Beverly Hills Ninja

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Beverly Hills Ninja
Directed by Dennis Dugan
Produced by Bradley Jenkel
Brad Krevoy
Steven Stabler
Written by Mark Feldberg
Mitchell Klebanoff
Starring Chris Farley
Nicollette Sheridan
Robin Shou
Nathaniel Parker
Soon-Tek Oh
Keith Cooke
Chris Rock
Music by George S. Clinton
Distributed by TriStar Pictures
Release date(s) January 17, 1997
Running time 88 min.
Language English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Beverly Hills Ninja is a 1997 film starring Chris Farley as a bumbling ninja from Beverly Hills. Written by Mark Feldberg and Mitchell Klebanoff and directed by Dennis Dugan.

Chris Farley plays Haru, who was found by ninjas as an infant and was raised by them. Haru never quite conforms to their culture and never acquires the skills of a ninja but is nonetheless good-natured and persevering in his personal ambitions. His first mission brings him to Beverly Hills to investigate a murder mystery.

Contents

[edit] Plot

A clan of ninjas find a chest that has been washed onto shore, inside of which is a white baby boy. An ancient legend spoke of a foreigner who would come among the ninjas and become a master like no other. The boy, Haru, is raised amongst the ninja, with the expectation that he may be the one the legend speaks of. However, doubts are cast over him being the great white ninja. Although he possess some ninja traits, Haru is clumsy and does not really fit in. He does not graduate a ninja with the rest of his class. Left alone to guard the temple while all the ninjas are on a mission, Haru poses as a ninja when a blonde American woman comes in search of the services of one. The woman, Sally Jones, is suspicious of her man, Martin Tanley, and sends Haru down to the harbour to investigate. Haru sees that Tanley is involved in a counterfeiting business, and also witnesses a murder. The clan are upset with Haru's actions, as the police now suspect a ninja is responsible for a murder. However, Haru is adamant that Sally is in trouble, despite the name Sally Jones appearing to be a pseudonym. Haru departs for America, to Beverly Hills (judging from a pack of matches she left behind). Gobei, the best ninja in Haru's class, is sent to watch over him.

Haru has trouble adjusting to Western culture, but checks into a Beverly Hills hotel, where he befriends an employee, Joey, teaching him a few ninja lessons. Haru goes in search of Sally, convinced that she is in trouble. He eventually finds her (unknowingly with the help of Gobei), but she distances herself from him. Haru tails Tanley to a club, where he is trying to get back a set of plates from a rival gang. However, Haru again finds himself the suspect of another two murders. He returns to the hotel the next day he meditates to communicate with his sensei for guidance. He resumes his quest, and tracks down Tanley's home. Once breaking in he is able to speak with Sally Jones, whose real name is actually Allison Page. Haru begins to trust her again, and she explains that she suspects Tanley of killing her sister. That night Haru and Allison escape a gun-fight at an Asian restaurant, and Tanley sees Allison there (Tanley and Haru were both surprised to see Allison there). The pair have to retreat to the hotel. The next day Haru poses as an ink specialist and is taken to Tanley's offices. However, Tanley soon finds out that he is "the fat ninja that everyone is talking about." While Tanley is in the process of getting the other half of the plates that night, Allison rescues Haru from the back of a van. However Allison is taken by Tanley, and Haru must find his way back to his offices, but since he was blindfolded during his first journey, he must recreate the ride by memory, and enlists the help of Joey, and without his knowing, Gobei is hiding in the trunk. After Joey drives into a horse race and a car wash, Haru and Joey start over. Gobei gets out of the trunk after Haru is blindfolded, and Gobei drives to Tanley's warehouse. Haru uses the momentum of a large palm tree to jump into the warehouse, while Gobei also makes it in.

They are met by Tanley's men, and they fight together (Haru nunchucking Gobei several times on accident) until Haru is reminded that he should be saving Allison. Using a forklift, he smashes two holes in the wall of the room where Allison is held captive, almost setting off the bomb. He tries to defuse the bomb, but accidentally resets the timer for five minutes. Haru leaves Allison for a moment to help Gobei, who is surrounded. Haru jumps off the railing and lands on an axe-wielding henchman that is about to kill Gobei. Haru suddenly becomes an adept ninja when Gobei gets hurt by one of Tanley's workers. They defeat the henchmen with help from Joey, who jumps through the window in the same fashion Haru did and lands on one of them. Haru and Gobei must now defeat Tanley, who has a gun. Haru slices the rope of a winch, aiming for Tanley, but the hook knocks Gobei out instead. Blocking Tanley's bullets by swinging his swords, Haru eventually incapacitates Tanley. Haru runs back to the upper level. Using a huge harpoon gun mounted on a cart, he shoots a harpoon through the room, which inadvertently caught onto a truck Tanley attempts to escape in. After catching the bomb, the cart pulls itself to Tanley's truck, which explodes seconds later. Haru saves Allison. Tanley and the remaining henchmen are arrested.

The ending sequence shows an about-to-be-married Allison and Haru talking to his sensei about leaving to a place that needs more ninjas. Allison and Haru leave in the back of a truck, which drags a rope tied to Gobei's wheelchair. Haru shouts an apology to his brother, who is flung into the ocean.

[edit] Cast

Actor Role
Chris Farley Haru
Nicollette Sheridan Allison Page/Sally Jones
Robin Shou Gobei
Nathaniel Parker Martin Tanley
Soon-Tek Oh Sensei
Keith Cooke Nobu
Chris Rock Joey

[edit] Music

Beverly Hills Ninja
Soundtrack to Beverly Hills Ninja
Released 1997
Genre Soundtrack
Length 34:14
Label EMI
Professional reviews
  1. "You're a Ninja?..."
  2. "Kung Fu Fighting" - Patti Rothberg
  3. "One Way or Another" - Blondie
  4. "...We Are in Danger..."
  5. "Tsugihagi Boogie Woogie" - Ulfuls
  6. "Low Rider" - War
  7. "The blackness of my belt..."
  8. "Tarzan Boy" - Baltimora
  9. "...my identity must remain mysterious..."
  10. "Turning Japanese" - The Vapors
  11. "You're the big, fat Ninja, aren't you?"
  12. "Kung Fu Fighting" - Carl Douglas
  13. "I'm Too Sexy" - Right Said Fred
  14. "...close to the temple, not inside"
  15. "I Think We're Alone Now (Japanese Version)" - Lene Lovich
  16. "Finally Got It" - Little John
  17. "...Yes, I guess I did"
  18. "The End" - George Clinton

[edit] Production

  • Most of the outdoor scenes were filmed not in Beverly Hills, but in Pasadena and Malibu.
  • There was one scene in which Haru (played by Chris Farley) tries to hide like a ninja. At one point, he jumped through the wall. Farley had injured himself doing that stunt.
  • There was a scene in which Haru and Allison, bursting with laughter, fall to the floor after forcing Chet Walters to tell them the truth about Tanley.
  • According to an A&E biography, Chris Farley hated the film upon seeing it for the very first time and told his agent that he never wanted to do such a film again. Farley's stance was justified as it arguably attributed to the exploitation of his manic, physical humor by dumbing it down and playing it out to an almost tiring and foolish degree.

[edit] References

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[edit] External links

v • d • e
Films directed by Dennis Dugan

Problem Child (1990) • Brain Donors (1992) • Happy Gilmore (1996) • Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) • Big Daddy (1999) • Saving Silverman (2001) • National Security (2003) • The Benchwarmers (2006) • I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007) • You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)