Written, directed and starring William Lee (A Cold Day in Hell, Demons Rising and Dragon vs Ninja) 1987s Treasure of the Ninja is proof that you can put together a very enjoyable action epic on a minuscule budget. 

Yes, it’s cheaply put together, the acting is never going to win any awards, the dubbing is amateurish, the picture quality is atrocious, but, and most crucial of all, it is never dull. The action sequences alone make this worthy of a watch. The film was shot on super-8 and edited on videotape, and whilst it probably looks better than it ever did, it’s never going to look any better than it does.

William Lee plays the brilliantly monikered Magneta Phaze, a high kicking, martial arts trained secret agent who alongside his sidekick, a teenage genius called Monique, is asked to track archaeologist, Dr Stewart (Constance Lester) who has travelled to the country of Ranga in the South China sea to uncover a priceless artefact. Unfortunately, disgraced archaeologist, Steven Chase (Mark Ogden, whose only other film role was as a neanderthal in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) has followed Dr Sewart with the intention of beating her to the artefact and taking it for himself. Once Chase abducts Stewart, Magneta must not only find the artefact, but he must save Stewart from the evil clutches of not just Steven Chase, his sidekick El Kazi and their Ninja army but the Shadow Devil, a super powerful ninja zombie who is sworn to protect the treasure.

William Lee was a DIY film-maker operating during the 1980s, and Treasure of the Ninja remains his masterpiece. It’s crammed with excellent fight sequences; Lee was a huge fan of Bruce Lee and studied his films in minute detail in order to create his own versions. What the film lacks in other departments it more than makes up for with its action and its sense of humour. It’s a fast and furious ass-kicking slice of adventure that will entertain those who love a good B-movie.

This new Blu-ray from 101 films features a clutch of William Lee’s shorts including the 65-minute, Dragon vs Ninja, The New Chinese Connection and a trilogy of shorts featuring the character Willie Jack, as well as an audio commentary with William Lee and the Bleeding Skull team. These are all the extras brought over from the AGFA US Blu-ray from a year or so back

Overall, this is a very good package for an underground gem. It’s not for everyone but B-Movie fans will appreciate Treasure of the Ninja, the extra short films also make the release a worthy purchase as you get a lot of B-Movie cheese for your money.