we had an issue. But that’s also when we knew we had the freedom to move things around.”

Liu in a still from New York Ninja.

As Spieler and the rest of the Vinegar Syndrome team set about reassembling the film from scratch, one question loomed large: where was John Liu?

“One of my first jobs for the film was to find John,” explains producer Brad Henderson in the documentary. Only after months of scouring the internet and chasing various cast members was he able to make contact. Sort of.

“I found this one younger gentleman, who knew of a friend of John’s who would visit him every few months. John Liu was still alive, he lived in Vietnam, basically in a shack on the water, with no electricity, let alone a phone or a computer.

“After a month or two, we finally heard back. John did not want to be involved with the project whatsoever, and kind of gave us a good luck blessing.”

A still from New York Ninja.

When the rest of the cast proved equally elusive, not least because, without credits, Spieler and his team were unable to identify them, a new plan had to be devised. In the end, Spieler wrote an entirely new script based on the assembled footage, in which Liu’s mild-mannered sound recordist – and secret ninja warrior – sets out to avenge his girlfriend’s murder.

It’s a path that sees Liu square off against an underground prostitution ring and the villainous Plutonium Killer, while becoming a media sensation and neighbourhood folk hero in the process.

The next step was giving this high-camp adventure a voice – or rather, an entire cast of voices.

“Maybe we can hire genre actors to dub the voices,” Spieler recalls proposing, before setting about scouring Vinegar Syndrome’s catalogue of cult and exploitation titles to find appropriate voice talent. “In the end we just got lucky. We acquired a Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson film and decided he had to be [John].”

Kurtis Spieler, of the movie distributor and restorer Vinegar Syndrome, sparked the film’s restoration.
Born and raised in Illinois, Wilson is an Asian-American martial artist and actor, an 11-time professional kick-boxing champion, and star of such action quickies as Bloodfist and Ring of Fire. He leapt at the chance and his involvement led to the hiring of his friend and regular co-star, the American martial artist and Hong Kong legend Cynthia Rothrock.

Crucial to the film’s success, however, was striking the appropriate tone. “Let’s be incredibly respectful to the source material,” Henderson recalls about the team’s approach. “Let’s pretend we’re making this movie in 1984.”

To that end, the film does an incredible job of recapturing the spirit of movies like Cannon Films’ Enter the Ninja, which seemed an obvious influence on Liu. A brand new synth score from Detroit-based music outfit Voyag3r accentuates the kitschy, early ’80s vibe.

Ultimately, credit has to go to Vinegar Syndrome for its respectful handling of the material. “We knew there was a certain level of humour to the whole production – it’s over the top and silly – but we wanted to play it straight,” Spieler says.

A still from New York Ninja.

Spieler, who was already familiar with Liu’s Hong Kong filmography, was in his element. “While editing, all I watched were kung fu movies and ninja movies, just to kind of stay in that mind frame.”

On how his opinion of Liu changed over the process, Spieler is surprisingly candid. “I don’t want to say he made things up as he went along, but the films he directed didn’t necessarily work.

“My opinion of John as a martial artist hasn’t changed, I think he’s amazing, I just think as a filmmaker maybe he didn’t have the resources that he needed to achieve his vision.”

A still from New York Ninja.

This is perhaps what’s most admirable about Vinegar Syndrome. The team are not under the delusion that they have unearthed a lost masterpiece, but recognise the value in obscure, often flawed works, and are eager to share them.

“Had this almost cult film from the ’80s come out then it may not have been appreciated,” Spieler says.

“But I think audiences have changed and can appreciate this type of stuff. It’s a film that needs to be seen with an audience. You laugh with the film, you laugh at the film, you have a good time. There’s no wrong way to enjoy this movie.”

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