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The Master: The Complete Series

Lee Van Cleef (Actor), Timothy Van Patten (Actor) Rated:
NR
Format: DVD
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 489 ratings
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February 20, 2018 		—
4
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From the manufacturer

Kino Lorber Classics

The classic arm of Kino Lorber offers many of the greatest films from the past, both silent and sound, for the discriminating viewer, from historical silents through the French new wave.

Product Description

Airing on NBC in 1984, this short-lived action series starred Lee Van Cleef as John Peter McAllister, World War II vet, martial arts expert, and the first Westerner to become a Ninja Master. Joined by young student Max Keller (Timothy Van Patten), the Master searches for his long-lost daughter while aiding those in need. Shô Kosugi co-starred as Okasa, the Master's one-time pupil, now on a mission to kill his former mentor.13 episodes on 4 discs. 10 1/2 hrs. Standard; Soundtrack: English; trailer.

Product details

  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 9.92 ounces
  • Audio Description: ‏ : ‎ Spanish
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Dolby, NTSC, Anamorphic
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 10 hours and 24 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ February 20, 2018
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Lee Van Cleef, Timothy Van Patten, Sho Kosugi
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Kl Studio Classics
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B077ZCV7RB
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 4
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 489 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
489 global ratings
An 80’s kid’s dream come true!!!
5 Stars
An 80’s kid’s dream come true!!!
At long last this series was released with great quality, if you are a ninja fan you can’t miss this show!!!
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Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Buyer
5.0 out of 5 stars The Master (Complete TV Series) [Blu-Ray]
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2018
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Hi this is Max Keller and this is how I usually leave a review ...*Crash*... If you're a Master Ninja fan (The Master) you're in luck, because you can now finally have your very own copy of the complete series.

I won't go very deep into the particulars of the series; but it couldn't hurt to mention, if you love the cliché side of the' 80's ninja craze, you'll probably love these episodes.

On the quality of the product:

-My own personal note: I am a little biased based on the medium of my vintage copies. Clearly my initial Master Ninja 2 VHS; from a garage sale that had parts of it recorded over and crap all over the clam shell case, can't compete with the clarity and sound quality of this production.

Pros:
-All episodes available at once, no more hunting on-line, at thrift shops, or garage sales.
-No more fast forwarding through an episode (If you have the VHS Master Ninja series).
-Affordable.
-Very crisp audio.
-Authentic presentation of the authentic video footage (Generally a crisp picture compared to the VHS).

Cons:
-Authentic presentation of the authentic video footage. (Understandably so; yet disappointing, it retains the original "T.V." aspect ratio format)
-The menu screen has the great theme song, but the scene selection section feels a little simple.
-No apparent extras.

My Conclusion: If you're a fan of the show and you have the means, I suggest you should grab one of these while you can. It's been so long since it was commercially available, and each of my "Cons" are irrelevant if you've been waiting to see the rest of the series but haven't been able to find it. This series it so horridly and beautifully cliché it's hard to pass up. I promise that it's better than the VHS copy from a garage sale, with part of it copied over, and crap all over the clam shell case. I even enjoyed it that way, imagine how pleased I am to finally have a have a copy of the complete series. If you're a fan, I know you will too.
7 people found this helpful
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Trevor William Douglas
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun 1980s Escapsim. Superb Quality Prints.
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2018
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Superb quality DVD set with memorable guest stars. The chemistry works well between Lee Van Cleef and Timothy Van Patten and the stories are fairly good for 1984. Timothy Van Patten is likeable as Max - a far cry from his villainous role in Class of 1984, which demonstrates his versatility. Sho Kosugi is also good.
1. Max - Claude Akins, Clu Gulager, Demi Moore
2. Out-Of-Time-Step - Dick Durock, Soon Tek-Oh. Bill Saito
3. State Of The Union - Crystal Bernard, Mickey Jones, Davis Roberts
4. Hostages - Randi Brooks, Bob Dowdell, George Lazenby, David McCallum, Monte Markham
5. High Rollers - Art Hindle
6. Fat Tuesday - Robert Pine, Stafford Morgan
7. Juggernaut - Diana Muldaur, William Smith, Stuart Whitman, Burton Gillium,. Robert Tessier,Tara Buckman
8. The Good, The Bad and The Priceless - George Maharis, Johnny Seven, Tara Buckman, Kathleen Kinmont
9. Kunoichi - William Campbell, Jack Kelly
10. The Java Tiger - Dick O'Neill, Kabir Bedi
11. Failure To Communicate - Mark Alaimo, Edd Byrnes, Doug McClure, J.D Cannon, Mark Goddard, Rebecca Holden
12. Rogues - Kaz Garas, Tony Swartz, Paul Tulley
13. A Place Called Home - James Gammon, Ed Anders, Kane Kosugi, Jock Mahoney, Hunter Von Leer
24 people found this helpful
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SpeedReader
4.0 out of 5 stars A fun blast from the past
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2018
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The Master is what you get if you take any of the serialized 1980's action series like A-Team, Greatest American Hero, Night Rider etc., and combine it with the Cannon ninja trilogy (which had a big cult following). It never gained traction as a show and was ultimately canceled after just 13 episodes. I was in the neighborhood of 7 or 8 when the series first aired, and loved martial arts and all things ninja and remember watching some of the episodes when they originally aired. It was easy to overlook the cheesy, and sometimes downright bad acting and writing back then, more than it is now, but if you were growing up back then and watched the show it will be a nostalgic blast from the past.

The series starred Lee Van Cleef and Timothy Van Patten, with recurring appearances by the star of the Cannon ninja trilogy (Enter the Ninja, Revenge of the Ninja, and Ninja III: The Domination), Sho Kasugi. Van Cleef played John Peter McCallister, an aging Ninja Master returning to the United States to find his daughter. Kasugi played his former student, Okasa, from Japan who was out to kill him, and Van Patten plays Max Keller, who becomes his new student after the two meet in the mists of a bar fight. It is basically a story-of-the-week show where the with Keller and McCalister driving around the country looking for McCallister's daughter, and eventually getting involved in some local dust-up between (usually) a damsel in distress against the local bad guy(s). It does take a lot of suspension of disbelief on many levels. Including buying that either Van Cleef or Van Patten had anything close to martial arts skill (which you could see during the extreme close-ups during the fight scenes they did not), or that the McCallister character, who would walk around as himself in broad daylight beating up the bad guys, would need to change into his ninja uniform at night to beat up the same bad guys, with his same apprentice in tow (who was not in a ninja uniform). And even when he was in uniform he was always pulling his mask down, so there was never any real disguising who he was. And of course, there was the carrying around tons of illegal weapons.

For those who get the blu rays, the transfer is about as good as it can be for an old 1980s tv show. For extras, there are trailers for a handful of the Westerns that Van Cleef was known for throughout his career, as well as trailers for Enter the Ninja and Revenge of the Ninja, the two movies Kasugi had been in at that point.

I think most people who will get this are those who were kids in the 1980s and remember watching it back then. It is definitely not something you will get because of great writing or acting. There were a number of very recognizable and good character actors and actresses in the show (including a young Demi Moore in the pilot), but it was overall a pretty hokey and cheesy show. That point was best summed up when one of the characters picks up a piece of uranium and sticks it in his pocket. If you watch it expecting it to just be a fun blast from the past, it is enjoyable and even pretty funny. If you are expecting award-winning TV, you will be sorely disappointed.
12 people found this helpful
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Carroll Pittmon Jr
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome tv series!!
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2023
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I loved watching this series as a young teenager and still enjoy watching it many years later. Some people may call it cheesy but that’s just because they don’t understand classic tv. If you enjoy Lee Van Cleef, you have to have this series. It does not disappoint.
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Top reviews from other countries

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JAS
5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Find
Reviewed in Canada on September 17, 2023
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Purchased the 2 episode disc that was available by Platinum Disc Corp. years ago. Was glad to have it but never thought I'd have any more episodes than those 2 programs. Thanks to Kino Lorber I now have the complete series of 13 episodes with beautiful digitally restored audio and video on Blueray. The 13 episodes are on 3 discs with no extras. Would have liked to have had a brief interview with Timothy Van Patten at least.
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DICK VAN DEN BERG
1.0 out of 5 stars Kan niet afspelen
Reviewed in the Netherlands on December 4, 2022
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Kan het niet afspelen door regio code
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Fran Me
5.0 out of 5 stars Cannon's ninjas meet Equalizer! Excellent!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
It's a miracle that this obscure (for many) and short lived TV series managed to get a Blu-Ray release. What a great way to re-discover this little TV jewel from the 80's. If you like the Cannon movies and the Equalizer TV series then don't hesitate! Lee Van Cleef is a true master!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Typical 80s show but still fun.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2021
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Having only had a copy of the series that appeared to be ripped from video, this is head and shoulders above that. I loved this series as a teenager and still love it now. Watching it now however, you can see the lee van cleef stuntman with his badly fitting rubber bald head!
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robert
5.0 out of 5 stars ... brought back some memery's for me it is really nice to finally have the complete show on DVD even ...
Reviewed in Canada on March 2, 2018
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well this show really brought back some memery's for me it is really nice to finally have the complete show on DVD even though a lot of the ninja stuff done on this show can not be done for real it is still a good fun show to watch from what i understand the bad ninja in this show is a real life black belt in karate and some kind of ninjutsu i find this to be well worth what i payed for it the price i payed was worth it just to get the show i like the ninja stuff in it even though i know a lot of it is phony because i have studied martial arts my self for ten years and i have done a lot of research on real ninjutsu but if you just wont to have fun and relive yes relive some fun memory's then this well help you for shows to me this is a good show to have
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