The specialty label now brings two of Shô Kasugi’s notable martial arts movies to Blu-ray simply in time for Christmas.
In our Reel Motion sequence on the JoBlo Originals channel on YouTube, we’ve lined the Ninja trilogy from Cannon Movies — Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja and Ninja III: The Domination. All three featured Japanese motion star, Shô Kasugi. Now, Blu-ray.com reveals that Kino Lorber shall be bringing two of his classics to Blu-ray. Pray for Dying and Rage of Honor are each scheduled to hit retailers on December 10.
The outline for Pray for Dying reads,
“They Shattered His American Dream. The Ninja Master himself, Shô Kosugi (Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja), stars as Akira, a Japanese immigrant who starts a new life with his family in America, only to stumble onto the headquarters of a bloodthirsty gang of criminals. When the gangsters begin a rampage of murder that takes the lives of his two sons, Akira must step out of his quiet, peace-loving life and reveal his hidden identity, that of a perfectly skilled Ninja, the most lethal and mysterious of all martial artists. He has sounded his warning to top thug Limehouse (co-star/screenwriter James Booth, Avenging Force) and his henchmen: “Stay away from my family, or you will Pray for Death.” It’s time for vigilante justice—Ninja model! Directed by Gordon Hessler (Kosugi’s Rage of Honor). This two-disc particular version contains each the R rated and unrated variations of the movie.”
Particular Options and Technical Specs:
- Non-obligatory English Subtitles
- NEW Audio Commentary by Motion Movie Historian Mike Leeder
- UNRATED AND R RATED VERSIONS OF THE FILM ON TWO DISCS
- Sho and Inform Half 1: Interview with Shô Kosugi (19:05)
- Theatrical Trailer (Newly Mastered in 2K)
And the outline for Rage of Honor reads,
“International action icon Shô Kosugi (Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja) unleashes a devastating display of martial arts virtuosity as the forces of evil push him over the edge…and into a Rage of Honor. When his best friend is slain by a vicious drug ring, undercover agent Shiro (Kosugi) vows revenge. Warned by his superiors to drop his vendetta, Shiro pretends to comply, traveling to South America with girlfriend Jennifer for a long overdue ‘vacation.’ Picking up the villains’ trail in Brazil, Shiro forces a confrontation—but it backfires when Jennifer is kidnapped by the drug-runners. Pushed to the limit, Shiro’s mission of vengeance explodes into a bone-crushing martial arts bloodbath as he battles to rescue Jennifer and bring down the corrupt empire of his ruthless opponents! Directed by Gordon Hessler (Kosugi’s Pray for Death).”
Particular Options and Technical Specs:
- Non-obligatory English Subtitles
- NEW Audio Commentary by Motion Movie Historian Mike Leeder
- Sho and Inform Half 2: Interview with Shô Kosugi (17:48)
- Interview with Composer Stelvio Cipriani (2:47)
- American Ninjas: Video Essay by Chris Poggiali on the Rise of the Ninja Movie within the Nineteen Eighties (7:34)
- Theatrical Trailer