Movie

American Ninja

1985 · 95 min

A cheesy, fast-paced martial-arts romp with cartoonish villains and plenty of ninja action.

Tagline: The deadliest art of the Orient is now in the hands of an American.
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.
How it feels: Campy, light, tense and absurd. Brisk and easy to follow.
About: Revenge, betrayal, corruption, identity
Content: Strong violence. Mild gore, sexual content and language.
Note: Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Full breakdown

Tone: campystrength 2 of 3
lightstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 1 of 3
absurdstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: easy-watch, 2 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: revenge
betrayal
corruption
identity
found family
Places: military
wilderness
Era: contemporary
Audience: teen
Form: None
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence strong
Sex mild