A_Different_Drummer Superficially, we have a made-in-the-Phillipines B movie with the Golan-Globus imprint. Just to be clear, in case you are new to the chronicles of B movies, Golan-Globus was a came-from-nowhere production team which tried (with some success) to emulate the feats of similar come-from-nowhere studios which, in the 50s especially, in the teen sub-genre, were astonishingly capable at stealing Hollywood's lunch. This review is not the place to review the oddball list of their productions, except perhaps to note that it included some films LIKE THIS ONE which enjoyed a financial and critical notoriety far beyond what the production values would have suggested. The story is worthy of note. An American is "trained" by a master in the ancient Japanese art of Ninjitsu. Not necessarily new as such (something similar was on the table in Bloodsport for example) but at the time, when western audiences were just beginning to understand that their notion of a "fight" was vastly inferior to what eastern audiences had been watching for decades, it was, in its own strange way, noteworthy. Two more points. The film, warts and all, had its moments. Not talking Spielberg, of course, but parts of it were fun. And even more interesting was how the theme would not die. Run an IMDb search for "american ninja" and you will be deluged with all finds of later iterations on the same theme. In other words -- and this was a peculiar talent of Golan-Globus -- they connected with the audience on a scale beyond the actual offering. For this reason, I gave this film a higher rating than most, and suggest it is worth a watch, especially for students of the genre.

Maziun This movie started the career of Michael Dudikoff . Earlier he appeared in TV series and few movies , the most notable are "Enter the ninja" ,"Tron" , "Uncommon valor " and"Bachelor party" . It was "American ninja " (original title – "American warrior" – they even made few trailers and movie posters with that title) that made Dudikoff a star . Well , at least in the 80's he was kinda popular , although he never became a huge star like Stallone , Schwarzenegger or Norris. He was a star in the B-movie range. He quickly was forgotten in the 90's and now not too many people remember him today . Up to this day "American ninja" is his best and most recognizable solo movie. It's also the best movie of the franchise . Dudikoff appeared also in part 2 and 4.It's also worth noting that ninja movies were very popular in the 80's – "Enter the ninja" , "Revenge of the ninja" , "American ninja " series are only some of the most known titles . Now it's hard to find action movie with ninjas . Too bad , but that fact makes "American ninja" more attractive.The movie was made by Cannon pictures , so don't expect big budget . "AN" is full of mistakes , unintentionally funny moments and overall is far from being a quality action movie in terms of acting , story and action scenes . You could easily call it a trash . But you know what ? It's a FUN thrash movie. It has a certain charm . It feels like a movie made by a group of friends who were very enthusiastic about it. I know it's not a really good movie , but I can't hate it. The simple reason is because they don't make them like this anymore . Take for example the scene in the warehouse . It feels like taken from arcade game ! It's so cute and fun. "AN" is cheesy , but in enjoyable way. Michael Dudikoff has some kind of James Dean charm in his role and a silent charisma. There is an aura of mystery around him and he's sympathetic . Overall , it's a good role and probably his best performance. Steve James is also good here as Dudikoff's partner . The friendship between Dudikoff and James is done well , the romance is OK.Overall with the right attitude you should have fun with this one old school action movie Otherwise , just give it a pass. It might be too old school and low budget for you. I give it 3/10.

alucard_castlevania86 When I was young back then, action movies were my kind of films and the American Ninja starred by Michael Dudikoff and his sidekick Steve James were one of my favorite cheesy action movies of all time. Back then Ninjas were considered cool and unstoppable especially the one playing the lead roleGoing into this movie, I really enjoyed it very much and it was very impressively made considering the budget that they had for this film. The fight scenes were entertaining to watch and Dudikoff's fine performances was what made the movie great and he really pulled it off well. I think that the reason why he played the more of quiet character type in the film was because of the script (where the director felt that it would be better for the man to let his skills do the talking for him) and not because of his camera shynessThe late Steve James along with the other actors also did an impressive job in making this movie and apart from a simple mindless action ninja butt kicking story, I don't see anything else that is wrong with this filmThe only complaint that I could come out with here and also in the sequels 2 and 4 was that Michael (or Joe) looked TOO invincible in this film and made all the other ninjas (even the main ones) look like schoolboy amateurs and after a while it tends to bored the audience or fans like meStill however, I would recommend this to anyone who just wants to spend two to three hours of their time watching some mindless but yet still fun and cool movie

Comeuppance Reviews Now this is what we're talking about! Much imitated but never duplicated. A true classic of the action genre.Pvt. Joe Armstrong (Dudikoff) is a troubled loner sent to an American army base in the Philippines. He doesn't say much, and he really doesn't want to play hackysack with his fellow officers. On a routine truck convoy, baddies kill some of Armstrong's fellow officers, and Armstrong escapes with Col. Hickock's spoiled daughter Patricia (Aronson). While Patricia falls for Joe, the remaining officers on the base blame him for the tragedy. At first, they disparagingly call him "karate boy", but he eventually wins their respect and the friendship of Cpl. Curtis Jackson (James) due to his excellent fighting skills. He has been training since he was a boy, but has amnesia and doesn't remember a lot of his past.As it turns out, an evil gun runner, Ortega (Don Stewart) is in cahoots with some of the army brass (including the Fred "time to make the donuts" guy lookalike John LaMotta as Sgt. Rinaldo), and there is only one obstacle to his newest million-dollar deal: Armstrong! Fortunately for Ortega, he has a large Ninja training camp on his vast estate. So he sends his army of Ninjas after Armstrong, Jackson and Patricia. When Patricia is kidnapped, Joe goes into full ninja mode and it becomes ninja vs. ninja in a fight to the finish. Will they be victorious over the nefarious ninja army? It's no wonder Cannon and director Firstenberg put Dudikoff and James back together shortly after this in Avenging Force. (1986) They work very well together, especially here, with the gregarious, charismatic Jackson and the mysterious, belligerent Joe. The climax puts the Rambo-like machine-gun shooting of James with the smooth Ninja-ing of Dudikoff with his never-ending supply of clever moves. It makes for an excellent combination that can't be beat.That's what's great about American Ninja - it's high-quality action fun that seems to put pleasing the audience as its number one priority. Why can't more movies, especially today, do this one simple thing? Please the crowd! What's so wrong with that? Well, we're proud to announce American Ninja simply does just that. It's not uncommon when you watch it with people to hear yells of "Yeah! Awesome!" and the like. You've heard the title "American Ninja" so many times, for such a long time, you probably don't realize how good it is. You just have to watch it to see why it's withstood the test of time so well.Comeuppance Reviews fan-favorite Richard Norton appears in a short, small role - but in the credits he is only recognized for stunts. But if you watch carefully, you can spot him as a soldier in the film.For Fun with a capital F - go with this great classic that is deserving of its fame and status.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com