Tongan Ninja
| Tongan Ninja | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jason Stutter |
| Written by | Jemaine Clement and Jason Stutter |
| Produced by | Andrew Calder & Jason Stutter |
| Starring | Sam Manu Jemaine Clement Lisa Tseng Raybon Kan David Fane Victor Rodger |
| Music by | Plan 9 Jemaine Clement Bret McKenzie |
| Distributed by | Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) High Fliers Distribution (UK) Magna Pacific (AUS & NZ) Showtime Australia (Australia) Wild Pictures and Wild Side Vidéo (France) |
Release dates | North America: November 2, 2002 France: January 18, 2006 |
Running time | 83 min. |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Language | English |
| Budget | NZ$80,000 |
Tongan Ninja is a 2002 full length kung-fu action-comedy directed by Jason Stutter and filmed in New Zealand. The film has received recent notoriety for co-starring and being co-written by Jemaine Clement, star of the HBO comedy Flight of the Conchords. The movie is a parody of English-dubbed martial arts films, with a few other popular films and the plot is taken from Way of the Dragon. It also features songs written by Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie - also from the Flight of the Conchords.
Plot
The Tongan Ninja is dispatched to the island nation of New Zealand in order to help a brother of his master with his floundering Chinese restaurant. But the mysterious Mister Big stands in the eatery's way as he sends numerous villains such as Knife Man, Gun Man, and the super-sexy Action Fighter who may know a lot about the hero.
DVD
The special features section includes a making of segment including commentary by director and cameos by famous New Zealand directors Peter Jackson and Andrew Adamson.
Critical Reception
This film received insanely positive reviews. With an average rating of 98% on [1] this film has been nominated for 8 Oscars including "Best Shoestring Budget", "Best Asian Acting from a Non-Asian" and "Best Character Developement". As one reviewer put it- "It was so bad it was good". Reminiscent of the Monty Python style and building on Jemaine Clement's satirical style this film has been dubbed a must see.
External links
- Tongan Ninja at IMDb
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