LUCINDA DICKEY RULES NINJA III: THE DOMINATION

year: 1984

According to BREAKIN' star Adolfo "Shabba-Doo" Quinones in the documentary ELECTRIC BOOGALOO, he should have headlined the popular low-budget movie about his own profession instead of Lucinda Dickey's character... a professional, sexy female studio dancer moving into the street dance craze... But she was a CANNON FILM starlet, and the very same year would take on another genre she had no skills in... But it doesn't matter...

NINJA III: THE DOMINATION stands and flips and jumps and tumbles and kicks on its very own merit, starring buried lead and legit karate expert Shô Kosugi, whose eye-patched Yomada travels to America to avenge the death of his father by the notorious Black Ninja that, after killing a golfing scientist, his wife, several bodyguards and cops in a bombastically awesome opening ten minute land fight turned car chase introduction, telephone pole climbing government worker Dickey's Christie, an aerobics instructor on the side who listens to gloriously dated music, gets taken-over (dominated) by the bullet-splattered dead Ninja, receiving his powerful sword, vengeful memories and, possessed like Linda Blair in THE EXORCIST during a scene featuring James Hong and foreboding the art of Spinning, is usually quite subdued during blackouts as she becomes a sneaky Ninja assassin targeting obnoxious cops while having an affair with a friendly, helpful one, out to both protect her and find the truth about the death of his co-workers, leading to something sinister and mysterious with the help of Yomada, always there on the sidelines. 

The fight scenes involving Dickey's masked Ninja, like particularly complicated numbers in BREAKIN', are obviously stunt-doubled yet she's hypnotically gorgeous and, although her acting often sounds like a voice on an answering machine meant to be listened to, her genuine physical prowess helps carry this truly entertaining, action-packed wallop of a cult film that deserves more and more status.

CAMP VALUE RATING: ***1/2