Made in 1984 but never released, Ninja Busters is the story of Bernie and Chic (Eric Lee and Sid Campbell), who go from getting their asses kicked to learning how to kick ass. Director Paul Kyriazi had already made Death Machines and The Weapons of Death. This differs from those in that this is a hangout film, where we get to know people, have fun with them, joke around and then the last part of the movie gets super violent and serious. I love that.

Discovered in a warehouse outside a California desert, brought back to New Jersey, screened at Exhumed’s Ex-Fest and then at The Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, NY — and now directly to your blu ray player — this is a truly lost film, the kind of movie that those that talk about saving cinema would never consider worth rescuing. But it is worth it, just like Bernie and Chic, and so essential. We need to find movies like this, that remind us that there are still films that are out there waiting.

Our heroes may start the movie lying to women about training Bruce Lee when really all they do is work in the Dragon Imports warehouse. But they lose that job when their boss Santos gets mad at them. Then bikers beat them up. You’d think they’d go home at that point, but they decide to go watch women do karate, because why not? But that school and its teachers, Master (Gerald Okamura) and Junior Master Romero (Carlos Navarro) are able to turn them into better fighters and people, even if one of the bikers, Sonny (Frank Navarro) decides to enroll and says that when they are all black belts, he’s going to beat them up again.

Years later, that fight does happen, but everyone has become friends. But when Chic and Bernie learn that Santos has hired ninjas and is the midst of a weapons deal, they may not make it to the end of their own movie.

Also: aerobics, breakdancing and pizza.

You can buy this from Garagehouse Pictures.