American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987)

This 1987 sequel to the 1985 "American Ninja" movie is essentially the same as the first movie, just with a different villain and location. But the rest of the story and movie was pretty much the same.So is that a good thing or a bad thing? Well, that depends on if you liked the first movie or not. If you did like it, then you will like part two as well. And if you didn't like part one, then you will not like part two either.Again, you got all the campy ingredients; cheesy storyline, generic characters, stereotypical villain, worthless henchmen, wonderful dialogue (you see the irony here, right?), action, martial arts, explosions and, of course, ninjas! Lots and lots of ninjas.The acting was every bit as strained and wooden as in part one, but isn't that just part of the charm of these movies? One of my favorite things in "American Ninja 2: The Confrontation" was this particular piece of dialogue delivered by the commanding officer who requested the help of the US rangers: "I don't know who you are, what you are, or why you are here". Wait, what? Didn't he himself request the help?Story-wise, well with little deviation from part one, it is about American ninja Joe Armstrong who is on a Caribbean island to solve the mysterious disappearances of US marine personnel, when he is confronted by a ninja syndicate.While not a masterpiece, "American Ninja 2: The Confrontation" is as enjoyable as the previous movie. Equally campy, cheesy and requires little brain activity from the audience.

Sequel to the "classic" American Ninja sees Michael Dudikoff and Steve James tackling a villain named The Lion. The Lion has an army of super ninjas. This would terrify most mortals but not the American Ninja! Not as much fun as the original but still good for some laughs and fist pumps. Dudikoff acts his best, which usually means squinting a lot and looking as though he's trying to figure out complex math equations. James outshines him in this one. He knows he's in crap and has a great deal of fun with it. As with the first movie, it's very low-budget and proudly wears a badge of inauthenticity surrounding anything military or martial arts related.

It's easy to see why people have such fond memories of the American Ninja series after watching this enjoyable movie.Sgt. Joe Armstrong (The Dude) and Sgt. Curtis Jackson (James) return, this time sent to a Caribbean island to find some missing Marines. What they find defies all their expectations, as the super-evil villain known as "The Lion" (Conway) is breeding a new race of genetically-modified superninjas. Now Armstrong and Jackson must fight their way through them to save the day, and shut down the nefarious operation. Can they do it? Because it takes place in a sun-drenched location, the visuals are bright and appealing. When our two heroes fight the evil ninjas, they don't need a lot of fancy tools and tricks - just, in the case of Jackson, red shorts, and Armstrong, a Body Glove wetsuit. This REAL sequel (as opposed to the miserable American Ninja 5, 1993 thankfully Cannon didn't decide to go all "30% new footage" on us) delivers the goods, as it doesn't retread the first film, but still provides all the best elements that fans want to see: cool stunts, well-timed moves, barfights, chases, blow-ups, tasteful humor, and Dudikoff's cool hair. It certainly goes in the right direction, as the alley fight sequence about 48 minutes in proves.It was the 80's, and the idea to set the movie in "paradise" (supposedly "The Lion" owns a place called "Blackbeard Island") was a natural one. You have to remember, this was at the height of party-animalism. People were cutting loose. Now add to that some out-and-out ninja fighting, and the chemistry between Dudikoff and James and you have a winner. The icing on the cake is the violence, which is brutal at times, but it's FUN brutality. The whole movie has a sense of fun to it, which is refreshing, and due in large part to the underrated Steve James. He looks like he's having a blast. James should be more well-known by the general public.While the movie is highly entertaining, the worst thing you can say about it is that it hits a bit of a slump pre-climax. It's a fairly common problem, but the sawdust-covered arena where the final battle takes place is an ideal location for the inevitable "Confrontation" we were promised in the movie's subtitle.The time flies by as you watch American Ninja 2 because it satisfies all your action needs. If you haven't already, pick it up today! For more action insanity, please visit: www.comeuppancereviews.com

to me,this sequel had a more developed plot line than the first movie.it a fairly preposterous one,but it is semblance of a story nonetheless.and besides,reality doesn't necessarily factor into these movies in a big way,so that's not surprising.there are many more fight sequences in this one as well.and to me,the fight scenes seemed better executed,much more exciting.the acting is no better or worse than in the first one.i actually think as a whole the movie is slightly better due to the improved fight sequences.again you just have to remember that it's not high art you're in for when you sit down to view this film,or it's prequel/sequels.it basically a disposable(but enjoyable)ninety +/-minutes.for me,American Ninja 2: The Confrontation is an 8/10