Blu-Ray Review: Kino Lorber’s Rage of Honor (KL Studio Classics) 

The OG Ninja himself, Shô Kosugi returns in the James Bondian-style adventure Rage of Honor.  Kino Lorber has given the film a new Blu-ray special edition! 

The Film 

Ninja vs Amazonian Indigenous Warriors.  Something I did not see on my 2025 bingo card.  I guess I have Shô Kosugi to thank for this.  Rage of Honor exchanges the revenge and brutality of Pray for Death for action and espionage of a James Bond style thriller all the while keeping the Ninja flavor that Kosugi was known for.  The result is a truly entertaining picture done on a B-movie budget that manages to look like it was done on an A-Scale.  

DEA Agent Shiro (Kosugi) partner is killed by an Argentinean drug ring.  His boss says to lay off the case, but Shiro has other plans.  Shiro’s plan, go to Argentina to find those responsible.  Shiro unleashes his wits, a special set of skills and weaponry on those responsible for his partner’s murder getting his girlfriend throw into mortal danger as well.  Shiro must go deep into the Amazonian rain forest if he is to save his girlfriend and catch the drug dealers.  

Rage of Honor’s biggest assets is its real-life locations in Argentina and how director Gordon Hessler shoots it all.  It’s one thing to have locations.  It’s an altogether something different knowing how to use those locations for maximum effect.    Hessler working with cinematographer Julio Bragado always knows where to place their camera from the jungle set action set pieces to even during the most pedestrian of dialog scenes.  

The action set pieces seem to come at a breakneck pace that rival anything of the era with double or triple the budget. Kosugi smartly choregraphs the set pieces with an inventiveness and wit that fills his best films (see Revenge of the Ninja). Something like aforementioned Amazonian Indigenous Warriors versus Kosugi isn’t just a fight scene but starts as a fight turns into a chase into an Indiana Jones style rope escape to a waterfall climb.  It’s that level of care and time taken that separates this film from other supposed martial arts extravaganzas.  

Rage of Honor to the kind of espionage globe-trotting thriller that’s never lazy and rewards its audience with an elevated action adventure that surprises with is skill, scale, and style.  

The Transfer

Kino Lorber has done another great job on this with Shô Kosugi Ninja Film in what appears to be a new Master/Transfer.  The image is sharp with a beautiful grain structure on the widescreen image.  Unfortunately, Rage of Honor was not filmed in 2.39 like its predecessor (though it oddly begins in 2.39 in the title sequence before going into 1.78).  No matter because the image is as glossy and filmic as Pray for Death’s transfer.  Yes, there are a few bits of dust and dirt but no print damage – all of which is to be expected for a transfer that’s not a full-on restoration.  Those issues are minimal. The resulting transfer is a beautiful representation of the film giving it the look of a freshly struck 35mm archival print.  

The Extras

They include the following; 

• NEW Audio Commentary by Action Film Historian Mike Leeder & UK Cult Film Director Ross Boyask
• Sho and Tell Part 2: Interview with Shô Kosugi 
• Honorable Mentions: Interview with Composer Stelvio Cipriani 
• American Ninjas: Video Essay by Chris Poggiali on the Rise of the Ninja Film in the 1980s 
• Theatrical Trailer

The all-new Audio Commentary by Action Film Historian Mike Leeder & UK Cult Film Director Ross Boyask begins what is essentially a continuation of the commentary track on Pray for Death with their introductions/bonfides before heading into the slow boat set opening sequence.  Some of the other details include a discussion of how this changes Kosugi’s persona from a Ninja to a Bond-like hero with Ninja accents and weaponry; a side discussion of how everything was released on the big screen in Hong Kong – which wasn’t the case in the UK or the US during this era; some context and the Falkland Island war (UK and Argentina war) – and how it was not long before this film was in production; a discussion of the screenwriters Wallace C. Bennett and Robert Short – and Short’s much more accomplished VFX work on some truly great films; a discussion of co-star and villain Lewis Van Bergen; the benefits of shooting on location in Argentina; a discussion of co-star Robin Evans; a great side discussion of both Leeder’s and Boyask’s flying and shooting in far off locations; a discussion of the career of director Gordon Hessler; a discussion of producer Moshe Diamant and his production company; and much more.  A companion commentary track to Pray for Death. Like that commentary, Leeder with Boyask delivers another highly entertaining, personal, and informational commentary about this film that Leeder hilariously and accurately compares to “Kiss without the makeup”.  Another commentary track that is as entertaining as the film itself. 

Sho and Tell Part 2: Interview with Shô Kosugi (17:49) – leaving off where the first part left off Kosugi discussing Rage of Honor‘s production beginning in Phoenix Arizona then moving to South America, specifically Argentina and Brazil, and the real-life locations like the waterfall the features prominently.  Kosugi discusses how Rage of Honor is not a Ninja film but a Bond-like film with Ninja elements in it. How he met and began to collaborate with director Gordon Hessler and eventually becoming truly great friends. A discussion of Black Eagle – and the work of Jean-Claude Van Damme, including a funny anecdote about their fight scenes.  How at over the age of 70 how he keeps in fighting shape. His thoughts on the current state of action films.  Some details on plans he and his son have for a future project and much more.  

Honorable Mentions: Interview with Composer Stelvio Cipriani (2:48) – Composer Cipriani discusses how he was hired by Hessler because of his work in the Polizziticchi films of the 1970s including The Enforcers; his approach to the score; and more.  In Italian with English Subtitles.  

American Ninjas: Video Essay by Chris Poggiali on the Rise of the Ninja Film in the 1980s (7:35) – this informative, entertaining video essay charts the origins and successful explosion of the Ninja in pop culture beginning in Japan (starting humbly in a Japanese Children’s show) then moving to Peckinpah’s The Killer Elite (the first sighting on US Shores of the mystical assassins) then the New York Times best-selling novel Ninja (which was developed with Irvin Kershner) moving to The Octagon and The Master – both having Ninjas in them… the wild production and wild success of Enter the Ninja which all boiling over to the modern era of the Ninja and the Ninja craze of the 1980s and beyond.  

Rounding out the special features are trailers for Rage of Honor (1:37); Enter the Ninja (2:54); Revenge of the Ninja (1:42); Pray for Death (2:16); American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1:34) 

The Final Thought 

Kino Lorber has given us another great edition of a Shô Kosugi action film Rage of Honor.  Highest possible recommendations!!! 

Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray edition of Rage of Honor is out now.