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American Ninja

Play trailer Poster for American Ninja R 1985 1h 35m Adventure Action Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
0% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 47% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A GI (Michael Dudikoff) rescues a colonel's daughter (Judie Aronson) and fights an arms dealer's ninjas in the Philippines.
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American Ninja

Critics Reviews

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James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk Nov 2, 2023
2.5/4
it has persisted because it so perfectly encapsulates in a single film the beloved cheesiness of a bygone era, when low-budget action fare still had a theatrical presence and ninjas still had an air of mystery Go to Full Review
Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal Oct 30, 2023
2.5/5
Hilarious, if true, that Chuck Norris balked at what amounts to maybe 10 minutes of director Sam Firstenberg’s 1985 film — C-grade Cannon fodder if there ever was, which is saying something. Go to Full Review
David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Aug 27, 2020
2/4
...the arms-length atmosphere [is] compounded by seriously low-rent visuals and Dudikoff's wooden (and far from athletic) turn as the bland central character. Go to Full Review
Tom Long Santa Cruz Sentinel Jan 30, 2019
American Ninja was still a compltely awful movie. But educational in its own awful way. Now when I see my next ninja movie I'll have something to compare it to. Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Sep 4, 2005
2/5
Caffeinated Clint Moviehole Sep 18, 2002
2/5
So this is what happens to the support cast of "Grease"? Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Peter W @RT12077588 6 days ago American Ninja is a feel-good movie. Not because it’s an epic film, because honestly, it’s far from it. It’s simply hilariously bad and incredibly enjoyable at the same time. The action is fun, the dialogue is painful, the story is ridiculously childish, but hey… this movie has ninjas. If you enjoy movies like Miami Connection or The Marine, get on it. This is exactly the kind of brainless, cheesy 80s action I can get behind. See more Don F @RT07880396 Sep 7, 2026 I saw American Ninja when I was 14. It stuck in my memory. So I decided to watch it again 40 years later and it's horrendously bad. It's terrible stuff altogether. Things change alot when you get older. See more Grant G @RT73557029 Jun 13, 2026 It’s got ninjas , bike stunts , stuff getting blown up , and more ninjas this is an epic 80s movie must watch this is where action movies started 🔥 See more Erin M @Mightymotes Mar 4, 2026 Cheesy ninja movie, that kicks ass with good choreography! It’s so bad it’s good when it comes to acting ! The 80’s were an awesome time to be a teenager! See more Noah S @Dystopian_critic Feb 26, 2026 This movie is horrible and a masterpiece at the same time. 80’s peak production. I love it See more michael h @vampyd1977 Jan 8, 2026 this movie is my childhood, jumping on sofas with snooker cues killing my friends in the most theatrical wa possible. its a perfect movie for what it provides. i love it, See more Read all reviews
American Ninja

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Movie Info

Synopsis A GI (Michael Dudikoff) rescues a colonel's daughter (Judie Aronson) and fights an arms dealer's ninjas in the Philippines.
Director
Sam Firstenberg
Producer
Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus
Screenwriter
Paul De Mielche
Production Co
Cannon Group, Golan-Globus Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Adventure, Action, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 30, 1985, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$9.7M
Runtime
1h 35m
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