American Ninja 2: The Confrontation Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1987

The original American Ninja introduced us to Michael Dudikoff as a blond-haired, blue-eyed U.S. soldier skilled in the arts of ninjitsu. In all ways it was an action movie that represented the decade of its birth: excessive, somewhat shallow and pure fun.

American Ninja 2: The Confrontation offers more of the same, which is good news for fans of 80's popcorn action flicks. Michael Dudikoff and Steve James return as a pair of Army Rangers tasked with uncovering a mystery surrounding kidnapped Marines on a gorgeous Caribbean island.

Four marines have disappeared without a trace or any witnesses, so Wild Bill Woodward (Jeff Weston), the commander of a group of Marines tasked with protecting the U.S. embassy on a Caribbean island, asks Washington for assistance. Soon thereafter he receives that help in the form of two elite Army Rangers: Joe Armstrong (Michael Dudikoff) and Curtis Jackson (Steve James).

The reception the two newcomers receive isn't all positive; some Marines aren't exactly pleased at sharing their "playroom" with the Army. One in particular, Taylor (Jonathan Pienaar), behaves in a cold and suspicious manner, but despite this the two are invited to join some Marines on a speedboat for some water skiing. The boat ends up breaking down conveniently close to an isolated island, so the Marines decide to go out for a swim before worrying about fixing the boat.

Armstrong decides to remain on the beach for he suspects something is wrong. Instantly he notices the boat was working fine – Taylor simply disconnected the ignition wire. Before he does much else he notices a black-clad ninja party advancing him on the beach. Ninja on a Caribbean island, you ask? Hey, just check your brain at the door and go with it…

What follows is an exciting series of battles as Armstrong beats back the defenders, assisted by Jackson once his partner discovers the danger. The action scenes aren't about realism – they are as inflated and unrealistic as they come. In the world of American Ninja 2: The Confrontation, action heroes can do things such as jump from high cliffs and land perfectly in the seats of a passing speedboat below.

Back at the headquarters Armstrong tells the Wild Bill that he believes the ninja were there to kidnap them, but the claim of ninjas and kidnapping conspiracies are met with skepticism. Taylor, who knows Armstrong has discovered that he's guilty for setting up fellow Marines, asks Armstrong to meet him alone in the Blind Beggar Bar. Armstrong realizes it's probably a trap, but decides to attend the meeting anyways to uncover the truth of the events.

Before he can enter the bar, Armstrong is confronted by a band of thugs with bad intentions. Although their antics may have worked for the victimized Marines in the past, this time they're dealing with a ninja! So naturally… Armstrong smacks the stuffing out of them without breaking a sweat before entering the bar. He meets with in a room upstairs, but before they can chat the door is kicked open. Remember those thugs that were brutally beaten outside? They're baaack, and despite the fact Armstrong snapped several bones during the initial encounter, it seems they are already prepared for round two.

After more snapped limbs, a failed interrogation and the murder of Taylor, Armstrong is left with little more than that little fuzzy feeling you get when you annihilate a group of foes single-handedly. Twice.

Armstrong and Jackson are assigned to accompany Wild Bill during a dinner function where the powerful and elite residents of the island reside, including Leo "The Lion" Burke (Gary Conway), a high-powered drug smuggler that kidnapped a brilliant scientist to perform genetic research for the creation of a super army consisting of… you guessed it… ninja! Alicia Sanborn (Michelle Botes) confronts Leo publicly about the kidnapping of her father, but she is quickly whisked away by some corrupt cops.

The pair of Rangers gives chase and finds that she's been taken to – drum roll please - the Blind Beggar Bar! Boy is that movie set getting some good use. When Jackson and Curtis enter the bar they are greeted by the same band of thugs that got tossed about like rag dolls twice prior. Either these guys are slow learners or they have a thing for pain, because naturally they give it another shot and more action ensues. Armstrong rescues the girl, Jackson handles a good deal of the attackers with exuberance, barking things like "I love it!" amidst the flurries of fists and sea of bodies.

The rest of the movie consists of more of the same, so I'll fast-forward the remaining plot summary. Armstrong discovers the truth behind the creation of the genetically engineered super ninjas, so he heads to Blackbeard Island to confront Leo Burke and his elite right-hand bodyguard, the ninja Tojo Ken (Mike Stone). More unrealistic yet cool battles take place and eventually our two heroes save the day.

If you thought the first American Ninja film was somewhat far-fetched, you haven't seen anything yet; the sequel ups the ante significantly, making it even cheesier and unbelievable. But you know what? It works… with the standard disclaimer that you have to enjoy these mindless films for it to work for you.

American Ninja 2: The Confrontation contains some solid action scenes packed with a nice variety of foes and ninja weapons. The movie wisely understands it is not trying to create a serious work, but rather a lighthearted popcorn flick – so the tongue-in-cheek undertone flows throughout. And while none of the acting is worthy of an award, Michael Dudikoff and Steve James are a lot of fun to watch. They are clearly more comfortable with their roles in this sequel than they were in the original.

Movies like this just aren't made anymore, and it's a shame. No one would dare say that American Ninja 2: The Confrontation is a great movie, but it's full of the cheesy fun that few movies since the 80's have been able to equal. So while serious film critics will groan at the audacity of my positive rating, popcorn movie fans will understand completely.

Movie rating: 7 stars

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