"Beverly Hills Ninja"

Title: "Beverly Hills Ninja"
Director: Dennis Dugan
Producers: B. Jenkel, B. Krevoy, and S. Stabler
Editing: Jeff Gourson
Composer: George S. Clinton
Starring:
- Chris Farley (RIP) as Haru
- Chris Rock as Joey Washington
- Robin Shou as Gobei
- Nicollette Sheridan as Allison Page/Sally Jones
- Soon-Tek Oh as Sensei

By now you may have noticed that the "Plot and Critical Review" portions are varying in length and style. I wanted to remind you that I copy that portion of the review directly from Wikipedia. I make grammatical corrections as I deem necessary and add or subtract content in the same fashion. The final paragraph (or couple of paragraphs) of the "Plot and Critical Review" section are mine.

For whatever reason, the plot synopsis on Wikipedia for "Beverly Hills Ninja" is quite poor. I'll try to clean it up.

Plot and Critical Review: A clan of ninja 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 ninja 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. Doubts are quickly cast over him, however, as to whether he could become the great white ninja. Although he does possess some ninja traits, Haru is clumsy and does not really fit in. He fails to graduate a ninja with the rest of his class and is 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 protection. The woman, Sally Jones, is suspicious of her boyfriend, Martin Tanley, and sends Haru to the harbor to investigate. Haru sees that Tanley is involved in a counterfeiting business. While surveiling Tanley he witnesses a murder. The clan are upset with Haru's actions as the police now suspect a ninja is responsible for the murder. Haru is adamant, however, that Sally is in trouble. Haru departs for America and arrives travels to Beverly Hills. Gobei, the best ninja in Haru's class, is sent to watch over him.

Haru has a bit of trouble adjusting to Western culture. He checks into a Beverly Hills hotel and befriends Joey Washington, a hotel employee, to whom he teaches a few ninja lessons. Haru goes in search of Sally, convinced that she is in trouble. He eventually finds her (with the help of Gobei, but unknowingly), but she distances herself from him. Haru tails Tanley to a club where he is trying to get back a set of currency plates from a rival gang. In a brawl between members of opposing gangs two men are killed and once again Haru again finds himself the prime suspect in a murder investigation. He returns to the hotel and meditates to communicate with his sensei for guidance. His sensei encourages him to use a phonebook in tracking down Sally Jones.

Haru resumes his quest and eventually makes his way to 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 (Haru and Tanley were both surprised to see Allison there). The next day Haru poses as an ink specialist and is taken to Tanley's offices. In spite of Haru's, disguise Tanley soon finds out that he is "the fat ninja that everyone is talking about" and holds him captive.

While Tanley is in the process of getting the other half of the currency plates Allison rescues Haru from the back of a van. In the process Allison is kidnapped by Tanley. Now Haru must find his way back to his offices, but as he was blindfolded during his first journey, he must recreate the ride by memory. He enlists Joey to drive him there. Without either knowing, Gobei hides himself in the trunk of the car. 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 knocks Joey out. He drives Haru directly to Tanley's warehouse. Haru uses a large palm tree to launch himself into the warehouse. Gobei also manages to sneak in.

Haru and Gobei are met by Tanley's henchmen. They fight together (Haru nunchucking Gobei several times by 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. When Gobei gets hurt by one of Tanley's goons Haru becomes adept in the martial arts. Together they defeat the henchmen with a little 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. Using a huge harpoon gun to get to Allison, he shoots a harpoon through the room which inadvertently catches onto a nearby truck which attemps to escape in. As the hook is dragged out of the building it catches on the bomb and is pulled onto Tanley's truck, which explodes seconds later. Haru saves Allison and Tanley and his surviving henchmen are arrested.

Back at the dojo Haru talks to his sensei about moving to a place that needs more ninja. Haru and Allison ride off in the back of a truck. Attached to the truck is a rope that catches on Gobei's wheelchair and drags him down the road. Haru shouts an apology to his brother who is flung into the ocean.

"Beverly Hills Ninja" was the third to last film that Chris Farley would ever star in. His movies (including "Tommy Boy" and "Black Sheep") gained immense favor among fans of his work on Saturday Night Live and other comedic projects. "Beverly..." reached first place at the box office the weekend it opened. Along with films that featured Chris in cameo roles and his 100+ episodes on SNL, "Beverly" bears testament to Chris' comedic genius, his overwhelmingly charming personality, and his ability to get a smile out of anyone.

Did you know that just before his death Chris had begun recording vocals for the lead character in an animated feature that was said to be released in the late 90s/early 00s? The name of that character was Shrek. When Chris passed away Dreamworks recast the part and chose Mike Myers to perform in Chris' place.

I miss you, Chris.

My Rating: 7/10

Content to Caution:
V-3 – Lots of martial arts fighting, but very little blood or gore.
L-2 – Some cursing.
DU-1 – No comment.
RT-1 – Comments are made regarding whether or not ninjas can be white (or black, as in Joey's case.)
H/S-1 – No comment.
CH-3 – Many crude jokes are made, some of them sexual in nature.
S/N-1 – No comment.

The "Reel Revelation": "Believe In Who?"

The dominant theme in this film is easy to identify; "If you believe in yourself, you can do great things, even the impossible!" When we first come upon Haru he has no recognizable talent as a ninja, but when the moment is most dire he suddenly transforms into a master of the martial arts. All this because his sensei admonished him to "Believe in yourself!" Isn't that what we tell young people, "If you believe in yourself you can do whatever you want!"? A very charming sentiment, indeed. I can summon memories of all the times people spoke similair words over me, "Eric, if you believe in yourself you'll do amazing things. Just believe it!" Well, a few years have passed and i've decided (based on my few years of life experience) that believing in myself is one of the worse decisions I can make. I recognize that that's a strong statement, but I hope you'll read on and see if my perspective rings true in your life as well.

If I choose to believe in myself, what exactly am I believing in? Am I putting stock in my gifts and abilities? Those could disappear in my sleep, and then what would I be left with? Perhaps i'm believing in my ethical code and set of personal convictions. That sounds good, but I must remind myself that i'm just as likely as anyone else to break my own rules and boundaries. I guess that's out. Maybe, as a last resort, I can choose to believe in my faith in God. And then I suddenly remember that I am a sinner, a wretched soul, and a man cursed by the desires of the flesh and passions of the world. So much for that. So much for believing in myself.

You might think my perspective is sardonic and self-critical. By no means! Look into your own heart and see if you can come up with a different response. It's natural to think of the things we're good at or excel in and say "Hey, i'm not so bad. Look at how nice I am toward strangers! (Or insert whatever comment is appropriate.)" Whether or not we should believe in ourselves has little to do with our qualities or capabilities. It has everything to do with who we are when all of the niceties and privileges and awards are stripped away. Consider these words:

"When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Do not be afraid of sudden fear

Nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes;

For the LORD will be your confidence

And will keep your foot from being caught." (Proverbs 3:24-26)

Have you ever been overwhelmed by "sudden fear"? That term isn't one that we use in everyday language, nor is "the onslaught of the wicked", but I think we know, in our hearts, what these terms really mean. They're pointing to the sort of fear and oppression that comes without warning, in the dark hours, and comes with such strength and ferocity we are entirely overwhelmed. Put yourself in that place. Feel the fear in your heart. Try to pull off the chains that have been wrapped around. Pull at them! They're locked in place...this enemy knows how to contain you. Now...believe in yourself and see how much of a difference that makes. Summon whatever courage you have and shout aloud "I will be free...I can do it...I believe in myself!" Are you getting much of a response? You won't.

"For the LORD will be your confidence..."

Consider this story:

"As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" When He entered the house, the two blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He touched their eyes, saying, "It shall be done to you according to your faith." (Matthew 9:27-29)

How can we say "If only I believe in myself..." when we are the Children of a God so much more worthy of our faith and belief? We must teach ourselves (and our children!) how to bolster our spirits with confidence and hope, yes, but to place our belief and faith solely in God. Every good gift comes from Him, every blessing flows from His hands, and all that we are and all that we have in this life is because of what God has done for us through His Son, Our Lord. Believe in Him today and walk in the light of God's love and freedom.

See you Monday - E.T.