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| This movie rocks! |
3 Ninjas Knuckle Up is a family martial arts comedy movie released in 1995 (but filmed in 1992) starring Michael Treanor, Max Elliott Slade, Chad Power, Victor Wong, Crystle Lightning, Patrick Kilpatrick, Donal Logue, Charles Napier, Don Shanks, and Don Stark. The movie was directed by Shin Sang-ok (known as Simon Sheen in the credits for this movie), with fight scenes choreographed by Wan-Chang Lin and Han-Ching Liu. 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up is the direct sequel to the first 3 Ninjas movie, though it was released after the third movie (3 Ninjas Kick Back).
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| From left: Max Elliott Slade as Colt, Chad Power as Tum Tum, Chrystle Lightning as Jo, and Michael Treanor as Rocky. |
In 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up, Rocky (played by Michael Treanor), Colt (played by Max Elliott Slade), and Tum Tum (played by Chad Power) are spending summer vacation with their grandpa (played by Victor Wong) again when one day they help Jo (played by Crystle Lightning) deal with grown men picking on her (she is about 12 years old, and these guys are grown men pushing her around) at a pizza parlor. After the fight, the crowd praises the 3 Ninjas, and the 3 Ninjas seem a little too proud of their accomplishment. Grandpa feels they are getting too cocky, so he punishes them. He also asks them a very philosophical question relating a flower to their situation. The 3 Ninjas are stumped by this question...
A bit later, the 3 Ninjas find out from Jo that her father is missing, and the men messing with her at the pizza parlor are most likely involved. Those men work for a business man whose company has been dumping toxic waste illegally on the Native American reserve where she lives. Her father went to get some information to prove the illegal activity was happening, but never came back. The 3 Ninjas decide to help Jo find her dad.
From there, the 3 Ninjas actually act like real ninjas and track their enemies' movements, they make their weapons by hand, and go on their mission in the cover of night. They find Jo's father, who has to present evidence in a court case to stop the illegal dumping. Of course, Jo gets kidnapped, and the 3 Ninjas have to rescue her before her father has to make his case in court.
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| Probably the funniest scene in the movie. Tum Tum kills it in this scene! |
3 Ninjas Knuckle Up is a very different movie from the first 3 Ninjas movie. There is a lot more action in this one! There isn't that much comedy, but it is still a very funny movie. It has a different feel and look to it. The movie almost seems like a low budget film even though there are a lot more locations and stunts in this one. Still, I think this movie rocks! I didn't hear about this movie until my dad gave me and my brother a copy of the movie he recorded off of HBO or Showtime. There were no commercials on TV for this movie at all. We did see 3 Ninjas Kick Back at the movie theater, so this movie just came out of nowhere for us. It was weird to see the original actors back in their roles after some of them were recast in 3 Ninjas Kick Back. I prefer the originals, not going to lie.
I like how the 3 Ninjas grow as people and as heroes in this movie. At the start of the movie, the 3 Ninjas help people because they have the skills to do it and they genuinely want to help, but they also like the attention they get from it. As the movie goes on, they help people because it is the right thing to do, period. I also like how Native Americans are treated respectfully by the 3 Ninjas (of course, the bad guys are jerks to them). It is a pretty positive portrayal, but then there is the whole 'white savior' aspect to the movie that may not play well today. It does make me wonder, are there any mainstream movies where there is a Native American protagonist who stands up to oppressors and helps others regardless of ethnicity? If not, why isn't there one?
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| 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up has some great fight scenes! |
The fight scenes in 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up blew me away when I first watched it back then! The action was very Hong Kong-inspired. I was not expecting that! The 3 Ninjas kick major butt in this one! A great scene happens at a junkyard. There is a lot of acrobatic moves and using the environment in the fight. Very similar to a Jackie Chan fight scene! The final fight scene takes place at an abandoned (seemingly) little town where the 3 Ninjas fight off cowboys and bikers. It's like a fight in a saloon in a western movie! During this scene, Rocky and Tum Tum get their dance on while fighting off the bad guys. It's cute. How that segment of the scene starts off reminds me of the start of the bar fight in Project A. The kids do most of their own stunts, but stunt doubles are used for some of the more spectacular and dangerous moves/stunts. Colt does some wild stuff in this one! The action is very good in 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up!
In conclusion, 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up is another underrated martial arts movie that should be seen by more people. I will say, this sequel is more about the action than the comedy, but the comedy that is there is enjoyable. It's a nice family movie with some fun fight scenes. Check it out! It is really unfortunate that these kids never got to go on and become action stars. They were really talented. At least we have 3 Ninjas and 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up to remember them at their best.
Reviewed by David Williams
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