Beverly Hills Ninja is a
1997The year 1997 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Star Wars original trilogy's 20th Anniversary Special Editions are released.*Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace....
actionAction movies are a film genre wherein the story is largely told through physical action as opposed to dialogue. The action typically involves individual efforts on the part of the hero. While action has long been an element of films, the "Action film" as a genre of its own began to develop in the...
comedyComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. Also, films in this style typically have a happy ending . One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies were comedies...
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
starring
Chris FarleyChristopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. He was a member at Chicago's Second City Theatre and the cast of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live...
as a bumbling
ninjaA was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations. The underhanded tactics of the ninja were contrasted with the samurai, who...
in
Beverly HillsBeverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. The area's "Platinum Triangle" of wealthy neighborhoods is formed by Beverly Hills and...
. Written by Mark Feldberg and Mitchell Klebanoff and directed by
Dennis DuganDennis Dugan is an American actor, film director and screenwriter.-Career:He started his acting career in 1972, and has appeared in such films as the 1976 films Harry and Walter Go to New York and Norman, Is That You?...
. Also starring
Nicollette SheridanNicollette Sheridan is a British born American actress. She has appeared in movies and television, and is perhaps best known for her roles as Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives and as Paige Matheson on Knots Landing....
,
Nathaniel ParkerNathaniel Parker is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley in the British television series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, based on the novels by Elizabeth George.-Personal life:...
,
Robin ShouRobin Shou is a Hong Kong actor working in the American movie industry. Usually appearing in martial arts films, he is best known for his appearances in the Mortal Kombat films, as well as the 1997 Chris Farley comedy Beverly Hills Ninja.-Early life:Shou was born in Hong Kong, the fourth son of a...
,
Soon-Tek OhSoon-Tek Oh is a Korean American actor best known for the voice of Fa Zhou in Disney's Mulan and the sequel Mulan 2. He has starred in many films, and also acted in television shows, including M*A*S*H, Charlie's Angels, Magnum, P...
, and
Chris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted by Comedy Central as the fifth greatest stand-up comedian of all time....
.
Chris FarleyChristopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. He was a member at Chicago's Second City Theatre and the cast of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live...
plays Haru, who was found by ninja as an infant and was raised by them. Haru 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.
I wish I'd killed you months ago.
There's no time! There's a bomb in here!
Beverly Hills Ninja is a
1997The year 1997 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Star Wars original trilogy's 20th Anniversary Special Editions are released.*Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace....
actionAction movies are a film genre wherein the story is largely told through physical action as opposed to dialogue. The action typically involves individual efforts on the part of the hero. While action has long been an element of films, the "Action film" as a genre of its own began to develop in the...
comedyComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. Also, films in this style typically have a happy ending . One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies were comedies...
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
starring
Chris FarleyChristopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. He was a member at Chicago's Second City Theatre and the cast of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live...
as a bumbling
ninjaA was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations. The underhanded tactics of the ninja were contrasted with the samurai, who...
in
Beverly HillsBeverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. The area's "Platinum Triangle" of wealthy neighborhoods is formed by Beverly Hills and...
. Written by Mark Feldberg and Mitchell Klebanoff and directed by
Dennis DuganDennis Dugan is an American actor, film director and screenwriter.-Career:He started his acting career in 1972, and has appeared in such films as the 1976 films Harry and Walter Go to New York and Norman, Is That You?...
. Also starring
Nicollette SheridanNicollette Sheridan is a British born American actress. She has appeared in movies and television, and is perhaps best known for her roles as Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives and as Paige Matheson on Knots Landing....
,
Nathaniel ParkerNathaniel Parker is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley in the British television series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, based on the novels by Elizabeth George.-Personal life:...
,
Robin ShouRobin Shou is a Hong Kong actor working in the American movie industry. Usually appearing in martial arts films, he is best known for his appearances in the Mortal Kombat films, as well as the 1997 Chris Farley comedy Beverly Hills Ninja.-Early life:Shou was born in Hong Kong, the fourth son of a...
,
Soon-Tek OhSoon-Tek Oh is a Korean American actor best known for the voice of Fa Zhou in Disney's Mulan and the sequel Mulan 2. He has starred in many films, and also acted in television shows, including M*A*S*H, Charlie's Angels, Magnum, P...
, and
Chris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted by Comedy Central as the fifth greatest stand-up comedian of all time....
.
Chris FarleyChristopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. He was a member at Chicago's Second City Theatre and the cast of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live...
plays Haru, who was found by ninja as an infant and was raised by them. Haru 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 HillsBeverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. The area's "Platinum Triangle" of wealthy neighborhoods is formed by Beverly Hills and...
to investigate a murder mystery.
Plot
A clan of ninja find a chest that has been washed onto shore, inside of which is 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 boy, Haru, is raised amongst the ninja, with the expectation that he may be the one the legend speaks of. However, doubts are cast over him being the great white ninja. Although he does possess some ninja traits, Haru (
Chris FarleyChristopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. He was a member at Chicago's Second City Theatre and the cast of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live...
) is clumsy and does not really fit in. He does not graduate a ninja with the rest of his class. Left alone to guard the temple while all the ninjas are on a mission, Haru poses as a ninja when a blonde American woman comes in search of the services of one. The woman, Sally Jones (
Nicollette SheridanNicollette Sheridan is a British born American actress. She has appeared in movies and television, and is perhaps best known for her roles as Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives and as Paige Matheson on Knots Landing....
), is suspicious of her man, Martin Tanley (
Nathaniel ParkerNathaniel Parker is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley in the British television series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, based on the novels by Elizabeth George.-Personal life:...
), and sends Haru down to the harbor to investigate. Haru sees that Tanley is involved in a counterfeiting business, and also witnesses a murder. The clan are upset with Haru's actions, as the police now suspect a ninja is responsible for a murder. However, Haru is adamant that Sally is in trouble, despite the name Sally Jones appearing to be a pseudonym. Haru departs for America, to Beverly Hills (judging from a pack of matches she left behind). Gobei (
Robin ShouRobin Shou is a Hong Kong actor working in the American movie industry. Usually appearing in martial arts films, he is best known for his appearances in the Mortal Kombat films, as well as the 1997 Chris Farley comedy Beverly Hills Ninja.-Early life:Shou was born in Hong Kong, the fourth son of a...
), the best ninja in Haru's class, is sent to watch over him.
Haru has trouble adjusting to Western culture, but checks into a Beverly Hills hotel, where he befriends an employee, Joey (
Chris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted by Comedy Central as the fifth greatest stand-up comedian of all time....
), teaching him a few ninja lessons. Haru goes in search of Sally, convinced that she is in trouble. He eventually finds her (unknowingly with the help of Gobei), but she distances herself from him. Haru tails Tanley to a club, where he is trying to get back a set of plates from a rival gang. However, Haru again finds himself the suspect of another two murders. He returns to the hotel the next day he meditates to communicate with his sensei for guidance. He resumes his quest, and tracks down Tanley's home. Once breaking in he is able to speak with Sally Jones, whose real name is actually Allison Page. Haru begins to trust her again, and she explains that she suspects Tanley of killing her sister. That night Haru and Allison escape a gun-fight at an Asian restaurant, and Tanley sees Allison there (Tanley and Haru were both surprised to see Allison there). The pair have to retreat to the hotel. The next day Haru poses as an ink specialist and is taken to Tanley's offices. However, Tanley soon finds out that he 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 Allison is taken by Tanley, and Haru must find his way back to his offices, but since he was blindfolded during his first journey, he must recreate the ride by memory, and enlists the help of Joey, and without his knowing, Gobei is hiding in the trunk. After Joey drives into a horse race and a car wash, Haru and Joey start over. Gobei gets out of the trunk after Haru is blindfolded, knocks Joey out, and Gobei drives to Tanley's warehouse. Haru uses the momentum of a large palm tree to jump into the warehouse, while Gobei also makes it in.
They are met by Tanley's men, and they fight together (Haru nunchucking Gobei several times by accident) until Haru is reminded that he should be saving Allison. Using a forklift, he smashes two holes in the wall of the room where Allison is held captive, almost setting off the bomb. He tries to defuse the bomb, but accidentally resets the timer for five minutes. Haru leaves Allison for a moment to help Gobei, who is surrounded. Haru jumps off the railing and lands on an axe-wielding henchman that is about to kill Gobei. Haru suddenly becomes an adept ninja when Gobei gets hurt by one of Tanley's workers. They defeat the henchmen with a little help from Joey, who jumps through the window in the same fashion Haru did and lands on one of them. Haru and Gobei must now defeat Tanley, who has a gun. Haru slices the rope of a winch, aiming for Tanley, but the hook knocks Gobei out instead. Blocking Tanley's bullets by swinging his swords, Haru eventually incapacitates Tanley. Haru runs back to the upper level. Using a huge harpoon gun mounted on a cart, he shoots a harpoon through the room, which inadvertently caught onto a truck Tanley attempts to escape in. After catching the bomb, the cart pulls itself to Tanley's truck, which explodes seconds later. Haru saves Allison, while Tanley and his remaining henchmen were arrested.
The ending sequence shows an about-to-be-married Allison and Haru talking to his sensei (
Soon-Tek OhSoon-Tek Oh is a Korean American actor best known for the voice of Fa Zhou in Disney's Mulan and the sequel Mulan 2. He has starred in many films, and also acted in television shows, including M*A*S*H, Charlie's Angels, Magnum, P...
) about leaving to a place that needs more ninja. Allison and Haru leave in the back of a truck, which drags a rope tied to Gobei's wheelchair. Haru shouts an apology to his brother, who is flung into the ocean.
Cast
| Actor |
Role |
Chris FarleyChristopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. He was a member at Chicago's Second City Theatre and the cast of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live...
|
Haru |
| Nicollette Sheridan Nicollette Sheridan is a British born American actress. She has appeared in movies and television, and is perhaps best known for her roles as Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives and as Paige Matheson on Knots Landing....
|
Allison Page/Sally Jones |
Robin ShouRobin Shou is a Hong Kong actor working in the American movie industry. Usually appearing in martial arts films, he is best known for his appearances in the Mortal Kombat films, as well as the 1997 Chris Farley comedy Beverly Hills Ninja.-Early life:Shou was born in Hong Kong, the fourth son of a...
|
Gobei |
| Nathaniel Parker Nathaniel Parker is an English actor best known for his role as Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley in the British television series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, based on the novels by Elizabeth George.-Personal life:...
|
Martin Tanley |
Soon-Tek OhSoon-Tek Oh is a Korean American actor best known for the voice of Fa Zhou in Disney's Mulan and the sequel Mulan 2. He has starred in many films, and also acted in television shows, including M*A*S*H, Charlie's Angels, Magnum, P...
|
Sensei |
| Keith Cooke Keith Hirabayashi Cooke is an American martial artist, actor and an occasional stuntman.-Biography:...
|
Nobu |
| Chris Rock Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted by Comedy Central as the fifth greatest stand-up comedian of all time....
|
Joey |
Music
- "You're a Ninja?..."
- "Kung Fu Fighting
"Kung Fu Fighting" is a song written and performed by Carl Douglas and Vivian Hawke. It was released as a single in 1974, at the cusp of a chopsocky film craze, and quickly rose to the top of British and American charts. "Kung Fu Fighting" was also number one on the soul singles chart for one week...
" - Patti RothbergPatti Rothberg is a New York-based singer, songwriter, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and painter/artist.Born in New York City Rothberg grew up in Scarsdale, NY, playing piano from the age of 3 and writing songs by the age of 15, joining a high school Rod Stewart covers band. She later...
- "One Way or Another
"One Way or Another" is a song by American New Wave band Blondie.-Song information:Written by Debbie Harry and Nigel Harrison for the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines , the song was released as a single in the US as the follow-up to "Heart of Glass". "One Way or Another" reached number...
" - BlondieBlondie is an American rock band founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American new wave and punk rock scenes of the mid 1970s...
- "...We Are in Danger..."
- "Tsugihagi Boogie Woogie" - Ulfuls
is a Japanese rock band from Osaka. The band name Ulfuls is derived from a misreading of the word "soulful," found on the cover of one of the band members' favorite records.-History:...
- "Low Rider" - War
War, originally called Eric Burdon & War and often typeset as WAR, is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk,...
- "The blackness of my belt..."
- "Tarzan Boy
"Tarzan Boy" is a 1985 Italo disco song recorded by Italy-based act Baltimora. It was the group's debut single, released in April 1985, from its first album Living in the Background, on which it features as first track...
" - BaltimoraBaltimora was an Italian New Wave dance outfit active in the mid to late 1980s. The group comprised Jimmy McShane , Maurizio Bassi , Giorgio Cocilovo , Claudio Bazzari , Pier Michelatti and Gabriele Melotti...
- "...my identity must remain mysterious..."
- "Turning Japanese
"Turning Japanese" is the most popular song released by the English band The Vapors from their album New Clear Days, and the song for which they are best known...
" - The VaporsThe Vapors were a new wave and power pop band from England, that existed between 1979 and 1981. They had a hit with the song "Turning Japanese" in 1980, which reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart, and #36 in the corresponding U.S...
- "You're the big, fat Ninja, aren't you?"
- "Kung Fu Fighting
"Kung Fu Fighting" is a song written and performed by Carl Douglas and Vivian Hawke. It was released as a single in 1974, at the cusp of a chopsocky film craze, and quickly rose to the top of British and American charts. "Kung Fu Fighting" was also number one on the soul singles chart for one week...
" - Carl DouglasCarl Douglas is a Jamaican born singer, most famous for his song "Kung Fu Fighting", which reached number one on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart in 1974. Douglas was also the first Jamaican born artist to score a number one single in the United States.-Career:Douglas was...
- "I'm Too Sexy
"I'm Too Sexy" is a song by English trio Right Said Fred from their album Up. The single topped the American charts for three weeks in early 1992, after having peaked at number two for six weeks in the band's home country the previous year....
" - Right Said FredRight Said Fred are an English pop band, formed in 1989 by brothers Richard Fairbrass and Fred Fairbrass, later joined by their friend Rob Manzoli, all from East Grinstead...
- "...close to the temple, not inside"
- "I Think We're Alone Now (Japanese Version)" - Lene Lovich
Lene Lovich is an American singer based in England, who first gained attention as part of the New Wave music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her most popular hit single was "Lucky Number", first released in 1979.-Early years:...
- "Finally Got It" - Little John
- "...Yes, I guess I did"
- "The End" - George Clinton & Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll, better known as Buckethead, is an American musician and songwriter. He has released 28 solo albums and performed on over 50 more...
Production
- Most of the outdoor scenes were filmed not in Beverly Hills, but in Pasadena
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States; and is a satellite city of Los Angeles. Famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and the Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home of many leading scientific and cultural institutions, including the...
and MalibuMalibu is an incorporated city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population is 12,575....
.
- There was one scene in which Haru tries to hide like a ninja
A was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations. The underhanded tactics of the ninja were contrasted with the samurai, who...
. At one point, he jumped through the wallA wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
. Farley had injured himself doing that stunt.
- According to an A&E biography, Chris Farley was quite unhappy with the film and the experience working on it and hated the film upon seeing it for the very first time and told his agent that he never wanted to do such a film again. Farley's stance was justified as it arguably attributed to the exploitation of his manic, physical humor by dumbing it down and playing it out to an almost tiring and foolish degree.
- There is one scene that was cut out of the theatrical release but is sometimes shown on TV, Haru goes into a ancient Chinese artifact store looking for the scroll of the White Ninja, but ends up destroying the shop and the scroll.
External links