GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Harriet Deltubbo It's "Die Hard" for ninjas. There ain't no such thing as too much Michael Dudikoff, baby. The real centerpiece of the film is its acting, mainly that of Dudikoff. I really like this type of film, as it reminds me of French movies where it's more about the characters and their environment. This is a story about a place most people might not be able to conceive. All the characters struggle against a system that has perpetuated falsehoods. Against this backdrop, our hero must fight on. Great performances help to enhance this amazing story of ninja warfare and violence. I give it a rating of 7 out of 10 because it's flawed but good.

utgard14 Master of the squinty glare Michael Dudikoff rescues cute Army brat Judie Aronson from ninjas, with help from sidekick Steve James. One of my favorite dumb '80s action cheapies from Cannon. What's there not to like? Terrible stunts, laughable usage of Army surplus equipment and uniforms, and some of the worst directing and editing ever on film. Lots of continuity errors and mistakes. It becomes a sort of drinking game after awhile. Take a drink every time you see a goof. Still, despite so many flaws, it manages to be extremely entertaining. Fans of Cannon movies will love it. It's one of their best. Dumb, mindless popcorn movie.

johnr1409 Joe Armstrong is drifter forced into the military finds himself stationed in the Philippines. After his convoy is attacked by ninjas (that's right ninjas in the Philippines) Joe finds himself hunted by this mysterious group of ninjas, and the United States Army seeking his court marshal. Can Joe survive and prove he is an American Ninja? American Ninja should be listed on very VH1 I love the 80's special. Every once of this movie screams 1985. From the big hair to 1980's TV show special effects (American Ninja must have hired the special effects guy from A-Team) to ever present crotch rocket. American Ninja is at one with the 80's.The major problem with American Ninja is that it's a child of the 80's. American Ninja doesn't transcend to new generations. It's stuck in 1985. The sets, the script and the characters are just believable to today's viewers.That being said Micheal Dudikoff did a good job as Joe Armstrong. His acting was believable for a 1980's film. His acting had a few wholes in it, but mostly good. The character I love to watch the most was Cpl Jackson, the black Rambo of the 1980's. Really I know that last sentence wasn't pc but it was the truth. For some reason in the 80's Hollywood felt the only way to connect with the African American community was to copy other characters and replace them with an African American actors. I guess Hollywood forgot about amazing African American actors such as Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby from the 60's and 70's. I feel characters like Jackson where huge stumbling blocks for African American actors. All in all, American Ninja was great in 1985 but didn't transcend to today's audience. Sunday, May 23, 2010...written by John Richards for http://aroundthemovies.com

TOMASBBloodhound Just when you thought director Sam Firstenberg could not take ninja films any further, we were treated to this spectacularly brilliant cheese fest in 1985. Michael Dudikoff, fresh off his stint in Bachelor Party, was cast as "Joe".... The American Ninja!!! Did it matter that Mr. Dudikoff had absolutely no martial arts training before this film? Certainly not. They only wanted a guy who looked like James Dean, didn't have to say much, and could act like he had a chip on his shoulder. Dudikoff more than fits those criteria. You have to feel for Steve James, though. He actually was a great martial artist, but had to play the sidekick role. At least in the two installments of this series I've seen.The story centers around our hero the mysterious "Joe" who is a newly arrived private at a U.S. Army base in the Phillipines. At least that's where they filmed this. Most movies about the military refer to their characters by their last name. Not here. I don't recall us ever learning what Joe's last name is. But nobody knows much about the young man. He was found on some Pacific Island as a young boy with no family or memories of one. Raised in reform schools until he "almost killed a man at age 16", Joe clearly needed some discipline, and the army is where he ended up. Curious however that the army has no knowledge of Joe's date of birth, yet they know how old he was when he almost killed a man! The film is filled with goofs like that! Anyway, Joe was apparently trained as a ninja while still a boy! And could you believe the guy who trained him actually works as a gardener on a plantation near Joe's army base??? As Elaine would say on Seinfeld.... GET OUT!!! Turns out the owner of this plantation is also stealing arms from Joe's base and selling them to the highest dirty bidder, too. And this plantation is also the training ground for an army of evil ninjas, too!!! Sounds like we have a Golan/Globus production here! Can Joe stop the sale of these arms and defeat the ninja army and their leader??? Honestly, you get what you pay for with this movie. There is a lot of action, and some of it is compelling. Despite Dudikoff's lack of training, he almost pulls it off. At least we get to see Steve James flex his muscles between stealing every scene. Judie Aaronson of Friday the 13th IV and Weird Science fame is here to provide a plucky love interest. She does fine with her character and comes off kind of like Jane in a Tarzan movie. The musical score is made from old Missing In Action pieces, and some outrageously over the top horn playing. Some of it sounds like Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good on crack. The film even has jeeps that will explode after slightly tapping a palm tree. Trust me. It's an hour and a half of your life that you probably didn't need, anyway! 5 of 10 stars.The Hound.