American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987)

Simply A Masterpiece

Nice effects though.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Joe Armstrong (the likable Michael Dudikoff) and Curtis Jackson (the equally engaging Steve James) battle a legion of genetically engineered ninja assassins on a Caribbean island. Director Sam Firstenberg, working from a blithely inane script by Gary Conway and James Booth, relates the delightfully ludicrous story at a swift pace, makes the most out of the exotic locale, and stages the wall-to-wall action set pieces with rip-roaring brio. James and Dudikoff make for a charming duo, Conway snarls it up with wicked aplomb as nefarious drug lord Leo "The Lion" Burke, and the fetching Michelle Botes provides plenty of spark (and tasty eye candy) as the foxy'n'feisty Alicia Sanborn. Moreover, the gut-busting array of hopelessly incompetent ninjas (they run around in broad daylight clad in hilariously conspicuous black garb!), continuity gaffes galore, and an inspired sense of giddy absurdity further enhance the infectiously campy merriment. Gideon Porath's slick score gives the picture a pleasing glossy look. George S. Clinton's bouncy score hits the stirring spot. Good cheesy fun.

OK maybe the plot wasn't that good as in the first part. But this part is more entertaining. Here is a lot more of ninja combats so the ninja fans should be left satisfied. The movie itself wasn't supposed to be very serious so it was really fun to watch it. This time Steve James get more of the show. He was really funny and his fighting scenes were really better than in the first part. This movie is full of action from the beginning to the end. Fighting scenes were more impressive than in the first part although it sometimes wasn't in a very good quality. The main bad guy ninja is played by the Mike Stone the brother of Sharon Stone who's famous for his karate skills and an affair with Elvis Presley's wife. He was also a Martial arts coordinator in the first four "American ninja" films. So if you liked the first part you will probably like this one too.

Second-rate wannabe ninjas(actually American stunt guys who could've really benefited from an Asian martial arts consultant)are genetically engineered by a scientist forced into it because Leo "The Lion" Burke(Gary Conway, blonde hair, white suit and all)threatens the life of his daughter. The lion's crew had been successful at kidnapping marines for further testing so two Army Rangers, Joe & Curtis(Michael Dudikoff & Steve James)are brought in to find their whereabouts. On an island called Blackbeard(I'm not joking), The Lion, along with his right hand man, one-eyed(one eye is scarred for proper menacing effect) "ninja-master" Tojo Ken(Mike Stone), will use a compound built on Blackbeard as his major drug empire along with his massive growing ninja army. Will Joe and Curtis be able to infiltrate this massive compound while also dodging The Lion's cohorts in the city across from Blackbeard? If you like corny 80's ninja actioners where bad guys wait to be punched and couldn't hurt Dudikoff if they wanted to, this is right up your alley. It's a programmer like many that came out in the 80's and early 90's which fed starving martial arts chop-socky fans with absurd plots and plenty of broken bones. This film, itself, merely serves as an excuse for Dudikoff to snap a lot of necks, limbs & bones..and he does so with a great endless supply of these ninjas who keep coming in droves to be slaughtered in a bevy of ways. It's fun to see James playing the muscular bad ass for it seems he's having a blast. The film provides those who like this sort of thing a small plot, with little acting, and a lot of people getting kicked and thrown in the air. A bar serves as a major source for the body throwing. A lot of the fight sequences are badly choreographed so that Dudikoff could come off unstoppable as ninjas seem to fall right into their demise.

This time our two heroes from #1 are in paradise where there they fight ninjas sent by a drug-lord. Seems the drug-lord is looking to build a super ninja army and are kidnapping marines to do it. I actually watched this in theaters and I remember loving it. However years later the movie qualifies as strictly guilty pleasure. The fight sequences are better in this entry but the movie contains less goofiness and more intentional humor. That's not to say this isn't watchable, it certainly is, the production values are better but it just doesn't have as high a watchability factor as Ninja # 1. Although it's hard not to enjoy Gary Conway's villain who in the climax goes so over the top he reminded me of William Shatner. The first two American Ninja films were of Cannon's more enjoyable output.* * out of 4-(Fair)