This film features absolutely no ninjas, in the claws of the CIA or otherwise. What it does have, however, is one of the most stupid and disjointed plots I have ever seen in a martial arts filmand that's saying something! A Russian defector has developed a method of combining martial arts with self-hypnosis that renders the user impervious to pain and able to resist sexual persuasion; however, he is shot before he can reveal any of his secrets to the CIA. Still, not to worry.... 'cos it turns out that there's already a guy in the USa fighter named John Liu (played by John Liu)who knows how to do exactly the same thing (which begs the question, 'Why didn't they go to him first?).
Liu is recruited against his will by the US government in order to teach their operatives his technique, but after going along with the idea for a whileallowing him enough time to hook up with sexy computer boffin Caroline and show off his skills in some pretty impressive fight scenesour hero decides to cross the border to Mexico and freedom, along with his new ladyfriend and a briefcase full of top-secret documents that the CIA will do anything in order to retrieve...
Jumping from Hong Kong, to the US, to Mexico, France and finally Spain, this film is quite literally all over the place; in fact, the stilted narrative structure makes it seem as though three different films have been thrown into a blender and then edited back together by a blind man. By the crazy finalé, in which John gets to fight masked CIA agents at an airport before tricking the chief bad guy with the old 'grenade in the briefcase' trick, viewers will have been treated to umpteen moments that, although technically inept and poorly acted, are truly awesome in their awfulness.
Check out John as his incredible trance technique is put to the test by sexy CIA agent Susan; watch in amazement at the sheer crassness of the 'press-up in the park' scene; cheer as John nonchalantly blows up a jeep full of innocent soldiers; marvel at how quickly John forgets Caroline and hooks up with a new girlfriend in France; be astonished as a ceramics shop is laid waste by high kicks and punches; and delight at the dumb ending in which John and ex-foe Wong (Casanova Wong) fly off into the distance together having finally defeated the enemy: Ninja In The Claws Of The CIA might be crap, but it's thanks to unbelievable scenes like these that it still manages to be fairly entertaining crap.
