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American Ninja

American Ninja

The deadliest art of the Orient is now in the hands of an American.

19856.01h 35m

Overview

Joe Armstrong, an orphaned drifter with 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 the base colonel's daughter.

Directed by Sam Firstenberg
Written by Paul De Mielche, James R. Silke, Gideon Amir
Produced by Gideon Amir, Yoram Globus, Ken Metcalfe
Box OfficeBudget: $1.0MRevenue: $10.5M

Top Cast

Michael Dudikoff

Michael Dudikoff

Pvt. Joe Armstrong

Steve James

Steve James

Cpl. Curtis Jackson

Judie Aronson

Judie Aronson

Patricia Hickock

Guich Koock

Guich Koock

Col. William T. Hickock

John Fujioka

John Fujioka

Shinyuki

D

Don Stewart

Victor Ortega

John LaMotta

John LaMotta

MSgt. Rinaldo

Tadashi Yamashita

Tadashi Yamashita

Black Star Ninja

Phillip Brock

Phillip Brock

Pvt. Charley Madison

Tony Carreon

Tony Carreon

Older Colombian

Themes & Keywords

daughterswordrebelwildernessninjasoldiergaijin

About American Ninja

American Ninja is a action film released in 1985 exploring themes of daughter, sword, rebel, wilderness, ninja, soldier. Directed by Sam Firstenberg, it stars Michael Dudikoff, Steve James, Judie Aronson. Joe Armstrong, an orphaned drifter with 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 the base colonel's daughter.

Movies Similar to American Ninja

Discover titles like American Ninja — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to American Ninja

If you enjoyed American Ninja, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of American Ninja.

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Ninja: Shadow of a Tear
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Fight everyone and trust no one: it's the code of survival practiced by martial-arts master Casey Bowman after his life of domestic bliss is shattered by a savage act of violence. Vowing revenge, the fearless American stealthily tracks the killer from Osaka to Bangkok to Rangoon with the help of a wise and crafty sensei. His only clues: a series of victims whose necks bear the distinctive mark of strangulation by barbed wire. Fighting to avenge as well as to survive, Casey must sharpen his razor-like responses and take his battle skills to the next level, even using deep meditation to fake his own death. His target: the sinister drug lord Goro, who is flooding the streets with deadly meth cooked at his remote jungle factory. To prepare for his ultimate confrontation, Casey must finally become an invisible warrior worthy of the name Ninja. But just when his prey is cornered, an unexpected twist shows Casey that his battle is only beginning: he truly can trust no one.

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Commando(1985)

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The Bride unwaveringly continues on her roaring rampage of revenge against the band of assassins who had tried to kill her and her unborn child. She visits each of her former associates one-by-one, checking off the victims on her Death List Five until there's nothing left to do … but kill Bill.

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When successful businessman Sam Treadwell finds that his android wife, Cherry model 2000 has blown a fuse, he hires sexy renegade tracker E. Johnson to find her exact duplicate. But as their journey to replace his perfect mate leads them into the treacherous and lawless region of 'The Zone', Treadwell learns the hard way that the perfect woman is made not of computer chips and diodes.

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In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?

Five Element Ninjas
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A young martial artist vows to take revenge against the ninja who murdered his martial arts master and brothers. He finds a new teacher and faces, together with his new brothers, the Five Element Ninja challenge.