Beverly Hills Ninja

Beverly Hills Ninja
DVD cover
Directed by	Dennis Dugan
Produced by	Bradley Jenkel Brad Krevoy Steven Stabler Mitch Klebanoff
Written by	Mark Feldberg Mitch Klebanoff
Starring	Chris Farley Nicollette Sheridan Robin Shou Nathaniel Parker
Music by	George S. Clinton
Cinematography	Arthur Albert
Editing by	Jeff Gourson
Studio	Motion Picture Corporation of America
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures (Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Release date(s)	January 17, 1997 (1997-01-17)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$31,480,418[1]

Beverly Hills Ninja is a 1997 action comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Mark Feldberg and Mitch Klebanoff, and starring Chris Farley. The main plot revolves around Haru (portrayed by Farley), who was found by a clan of ninjas as an infant in an abandoned treasure chest and was raised by them. He never quite conforms to their culture and never acquires the skills of a ninja, but is nonetheless good-natured and persevering in his personal ambitions. His first mission brings him to Beverly Hills to investigate a murder mystery.^[2]

Plot

A clan of ninjas found an abandoned treasure chest that had been washed onto shore, inside of which was a white baby boy. An ancient legend spoke of a foreigner who would come among the ninja and become a master like no other. The white boy, Haru (Chris Farley), is raised amongst the ninja, with the expectation that he may be the one of whom the legend speaks. As he grows to adulthood, however, doubts are quickly cast over Haru being the great white ninja. Although he does possess some ninja traits, Haru is clumsy and does not really fit in, and does not graduate a ninja with the rest of his class. Left alone to guard the temple while the clan are on a mission, Haru disguises himself as a ninja when a blonde American woman comes to seek the services of one. The woman, Sally Jones (Nicollette Sheridan), is suspicious of her boyfriend, Martin Tanley (Nathaniel Parker), and sends Haru to a Tokyo harbor to investigate. Haru finds out that Tanley and his associate, Nobu (Keith Cooke), are involved in a counterfeiting business, and also witnesses a murder. The clan are disappointed with Haru's actions when Tokyo police presume that Haru is responsible for the murder. However, Haru admits that Sally was in trouble and that her name is a pseudonym. Haru departs from Tokyo to Beverly Hills on an airplane. Gobei (Robin Shou), the best ninja in Haru's class and his adoptive brother, is sent by the clan (without Haru knowing) to watch over and protect him.

Haru has trouble adjusting to Western culture, but checks in at a Beverly Hills five-star hotel where he befriends an employee, Joey Washington (Chris Rock), and teaches him some ninja lessons. Haru sets out on his search for Sally, convinced that she is in trouble. He eventually finds her, but she distances herself from him. Haru tracks Tanley and Nobu to a night club in Little Tokyo, where they are trying to get back a set of counterfeiting plates from a rival gang. Unfortunately, Haru finds himself as the suspect of a second murder. He returns to the hotel the next day, and meditates to communicate with his sensei (Soon-Tek Oh) for guidance. Haru resumes his quest, and tracks down Tanley's mansion. Upon entering the mansion, Haru speaks with Sally, whose real name is Allison Page. He begins to trust her again, and Allison tells Haru that she now knows Tanley killed her sister. That night, Haru and Allison escape a gun-fight at a Japanese restaurant, where Tanley and his henchmen saw Allison there. Haru and Allison have a retreat at the hotel for the night. The next day, Haru disguises himself as an ink specialist and Tanley takes him to his warehouse, where Tanley soon finds out that the bumbling Haru is "the fat ninja that everyone is talking about." While Tanley is in the process of getting the other half of the plates that night, Allison rescues Haru from the back of a van. However, Tanley kidnaps Allison in the process. Haru must find his way back to Tanley's warehouse to rescue Allison, but since he was blindfolded during his first trip, he must recreate his ride by memory and enlists the help of Joey without knowing that Gobei is also hiding in the trunk. After Joey mistakenly drives the convertible through a horse race and a car wash, he and Haru start over. Gobei gets out of the trunk after Haru is blindfolded, knocks Joey out, and drives the convertible to Tanley's warehouse. Haru uses the momentum of a large palm tree to jump into Tanley's warehouse, while Gobei also makes it in using stealthier methods.

Haru and Gobei fight Tanley's henchmen until Haru is reminded that he should be rescuing Allison. Using a forklift, Haru smashes two holes in the wall of the room where Allison is held hostage, almost setting off the bomb. He attempts to defuse the bomb, but accidentally resets it for five minutes. Haru leaves Allison for four minutes to help Gobei, who is surrounded by Tanley's henchmen. Haru jumps off the railing and lands on an axe-wielding henchman who is about to kill Gobei, and he suddenly becomes an adept ninja when Gobei gets hurt by Nobu and his henchmen. Haru and Gobei defeat one henchman with a little help from Joey, who jumps into Tanley's warehouse and lands on one of them. Haru and Gobei must now defeat Tanley, who has a gun. Haru cuts the rope of a winch, aiming for Tanley, but the hook accidentally knocks out Gobei instead. Blocking Tanley's bullets by swinging his swords, Haru eventually incapacitates Tanley. He returns to the upper level to rescue Allison. Using a huge harpoon gun mounted on a cart, Haru shoots a harpoon through the room and inadvertently lands in the back of a truck in which Tanley attempts to escape. After catching the bomb, the cart lands in Tanley's truck, and explodes seconds later. Haru successfully rescues Allison, and Tanley and his surviving henchmen are arrested.

In the film's conclusion, Haru talks to his sensei about returning to Beverly Hills, where they do not have ninjas. Haru and Allison later ride on the bus, which accidentally drags a rope tied into Gobei's wheelchair. Haru shouts an apology to Gobei, who is thrown into the ocean.

Cast

• Chris Farley as Haru
• Nicollette Sheridan as Allison Page / Sally Jones
• Robin Shou as Gobei
• Nathaniel Parker as Martin Tanley
• Soon-Tek Oh as Sensei
• Keith Cooke as Nobu (as Keith Cooke Hirabayashi)
• Chris Rock as Joey Washington
• William Sasso as Chet Walters
• François Chau as Izumo
• Jason Tobin as Busboy
• John Farley as Policeman
• Billy Connolly as Japanese Antique Shop Proprietor

Reception

Beverly Hills Ninja has received overwhelmingly negative reviews. It holds a 14% "Rotten" rating at review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and holds 27/100 at Metacritic.

Music

Beverly Hills Ninja
Soundtrack album to Beverly Hills Ninja
Released	1997
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	34:14
Label	EMI Records

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]

Track listing

1. "You're a Ninja?..."
2. "Kung Fu Fighting" - Patti Rothberg
3. "One Way or Another" - Blondie
4. "...We Are in Danger..."
5. "Tsugihagi Boogie Woogie" - Ulfuls
6. "Low Rider" - War
7. "The blackness of my belt..."
8. "Tarzan Boy" - Baltimora
9. "...my identity must remain mysterious..."
10. "Turning Japanese" - The Hazies
11. "You're the big, fat Ninja, aren't you?"
12. "Kung Fu Fighting" - Carl Douglas
13. "I'm Too Sexy" - Right Said Fred
14. "...close to the temple, not inside"
15. "I Think We're Alone Now (Japanese Version)" - Lene Lovich
16. "Finally Got It" - Little John
17. "...Yes, I guess I did"
18. "The End" - George Clinton & Buckethead

Sequel

Main article: Dancing Ninja

Beverly Hills Ninja 2, a sequel written by Mitch Klebanoff and co-directed by Klebanoff and Kelly Sandefur, and starring Lucas Grabeel in a Farley role, began shooting scenes in South Korea in October, 2008 .^[4] During filming, the name was changed to Dancing Ninja.^[5] Due to funding problems, the project suffered from repeated production shutdowns, leading to the eventual halting of principle filming. With 30% of the film completed, Klebanoff wished to continue production in Canada, but he was fired from the project.^[6][7]

References

1. ^ "Beverly Hills Ninja". Box Office Mojo. http://web1.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=beverlyhillsninja.htm. 
2. ^ ""Beverly Hills Ninja" Tops Beverly Hills Cop". Chicago Tribune. January 20, 1997. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-01-20/news/9701200087_1_beverly-hills-ninja-chris-farley-box-office. 
3. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r246290
4. ^ Han Sunhee (September 16, 2008,). "'Ninja 2' to shoot in South Korea". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117992322. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
5. ^ Mitch Klebanoff. "The Dancing Ninja (Beverly Hills Ninja 2)". dancingninjastudios.com. http://www.dancingninjastudios.com/download_content.php?id=352. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
6. ^ Jeff Sneider (May 4, 2010). "'Beverly Hills Ninja' Co-Writer Sues Over Sequel". The Wrap. http://www.thewrap.com/deal-central/column-post/beverly-hills-ninja-co-writer-sues-over-sequel-16988. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
7. ^ Eriq Gardner (July 21, 2011). "'Beverly Hills Ninja 2' Director Scores Win in Arbitration Against Korean Investors". Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/beverly-hills-ninja-2-director-213938. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 

External links

• Beverly Hills Ninja at the Internet Movie Database
• Beverly Hills Ninja at AllRovi
• Beverly Hills Ninja at Box Office Mojo
• Beverly Hills Ninja at Rotten Tomatoes
• Beverly Hills Ninja at Metacritic
• Parental Review of Beverly Hills Ninja