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So there's this regular run of the mill high school kid, his name is Tommy. We're talking the kind of guy who doesn't stand out with the popular crowd but is a favored target for bullies. He has his own group of friends who are similarly picked on, yet the teachers and parents don’t see it as a cause for concern just "kids being kids". Their names or nicknames rather, were all like "Shabazz", "Stylzz" and "Mohawk". Shabazz, Stylzz and Mohawk would be the token Black, Hispanic and Native American.
The whole atmosphere for this movie is firmly planted in the '80s. Skin-tight Denim accentuating thighs and butt (so tight in fact that they'd resonate like a drum is the wearer were to pass wind), white t-shirts, and those bomber jackets that were cool for about a heartbeat. Throw in some frizzy brush cuts for good measure.
Tommy was sort of the leader of his group and they were all really sort of regular except for the fact that they all had fanatical interest in martial arts, but they were all super shy too so they were rather embarrassed about their abilities, and didn't want to bring unwanted attention to themselves by absolutely stomping the bullies.
So anyway despite their obvious superiority in the ass-kicking department they have all vowed never to use their abilities. Doing so would mean that those out to prove something would be constantly trying to fight them etc etc. The real twist to how they learned their abilities was that they helped out this old homeless Asian man who was heavily on the turps. We're talking practically dead drunk for the past 3 decades (more a mystery that the guy was alive really).
SO his name was Musashi Masamune and he is a Japanese American and actually was a war-veteran of the Second World War. He fought for us of course but racism drove him to the bottle and his long hiatus on the streets. Tommy and his buddies did something like save the guy from the street toughs but not without getting really badly bruised up, as this was their pre-kick ass area.
As a result the 70-year-old Masamune sees the light and gets off the moonshine and teaches the youngsters the ways of his old country. It just so happens that he is a descendant of the deadliest ninja clan of Japan. They of course are no more than assassins for hire now. He fled Japan because he could not accept the fact that all he had learned was to be used for evil so he came to America and changed his name to resemble one of Japan's prolific Samurai. The ideals of the samurai were much more to his liking. Once he was sobered up, he was about as good as you can get without actually being able to run across water or fly around. He was awesome!
Masamune, after teaching them some ninjitsu, made them all vow not to use it because using it could lead to a darker and more sinister ways of life. They of course made this vow out of respect for their sensei. But Stylzz and Shabazz were the troublemakers of the group and eventually they get mixed up with some unsavoury gang members from a new gang that has recently introduced itself on the streets. Only the toughest of the tough even have a hope of gaining membership. They are called the Black Dragons. Regular members were known as "3 claws", gang bosses were known as "4 claws" and the Overlord of the Black Dragons was very respectfully referred to as the "Imperial 5 claw".
Shabazz and Stylzz are pretty much breeze into the gang as they were taught some pretty mad skills. On top of that they are practically worshiped by other regular members because they can kick a great deal of ass. This goes right to their heads and before you know it they are in deeper than they realize. They didn't have trouble doing the lesser tasks slated to them. They were into drinking and some minor drug use already (all kept secret from Musamune of course) so they didn't mind selling a bit of the good stuff to people in order to make some pocket money. And if they ever ran into a tight spot they had their skills to put non-compliant customers in line or send a "message" to the rival gangs. They never killed or intended to kill anyone and thought it all harmless fun.
Tommy and Mohawk sort of caught onto Shabazz and Stylzz's activities and tried to persuade them to quit but they wouldn't have it, and this puts strain on the group dynamics. Shabazz and Stylzz get more and more aggressive as time goes on and they even got a reputation at school as people on the un-official "People you should never mess with" list. Again Musamune is unaware of this as he is too busy getting back on his feet trying to start a dojo after seeing his success with Tommy and his friends. Somehow he always has time to train them for free though.
Anyway a few months go by with the situation unchanged. Then Shabazz and Stylzz get a surprise visit at the Black Dragon gang hangout. All of a sudden their 4 claw calls them into a meeting with a bunch of other 4 claws from neighboring "hoods". They are told that they have potential and are being considered for promotions to 4 claws but they must meet the Imperial 5 claw and complete a task for him before this can happen.
This is where the Imperial 5 claw shows up lays out the true history of the gang. Rooted in an ancient Japanese ninja clan (gasp... the same one their Sensei had fled as a budding teenager). The 5 claw never shows his face but something in his voice rings strangely familiar to the pair. And before they know it they are being commanded by the 5 claw to perform an assassination of two local businessmen who have refused to accept gang "protection" and pay their required fee. The two of course refuse because this is way beyond what they were capable of and as a result the two are practically beaten within an inch of their lives and left for dead in a ditch by the side of the road. They of course did a fair bit of damage before this and some how Mohawk gets caught in the fray and is similarly left in the ditch.
So Shabaz, Stylzz and Mohawk are seemingly confined to wheelchairs after this thrashing and explain the whole situation to Tommy who then explains it all to their Sensei. Although bitterly disappointed in Shabazz and Stylzz, he further trains and disciplines the whole group. He also relates a sad story of how his twin brother had mysteriously disappeared while attempting to become a 4 claw in this gang so many years ago in Japan. His parents were of course murdered and the Black Dragons raised him and his brother. Eventually, it turns out that even in wheelchairs Shabazz, Stylzz and Mohawk can still bust the savage skills and together with Tommy and their Sensei they embark on a journey to stop the evil Black Dragons.
The ensuing battle is fierce (with Sensei hanging back) and leads to the classic warehouse on the docks. They manage to defeat the 4 claws with only a few scrapes and bruises. Fairly impressive because most of them were in wheel chairs. Then the moment of truth comes and the battle with the 5 claw commences. After taking a pretty severe beating the "Steel wheelers" surprise the 5 claw by getting out of their chairs to continue fighting. This puts the 5 claw on his heels but he fights back and eventually one after another Tommy and his gang of friends get too hurt to continue.
At this point the 5 claw reveals himself before he is about to finish them off, and they are dumbfounded that it appears to be their Sensei that they were fighting. Masamune was mysteriously out of sight for this whole last segment of the battle and the 5 claw seemed confused by being called sensei. He angrily introduces himself as Kyouzan (Strong Mountain) Kentaro, overlord to the Black Dragon Ninja clan. Then Masamune steps out from behind a pillar to confront his twin. It is a sad reunion as it ends with the 2 brothers fighting to the death. There are several tense moments when what seemed like a fatal blow did little but tear off chunks of the combatants clothing, revealing rippling biceps, washboard stomachs, gluteus maximi looking like they were carved out pure granite and pulsating pectorals. Made all the more impressive that both men were in their 70s.
In the end Masamune wins and spares his brother's life in the hopes that he will abandon his evil ways. (Cue Full House style sappy moment) But just as a happy ending seems to be looming Kentaro takes the opportunity to try and betray his brother's trust only to have Tommy come out of no where and punch through his chest and rip out his still beating heart!
The end.