Toshishiro Obata
They were the knights of medieval Japan, an elite warrior class that held the reins of power and the fascination of the people for more than 700 years. Masters of sword and bow, driven by an unforgiving code of ethics, they proved ferocious in combat. They beat back foreign invaders and fought each other for land, status, honor and glory. The Samurai explores the extraordinary legacy of martial artistry, ceremony, self-discipline and tenacity in battle that reaches to this day. Modern-day samurai explain the ways of life in the Bushido, while scholars detail the pivotal events in their centuries-long history. From the heyday of the Heian Period (794-1185) to the inevitable decline that followed the opening of Japan in 1853, this is the definitive study of some of world's most famous fighters.
Paul Racine, a high-powered American business executive in Japan, is catapulted into a maze of danger and intrigue after he and his sexy companion are the targets of assassins hired by the ruthless Kinjo. To survive, Racine must join forces with a powerful samurai and together they will fight the force of evil in an awesome battle rooted in centuries of brutal conflict.
When a prostitute is found dead in a Los Angeles skyscraper occupied by a large Japanese corporation, detectives John Conner and Web Smith are called in to investigate. Although Conner has previous experience working in Japan, cultural differences make their progress difficult until a security disc showing the murder turns up. Close scrutiny proves the disc has been doctored, and the detectives realize they're dealing with a cover-up as well.
Simon Phoenix, a violent criminal cryogenically frozen in 1996, escapes during a parole hearing in 2032 in the utopia of San Angeles. Police are incapable of dealing with his violent ways and turn to his captor, who had also been cryogenically frozen after being wrongfully accused of killing 30 innocent people while apprehending Phoenix.
Witnessing a drug deal involving local gang members and cops, an Australian police officer feels he can no longer be just an observer. He joins forces with a local teacher who just happens to be a karate expert and together they try to take back the streets.
An American with a Japanese upbringing, Chris Kenner is a police officer assigned to the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. Kenner is partnered with Johnny Murata, a Japanese-American who isn't in touch with his roots. Despite their differences, both men excel at martial arts, and utilize their formidable skills when they go up against Yoshida, a vicious yakuza drug dealer with ties to Kenner's past.
The Turtles and the Shredder battle once again, this time for the last cannister of the ooze that created the Turtles, which Shredder wants to create an army of new mutants.
A quartet of mutated humanoid turtles clash with an uprising criminal gang of ninjas
The Sword of Bushido tells the story of ex-Navy SEAL Zac Connors (played by Australian martial artist Richard Norton, doing his best attempt at an American accent) and his journey to learn the fate of his grandfather, who mysteriously disappeared days after the end of World War 2, with a legendary stolen Japanese sword in his possession. With the help of a stunningly sexy computer analyst (who he ends up sleeping with, the suave dog), he learns that his grandfathers 'plane crashed somewhere on the outskirts of Thailand.
Two New York cops get involved in a gang war between members of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia. They arrest one of their killers and are ordered to escort him back to Japan. However, in Japan he manages to escape, and as they try to track him down, they get deeper and deeper into the Japanese Mafia scene and they have to learn that they can only win by playing the game—the Japanese way.
When skiers in Japan come across the frozen body of centuries-old samurai warrior Yoshimita, scientists secretly whisk the corpse to a high-tech laboratory in California, where they bring him back to life. But when Yoshimita escapes onto the mean streets of 1980s Los Angeles, his ancient and strict code of honor gets him both into and out of trouble. J. Larry Carroll directs this low-budget action fantasy.
