It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

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.

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.

This to me is the best out of American Ninja series movies. The story flows much better than the first movie, and everything is better integrated in this movie than the first installment.Another great thing about this movie is that the scenery is beautiful. This really added to its atmosphere.Michael Dudikoff and Steven Jones looked great in the Marine's uniform, and the cast of girls they collected (even as extras) were notches above the other movies from this series.If there's one American Ninja series movie to watch, this one is highly recommended.

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)