Ghost Warrior
Ghost Warrior
| 01 March 1986 (USA)
Ghost Warrior Trailers

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.

Reviews
Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.
Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.
Scott LeBrun In 16th century Japan, an efficient and fearless Samurai named Yoshimitsu (Hiroshi Fujioka) is wounded in battle after his sweetheart has been killed. He falls into a body of water and is frozen for over 400 years. Then, in the 1980s, his perfectly preserved body is discovered, shipped to America, and he is soon revived, to adjust to a different time in history and a different culture. A journalist named Chris Welles (Janet Julian) tries to protect him from those that would do him harm."Ghost Warrior" is definitely a notch above the typical Empire Pictures fare. Produced by Charles Band, written by Tim Curnen ("Forbidden World"), and directed by J. Larry Carroll (co- writer of "Tourist Trap"), it works largely because it's able to downplay comedy and take its premise fairly seriously. It also works because it allows Fujioka to play his time travelling warrior with a great deal of dignity. This doesn't mean that it's without a sense of humour, but it never gets overly campy or cheesy.Granted, more could have been done with scenes of Yoshimitsu experiencing 1984 L.A. (among other things, he discovers cars, tires, TV sets...and the heavy metal band W.A.S.P.). The character of Alan Richards (John Calvin) is rather ridiculous what with the about-face that he pulls. And the movie ultimately loses a bit of momentum in its final act.Still, it's appealing, and earnestly acted. The lovely Julian ("Humongous", "King of New York") is a fine leading lady. Fujioka does have an effective screen presence. Veteran Charles Lampkin (Arch Obolers' "Five") is extremely likable as the senior citizen who attempts to befriend Yoshimitsu. Bill Morey ("Death Race 2000"), Andy Wood ("Rambo: First Blood Part II"), Robert Kino ("Night of the Creeps"), and Peter Liapis ("Ghoulies") co-star."Ghost Warrior" has a solid, atmospheric opening and a very nice music score by Richard Band. It actually gets pretty gory at times.Worth a look for 1980s cult cinema enthusiasts.Eight out of 10.
rtberg A moderately interesting start, some pretty scenes in sixteenth-century Japan, and a promising idea. But the execution? The comparison that springs to mind after about fifteen minutes is "Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death." Really. A specialist in "Oriental history" who doesn't speak any Japanese, walks on tatami without removing her shoes, and is generally dumb as celery? Please. This looks like a student film: the sets are risible, the acting (except, perhaps, for the title character) close to wooden, the plot utterly arbitrary. At least "Cannibal Women" was funny! This is best watched with someone who knows something about Japan, just to watch disbelief repeatedly crawl across their face.
merklekranz Instead of trotting out a generic plot, "Ghost Warrior" is propelled by it's imagination. Suspend disbelief, sure, but this "fish out of water" scenario works. The story is straightforward and almost fable-like. The introduction of an honorable 16th Century fighting arts master to the sometimes dishonorable reality of modern Los Angeles, inevitably forces confrontation. An ancient warrior, re-animated by science, must battle for his life. The film is beautiful, especially flashbacks to the samurai's past. No better than average acting is easily forgiven, because the imaginative script holds your interest. Recommended for anyone looking for something out of the ordinary. - MERK
KmnRdr This movie was pretty good, but not the best samurai movie. Hiroshi Fujioka, an excellent actor, did portray a samurai better than most actors have in past movies. Infact, Fujioka gave one of the best samurai performances of all time. He really knows his stuff. But it's the plot that keeps this movie from being one of the best samurai movies. And some of the acting is rather bad from Fujioka's supporting cast members. Hiroshi Fujioka is the main reason to see this movie. Mr. Fujioka used a REAL katana in this movie, which is rare in movies to use a real weapon.