Can I Kick It?: Shaolin Jazz To Live-Score 80s Cult Classic AMERICAN NINJA, Debut 6K Trailer For Long-Lost Steve James Actioner, RIVERBEND
Live in DC? Love American Ninja? If ‘yes’ to both, then you’re in luck. Live film score duo Shaolin Jazz will be on hand at the Songbyrd Music House on July 29 for their live-scored screening of Sam Firstenberg’s iconic staple of the 1980s ninja craze, as part of the group’s Can I Kick It? series.
Shaolin Jazz co-founder DJ 2-Tone Jones will mix elements of funk, soul, hip-hop, rock, and more, employing an array of techniques and sound bites to accentuate different moments in the film ranging from aggressive fight scenes to subtle love scenes. The event is free and open to the public and will host an intro by Firstenberg himself, marking the film’s 40th anniversary since hailing from the auspices of Cannon Films and Golan-Globus Productions in 1985.
Actor Michael Dudikoff plays an amnesiac U.S. Army Private trained in the deadly art of the ninja, tasked with taking a vicious ninja-trained army of arms dealers, with the help of a badass Army Corporal, played by the late Steve James. Firstenberg would go on to direct the 1987 sequel starring Dudikoff and James; James would reprise his role alongside leading man David Bradley for the Cedric Sundstrom’s 1989 follow-up, with Bradley joining Dudikoff for the fourth film under Sundstrom a year later, followed by Bradley’s return for the fifth entry in 1993 from director Bobby Jean Leonard.
Folks will also be given a sneak peek at a trailer for Firstenberg’s long-lost independent 1990 actioner, Riverbend, starring the aforementioned James. The film follows three fugitive Vietnam War soldiers on the run after defying orders, taking refuge in a town that’s fallen under the boot of a tyrannical and racist sheriff. Firstenberg partnered with Michael Dennis of Reelblack Inc. in a tedious effort that took two years before finally acquiring the film’s original elements for refurbishing. As of June, the film is reportedly being upgraded and restored in 6K with the goal of a 2026 physical media release.
The Songbyrd Music House is located at 540 Penn St. NE in Washington D.C.. Doors open at 7:00 PM with Shaolin Jazz performing live music at 7:30 PM, and with food and drink specials, and Shaolin Jazz merch and apparel on hand for all those attending.
