3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995)

dir. Shin Sang-ok

The third of the 3 Ninjas films, preceded by 3 Ninjas and 3 Ninjas Kick Back, and followed by 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain. Rather disarmingly, this film was filmed alongside the first one in 1992, but released three years later – meaning the cast consists of the three original boys, and doesn’t feature the two replacements that pop up in 3 Ninjas Kick Back. Pretty fitting for the 3 Ninjas saga’s general feeling that it never really knows what it’s doing. This time, our three annoying little boys combat the evil that is toxic waste, defending a Native American village against the big bad establishment. It’s vapid, it’s generic, it’s childish – it’s 3 Ninjas.