Black Belt Cinema: SGT. KABUKIMAN N.Y.P.D. (1990) - Toronto Theatrical Premiere of New Restoration!
Schedule
Sat, 13 Sep, 2025 at 09:30 pm
UTC-04:00Location
400 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON M6R 2M9, Canada | Toronto, ON
TORONTO THEATRICAL PREMIERE OF NEW RESTORATION! 35th ANNIVERSARY SCREENING! A clumsy N.Y.P.D. cop Harry Griswold is investigating a string of murders involving kabuki actors. There’s just one thing he didn’t bargain for: becoming one himself. After a group of thugs gun down the entire cast of an amateur kabuki play, Harry is kissed by one of the dying actors, bestowing him with the supernatural powers of “The Chosen One.” With the help of the deceased actor’s daughter Lotus, Harry learns to wield his newfound powers—which include heatseeking chopsticks and fatal sushi—to combat the crime-ridden streets of New York and stop the psychopathic businessman Reginald Stuart and his goons from summoning The Evil One.
From the twisted minds of Troma titans Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, comes a different kind of superhero! SGT. KABUKIMAN N.Y.P.D. was produced by the videogame company NAMCO, who reached out to Lloyd Kaufman while Troma was filming The Toxic Avenger II in Japan. With a budget of 1.5 million dollars—Troma’s most expensive film to date—Namco’s hope was to create a Kabuki-themed superhero movie that would appeal to mainstream audiences and also be accessible to kids. What Kaufman made was not that film. Disappointed with Kaufman’s sex-and-violence-fueled vision akin to Troma’s previous work, the film’s investors withdrew their distribution deals and the PG-13 cut they saw ended up being the one seen in theatres. Now thanks to VINEGAR SYNDROME, we can finally experience this colorful live-action comic book film uncensored and restored in 4K UHD from its original 35mm. (BRANDON LIM)
4K Restoration Provided by Vinegar Syndrome & DCP Provided By AGFA!
