After marines go missing from an embassy, US army soldier/ninja Joe Armstrong (Michael Dudikoff) and his friend Curtis Jackson (Steve James) are sent to investigate.
When the pair are ambushed by ninja, Joe realises the disappearances are related to something far more sinister...
American Ninja 2? Where's the review for first American Ninja?
Right here: it sucks.
Okay, it does not suck, per se - but it is not as good as American Ninja 2.
I watched the two films in a row, and the first film is so convoluted, I was about to bail. Aside from some solid action, the film is a lot of shoe leather, and not enough shoe against face.
American Ninja 2 is an almost pure action film. The plot is hilariously straightforward, and we get to the ninja action almost immediately.
The first set-piece on the beach - featuring ninja using their bodies to build a human ladder to reach our heroes - shows so much imagination in terms of staging and choreography it blows away any memories of its predecessor.
I was not won over by Dudikoff, but he does not detract from the movie.
The film is so simple and well-put-together, you would never guess that the film was made for less than a million dollars - less than the original's budget.
This is where I have to bring up the one mark against the movie: it was made in Apartheid-era South Africa. I enjoyed the movie, but I spent the whole movie wondering what co-star Steve James was thinking as he beats up the cast of local martial artists enlisted to play the ninja.
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