the leading man is my tpye

Beautiful, moving film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Five Element Ninjas is a Shaw Brothers classic towards the end of the era of Shaw Studio making feature films. This also is one of the best works from director Chang Cheh, although from what I have seen of his movies, they are all excellent and regarded as classics. Venom Lo Meng appears but this is more of a vehicle for Tien Chi Cheng and he does a good job as leading man. The fighting is almost constant and Five Element Ninjas delivers and then some with crazy, gory ninja action. This is probably the goriest film in Chang Cheh's filmography and if you are familiar with his work, that is saying a lot. This is also a very well structured film and has great camera-work, as well as lavish weaponry, costumes and great looking sets. In the early 80's, there was a whole slew of ninja movies from both the east and the west. However, for me Five Element Ninjas is easily one of the best because it not only delivers the goods, but is a very well crafted quality production. Five Element Ninjas is far above average and is a must for even the most jaded of martial art/action fans.

How do you go about making an old school Shaw Brothers kung fu flick even more entertaining? Simple… by chucking in a whole load of crazy ninjas with special fighting skills and have everyone who dies do so in a shower of bright red blood.Directed by Chang Cheh, Five Element Ninjas opens as two kung fu schools go head to head to see who is the best. One team, who wear natty matching white outfits, are clearly the superior fighters, even beating the samurai brought on as guest fighter by the other side. As the defeated samurai commits seppuku, he throws his ring at his opponents, warning that when they see another ring like it, it will mean their death.Sure enough, a note arrives soon after with a ring attached, a challenge from the five elements ninjas. The guys in white barricade their headquarters and send eight of their finest fighters to confront the ninjas. Two of their men go up against four Gold ninjas, who wear lamé outfits and use metal hats that fire blades from the rim; both meet bloody fates. The duo who face the wood ninjas (who disguise themselves as trees!) also die in gory fashion. Another pair battle Water ninjas, who lurk under the surface of a pond, ready to strike; they fare no better than their companions. A lone fighter faces the Fire ninjas, who wear red and are equipped with smoke weapons; no prizes for guessing how he gets on. The last of the eight is attacked by the Earth ninjas and their master, who appear from and disappear into the ground; he also dies.Meanwhile, sexy female ninja Senji (Pei Hsi Chen) infiltrates the base of the white guys (who I think are called The Alliance of the Martial Arts World, but 'white guys' is quicker to type); she sends plans of their building to her ninja pals who launch an attack, killing all but Shao Tien-hao (Tien-Chi Cheng), who makes it to the home of a martial arts master who teaches him how to fight against the ninjas. Together with three equally adept pals, Shao Tien-hao goes looking for revenge.With all manner of cool weaponry, and superbly choreographed fighting throughout, all taken to crazy extremes by director Cheh, Five Element Ninjas is a seriously enjoyable movie, with a satisfyingly brutal finalé that sees all of the ninjas being kicked, punched, sliced, diced and literally torn limb from limb by Shao Tien-hao and his buddies. Anyone who doesn't find this a whole lot of fun should forever be forbidden from watching any film with 'ninja' in the title.

A gory offering from the Shaw Brothers studio which offers up insane ninja action and fantastic elements in abundance, as well as a ton of martial arts mayhem to whet the appetite of any fan of the martial arts genre. In the early '80s, the Shaw Brothers took to inserting graphic gore into their kung fu epics (as well as churning out their own brand of stomach-churning horror yarns) in a bid to attract bigger violence-seeking audiences. FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS stands true as one of their most over-the-top kung fu films with graphic scenes of violence in no other. It's one of the most violent films I've seen, with a huge body count and people being killed every few minutes.There's a heavy emphasis on weaponry, with lots of huge shiny - and frankly absurd - axes and spears being used in the combat sequences (complete with tinny ringing noises) and lots of cool devices like poisoned throwing rings (which hilariously cause the victims to be unable to use kung fu for three months!) and a pair of handcuffs which can only be unlocked with a special key and is otherwise unbreakable. The music is effective and the varied locations add to the visual splendour of the movie.The acting is average for the genre, with the good guys being likable and the bad guys being sufficiently mean, but little other characterisation. Former Venom Lo Meng has the best role and the film's best scene, an extended fight against overwhelming odds. I did like the character of the female ninja who has a change of heart and falls for the good guy before dying a tragic death. But otherwise, this is mainly for ninja fans who want to see one of the most absurd - and thus, best - ninja movies out there. These ninjas can jump in and out of the ground, disappear at will, and fly through the air with ease! The action sequences are fantastic if you don't mind the gore and spraying arterial fluids and in all this is a bloody good time, and one of the most incredible movies I've yet seen.

Before I even knew the name Shaw Bros. I was a fan. I saw this movie many years ago on a t.v. series Black Belt Theater.The 5 elements are unique and add some of the fun to this movie.If you are a fan of old Kung Fu movies, do yourself a favor and pick this up on DVD. The quality isn't great, but it does have a nice mini-filmography of the actors in the movie.