5.4/10
11,830
76 user 64 critic

American Ninja (1985)

R | | Action, Adventure, Romance | 30 August 1985 (USA)
American Ninja Poster
American soldier, obviously very skilled in martial arts, single-handedly takes on mercenaries in the Philippines.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (story) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
20
Reviews

On Disc

at Amazon

Photos

See all 29 photos »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987)
Action | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4.8/10 X  

On a remote Caribbean island, Army Ranger Joe Armstrong investigates the disappearance of several marines, which leads him to The Lion, a super-criminal who has kidnapped a local scientist and mass-produced an army of mutant Ninja warriors.

Director: Sam Firstenberg
Stars: Michael Dudikoff, Steve James, Larry Poindexter
Next »
American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1990)
Action | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 3.8/10 X  

The two American Ninjas, Joe Armstrong and Sean Davidson, team up to do battle against a terrorist and his band of Ninjas.

Director: Cedric Sundstrom
Stars: Michael Dudikoff, David Bradley, James Booth
Next »
American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt (1989)
Action | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 3.5/10 X  

Jackson is back, and now he has a new partner, karate champion Sean, as they must face a deadly terrorist known as "The Cobra", who has infected Sean with a virus. Sean and Jackson have no ... See full summary »

Director: Cedric Sundstrom
Stars: David Bradley, Steve James, Marjoe Gortner
Next »
American Ninja 5 (1993)
Action | Comedy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2.8/10 X  

When a scientists daughter is kidnapped, American Ninja (David Bradley), attempts to find her, but this time he teams up with a youngster he has trained in the ways of the ninja.

Director: Bob Bralver
Stars: David Bradley, Lee Reyes, Anne Dupont
Next »
Avenging Force (1986)
Action | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.9/10 X  

A senator is targeted by the Pentangle, a right wing paramilitary group. His pal, a former CIA agent and martial artist, tries to help him. The group kidnaps the agent's sister and tries to hunt him down, "The Most Dangerous Game" style.

Director: Sam Firstenberg
Stars: Michael Dudikoff, Steve James, James Booth
Next »
Revenge of the Ninja (1983)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

After his family is killed in Japan by ninjas, Cho and his son Kane come to America to start a new life. He opens a doll shop but is unwittingly importing heroin in the dolls. When he finds... See full summary »

Director: Sam Firstenberg
Stars: Shô Kosugi, Keith Vitali, Virgil Frye
Next »
Enter the Ninja (1981)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.2/10 X  

After just completing his training at a ninja school, an army vet travels to the Phillippines and finds himself battling a land grabber who wants his war-buddy's property. He must also ... See full summary »

Director: Menahem Golan
Stars: Franco Nero, Susan George, Shô Kosugi
Next »
Platoon Leader (1988)
War | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.4/10 X  

A young officer, just out of West Point is sent to Vietnam, where the men don't respect him until he gets wounded and returns to be a wiser soldier and a better commander

Director: Aaron Norris
Stars: Tony Pierce, Robert F. Lyons, Michael Dudikoff
Next »
American Samurai (1992)
Action
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4.9/10 X  

An American reporter teams up with a martial arts expert, whose half-brother is a "yakuza"--Japanese mafia--drug dealer to battle swordsmen from around the world n a Turkish arena.

Director: Sam Firstenberg
Stars: David Bradley, Mark Dacascos, Valarie Trapp
Next »
Ninja III: The Domination (1984)
Action | Fantasy | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.1/10 X  

An evil ninja attempts to avenge his death from beyond the grave, by possessing an innocent woman's body.

Director: Sam Firstenberg
Stars: Shô Kosugi, Lucinda Dickey, Jordan Bennett
Next »
The Delta Force (1986)
Action | Adventure | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.6/10 X  

After a plane is hijacked by terrorists, The Delta Force are sent in to resolve the crisis.

Director: Menahem Golan
Stars: Chuck Norris, Lee Marvin, Martin Balsam
Next »
Pray for Death (1985)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.8/10 X  

After a peace loving Japanese immigrant and his family become victims of a crime syndicate, a master ninja emerges.

Director: Gordon Hessler
Stars: Shô Kosugi, James Booth, Donna Kei Benz
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
... Pvt. Joe T. Armstrong
... Cpl. Curtis Jackson
... Patricia Hickock
Guich Koock ... Col. William T. Hickock
... Shinyuki
... Victor Ortega
John LaMotta ... Rinaldo (as John La Motta)
... Black Star Ninja
... Pvt. Charley Madison (as Phil Brock)
Tony Carreon ... Older Colombian
... Younger Colombian
Manolet Escudero ... Bodyguard
Greg Rocero ... Bodyguard (as Gregg Rocero)
Berto Spoor ... Bodyguard
Michael Hackbart ... Bodyguard
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Joe Armstrong, an orphaned drifter will little respect for much other than martial arts, finds himself on an American Army base in The Philippines after a judge gives him a choice of enlistment or prison. On one of his first missions driving a convoy, his platoon is attacked by a group of rebels who try to steal the weapons the platoon is transporting and kidnap Patricia, the base colonel's daughter, who happens to be along for the ride. Joe rescues Patricia and gets her safely back to the base, but everyone else in the platoon is killed, leading his superiors to conclude that Joe is guilty of cowardice, collaboration or simple incompetence. At the same time, the rebel leader vows revenge against the serviceman who disrupted his plans, and sends an army of ninjas to assassinate him and bring back Patricia. If he wants to survive and save the girl, Joe's going to have to draw on every last ounce of his training. Written by Jean-Marc Rocher <rocher@fiberbit.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

philippines | rebel | martial arts | colonel | prison | See All (244) »

Taglines:

The Orient created the world's deadliest art. Now there's an American master! See more »

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Romance

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

| |

Release Date:

30 August 1985 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

American Warrior  »

Filming Locations:

Edit

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,234,837, 2 September 1985, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$10,499,694
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first of three films that Michael Dudikoff would go on to work with director Sam Firstenberg. The other two were Avenging Force (1986) and American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987). See more »

Goofs

The pick ax that a man falls upon during the roadside ambush scene is clearly made of rubber. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Pvt. Charley Madison: Hey! I'm great at that game. Back home in California, I'm like deadly. Hold on, I'll teach you girls how to play.
First Soldier: Yeah. Yeah.
Pvt. Charley Madison: Hey, Buddy, come on. We need an extra guy to even up the sides. Hey, come on.
See more »

Connections

Featured in The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films (2014) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are the differences between the BBFC-18 VHS and the uncut version?
See more »

User Reviews

 
An 80's action gem
18 January 2008 | by – See all my reviews

The 80's was the time for action movies like The Terminator, Missing in Action, Die Hard, Red Scropion, First Blood, The Punisher, RoboCop, The Running Man etc. American Ninja is another 80's action movie and like the other action movies it's great fun to watch. It's got great martial art scenes and great action scenes, the acting in this movie is fine. It's also interesting how the American take on the Ninja genre is different to the Chinese take on the Ninja genre, (The Ninja Squad, Ninja Terminator, Golden Ninja Warrior etc.) Both takes on the Ninja genre are entertaining to watch.

American Ninja is a 80's gem of an action movie that doesn't disappoint with the action and violence. American Ninja spawned four sequels which were American Ninja 2: The Confrotation, American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt, American Ninja 4: The Annihilation and American NInja V.

American Ninja is a great action movie that should be seen. Check this out. 10/10
13 of 20 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 76 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Rent or Buy Popular Movies With Prime Video

Explore popular movies available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

Visit Prime Video to explore more titles