American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1991)

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

After a fairly disappointing third movie, without Michael Dudikoff, the fourth movie brings together Michael Dudikoff (playing Joe from parts one and two) and Daving Bradley (playing Sean from part three). And you think that would blow the roof off of the series, but it was hardly so.When Sean is sent in to liberate a team of captured Delta Team soldiers and fail, former ranger Joe is sent in to bring everyone home.And that was basically the storyline summarized in a single sentence. It is a no-brainer all the way through, but it is up to par with the previous three movies. I must admit that it is the first time I have seen or heard about an Arab terrorist group keeping ninjas in their ranks, but sure, why not? You would also think by the fourth movie that the villain might have better trained ninja henchmen about, but you are sadly mistaken. They were still equally worthless.Michael Dudikoff doesn't even show up before into the last half of the movie. But still he is the main attraction for this fourth "American Ninja" movie.By this fourth movie it is starting to really show that there is a growing fatigue in the franchise, which started to show already in the third movie. So I am a little bit hesitant about watching part five.All in all, "American Ninja 4: The Annihilation" doesn't really revive the franchise after the disappointing third movie. But if you enjoy the first two movies then you will also find some enjoyment, at least, in part four.

Michael Dudikoff, although not doing much acting, has more on screen presence in this movie. He's clearly evolved over this series as an actor, and has a leading man charisma to him in this movie.Unfortunately the series didn't evolve with him, but devolved.Seen one, seen em all characterizes this fourth installment of the American Ninja series. Producers might lose interest after the first few production, and they're only making it on inertia. Even a big franchise like the JAWS went the same route, so maybe we can't blame the producers too much.The story is choppy, and doesn't flow smoothly. Trying to find a meaning in a movie like this is a futile effort, but I wished they kept producing the movie in a nicer looking locations as they did in part 2 of this series.

Plenty of white stuntmen in colorful ninja uniforms get pulverized in this fourth film in the "American Ninja" franchise, THE ANNIHILATION. Michael Dudikoff returns to the franchise after skipping out in the previous entry, but David Bradley(..who was the star of "American Ninja III:Blood Hunt")also comes back providing fans of the series with two heroes to root for as they attempt to free captured Delta Force soldiers, held for ransom in the fortress of a mad sheik and sadistic colonel who plan to send a missile into New York. Sean Davidson(Bradley)and his partner, Brackston(Dwayne Alexandre), a linguist, are assigned the task of infiltrating the fortress of a cruel former British soldier Mulgrew(James Booth) and evil Arab dictator ally, featuring an army of training Ninja who obey the sheik's every command. The Arab dictator is always ranting and raving about Allah which drives Mulgrew bonkers, but that's what you put up with if you wish to be a fiendish global terrorist. Soon Sean and Brackston are temporarily rescued by a kind Peace Corps worker, Sarah(Robin Stille)who uses her morgue as a hiding place. Soon, though, despite Sean's impressive skills, the trio are taken into custody and held in a chamber, their executions, along with the remaining Delta Firce soldiers, are planned for the next day. Former agent, Joe Armstrong(Dudikoff)is called upon to rescue them all, despite the fact that he retired from duty to pursue a more peaceful lifestyle alternatively different than his days as a ninja killer. But, understanding that his best friend Sean was also kidnapped, he agrees to take the job, going into hostile territory to engage the enemy, in an attempt to subdue his foes and help his people break free from certain doom. He'll need help in this group of Mad Max rejects, desert dwellers who have formed a commune under their charismatic leader, Dr. Tamba(Ken Gampu). With Tamba's people raiding the fortress and combating the evil ninja army, Joe will use an old ammunition tunnel(..supposedly dynamited)as a method into the place.Ludicrous action flick, easily the worst of the series. Dudikoff looks like he'd rather be elsewhere instead of in this movie. He doesn't even show up until like 50 minutes into the film;it was Bradley's show until then. The story is as ridiculous as you could possibly imagine and there are mountainous plot holes. As you often notice in movies like this, instead of killing such a threat as Bradley when you have him at your mercy, the villains allow him to live...even twenty-four hours before an execution has one scratching your head because why would such loathsome people allow him to live even minutes? Ninjas shout when they are shot, and as always in these movies, before a villain swings a weapon at our heroes he has to make a loud noise letting the opposition know he's behind him. Gosh, is Steve James' missing presence a liability..even if the plot is crap, he adds a good deal of pop to the proceedings. Robin Stille is lovely and sweet as a constant source of abuse at the hands of Mulgrew. Booth is perfectly fiendish and despicable as Mulgrew, building a bastard you can't wait to see beaten to the inch of his life. My favorite sequence, as completely silly as it is, has Joe catching an arrow in his teeth, stabbing it in the neck of a ninja! Bradley does get a chance to show of his flexible skills, but this turns into the Dudikoff show once he's imprisoned. I personally like Bradley, although his skills as an actor are limited, he has a likability to him. He's certainly more animated than Dudikoff who seems to be on life-support. The Mad Max group who assist Dudikoff are laughable and seem really out of place in this movie. It's quite clear throughout that Dudikoff's stunt double had a great deal of work in this film.

I saw this on cable a few years after it came out-- and I was disappointed-- Steve James was gone! To me, he really made the first three films work, with his humor (and for what its worth, he was the better actor, all three times).the semi-wooden Michael Dudikoff comes back, paired with part 3's really wooden David Bradley.Part 3 was tolerable if only for James's presence-- I feel he should have been made the star after Dudikoff left, but of course that didn't happen.The plot involves some terrorist conspiracy, but of course in films like this it's incidental to the action scenes..I don't blame Steve James for not coming back for this last installment. Avoid this!