Plastered with a dismal 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes, American Ninja may come across as just another failed martial arts film from the 1980s, but its critical reception doesn’t do it justice. Martial arts movies traditionally struggle in terms of how they’re received by critics, more so than films in other genres, but 0% is a particularly striking number nonetheless.
Directed by Sam Firstenberg, the 1985 action movie starred Michael Dudikoff, a lesser-known martial arts star who made a slew of 1980s and 1990s films, many of which were direct-to-video releases. His original claim to fame was American Ninja, which placed the actor in the role of an amnensiac soldier who realizes he has a secret past as a ninja warrior.
Set on a military base, American Ninja follows Michael Dudikoff’s Joe Armstrong as he gradually unravels a mystery related to a secretive ninja clan – and his connection to the organization. The story spawned an entire American Ninja franchise and a cult following, but those fact aren’t reflected in what the reviews say about American Ninja.
American Ninja is Way Better Than Its Critical Reception Suggests
American Ninja has been blasted for its corny script, overreliance on clichés, and even poor acting, though none of these criticisms are reflected by the status that the 1985 film holds today. Despite it’s 0% Rotten Tomatoes rating, American Ninja is a cult classic and a favorite among fans of 1980s martial arts movies.
To be fair, there’s nothing groundbreaking about American Ninja or its story, which is cheesy and too unbelievable to be based in reality. But several martial arts movies have succeeded despite these same issues, because it’s the action and the campiness that makes it such a fun experience.
Joe Armstrong’s battles with ninjas, investigation into his true idenтιтy, and romantic subplot with the female main character add up to an action-packed, martial-themed adventures with one of the most popular – albeit stereotypical – villains in the form of a ninja cult. It doesn’t refine the genre, but it doesn’t need to do that to offer a couple of hours of entertainment.
American Ninja Was Good Enough To Get A Five-Movie Franchise
Critics may have hated American Ninja, but clearly audiences felt differently – or at least, at the time. It was a moderate box office success, performing well enough to warrant a theatrical sequel. American Ninja 2: The Confrontation continued Joe Armstrong’s story, and was subsequently followed by American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt, which reset the story with a new protagonist played by David Bradley.
Although the American Ninja series technically consists of five movies, the fifth installment only has loose connections to the previous films, and was seemingly only given the American Ninja label for the purpose of name recognition.
Despite serving as a crossover film that brought together Bradley and Dudikoff’s respective heroes, American Ninja 4: The Annihiliation didn’t succeed at the box office, and marked the end of the story. But since the two narratives ultimately combined in the end, the four movies put together make for a worthwhile binge-watch.
