J. Larry Carroll got his start in the film industry working as an editor on The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. He also did additional editing on The Hills Have Eyes and Dracula’s Dog, the latter being directed by Albert Band. Soon, he produced early Charles Band projects like Cinderella, Laserblast, Fairy Tales, and Tourist Trap, which he also wrote. Along with being a production manager on Parasite 3D and The Alchemist, Carroll was becoming a regular for Charles Band. At the same time, he was writing for kids cartoons like Ghostbusters, Dennis the Menace, and She-Ra: Princess of Power. Before too long, Carroll would get his chance at directing for Empire, though it would be his only directing effort. With a script penned by Tim Curnen, who previously wrote the Roger Corman Alien knockoff Forbidden World, Carroll started working. Though made in 1984, Ghost Warrior was released in May 1986.
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Synopsis
In Ancient Japan, samurai warrior Yoshimitsu (Hiroshi Fujioka) is betrayed and left to die in the frozen waters. Hundreds of years later, he’s discovered frozen in ice and brought to the US to be thawed out. Anthropologist Chris Welles (Janet Julian) goes to meet with Dr. Alan Richards (John Calvin) to study the recently unfrozen samurai. Upon waking up, Yoshimitsu starts freaking out over future shock before Welles and Richards come to see him. Welles is an expert in “oriental studies”, and she manages to get through the Yoshimitsu despite the language barrier. One night, a security guard tries sneaking into Yoshimitsu’s room to steal his sword, only to be killed by Yoshimitsu. The samurai escapes, Welles and Richards in pursuit, though it turns out Richards has other plans for him. What will become of this ancient samurai in modern times, this Ghost Warrior back from the dead?
Review
Ghost Warrior is one of the more interesting films in the Empire Pictures catalog, especially with such a unique concept. Admittedly, the idea of someone awakening from a frozen slumber isn’t new, having been done in movies like 1973’s Sleeper. However, what makes this film unique is how it shows what an ancient samurai would be like in modern times. How would he react to seeing a car coming by, or encountering some street thugs, or even watching television? Admittedly, the film doesn’t do much with this other than set up some pretty cool action scenes here and there. Hiroshi Fujioka, best known for his work on Kamen Rider, gives a very stern performance as the ancient samurai warrior. Though most of his dialogue is in Japanese without subtitles, you still get a sense of what he’s feeling. He’s easily the best part of the film.
That’s not to say the rest of the film is terrible, but it doesn’t quite live up to its premise. Aside from Yoshimitsu fighting some thugs and evading the police, there’s not much action and what’s there is pretty dull. Also, apart from Fujioka and Charles Lampkin as an old man who befriends him, most of the acting is forgettable. Granted, there’s not much material for the actors to work off of, though you shouldn’t expect deep characterization in this. For a low budget film, it’s surprisingly well-made, the opening scenes feeling like something out of a Kurosawa film. Also, as silly as the premise comes off, the film plays it fairly straight, making it more of a drama. Fans of Full Moon and Empire might be disappointed, but it’s still an interesting relic of the 1980s. Overall, Ghost Warrior is worth uncovering for at least a one-time viewing.
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