Someone must have gotten a whiff of “Lethal Weapon” because while “American Ninja” was about lone wolf Joe Armstrong, “American Ninja 2” is a buddy action film with Joe Armstrong and pal Curtis Armstrong teaming up to kick some ninja ass. Steve James is given a much larger role this time around with Dudikoff also being allowed to speak more often for the role of Joe. If you look closely, he also manages to crack a smile and tell a few jokes here and there. The good thing about “Confrontation” is that James and Dudikoff have great chemistry together with a very “Power Man and Iron Fist” vibe evident throughout this latest action adventure. Their dynamic allows the series to open up more and give Dudikoff a chance to play off of someone while kicking ass.
After preventing a war in the first film, Joe Armstrong and Curtis Jackson are now Army Rangers and are sent to a Caribbean island to live among a bunch of Marines. They’re sent to investigate a series of disappearances where local Marines are being ambushed and kidnapped by ninjas. When Joe and Curtis go looking around the island, trying to find out who is behind these operations, they end up on the radar of The Lion, as played by Gary Conway. He is a master ninja who is hell bent on killing Joe and Curtis before they destroy their plans to build a drug empire and massive army. Joe and Curtis have a lot of fun action sequences here that are arguably better and larger in scale than the first film. There’s a fun long sequence on the beach where Joe takes on a group of ninja assassins among some rocks, while Curtis comes to his rescue and throws down.
There’s also a great bar fight in the middle of the film where Steve James shines, engaging in a knock down drag out brawl with bar patrons. All the while Joe gets to show off some pretty great moves while hot on the heels of a young woman who is also desperate to cease the operations of the Lion, who is in cahoots with the local authorities. Director Firstenberg has a great eye for action and choreography. While the editing is rough at times, “American Ninja 2” is the superior film in the series if only for allowing Joe to evolve and giving Curtis Jackson the chance to throw down with just about everyone he encounters. “American Ninja 2” is a childhood favorite, and it’s a film I watched every single time it was on television, for the simple fact that the movie takes the whole ninja theme and amplifies it two fold.
There’s much more ninja action for the sequel, which is saying a lot considering the original 1985 movie delivered on the ninja flights of stealth and martial arts. As well, Sam Firstenberg is able to get a bit more fantastic this time around, focusing less on an impending cold war, and centering his story on drug lords, and an army of genetically altered, super ninjas. This is pretty much where the “American Ninja” series peaked, and along with being an exciting action film, it’s also a very good continuation of the storyline.
The Sequel gets a deluxe Blu-Ray treatment from Olive Films, with an exclusive commentary recorded for the company. The commentary features Sam Firstenberg and producer Elijah Drenner, who is back for another commentary, discussing more about Chuck Norris who turned down Drenner’s action project “Avenging Force.” There’s also a lot of detailed discussion about the script, the casting, the shoot in South Africa, the evolution of Dudikoff and James’ characters, and the involvement of David Bradley. The seventeen minute “An American Ninja in Cape Town” is a new featurette for Olive focusing on the production history of “American Ninja 2,” and garners interviews with director Firstenberg, actors Michael Dudikoff and Gary Conway, and executive producer Avi Lerner and stunt coordinator BJ Davis. Finally, there’s the original trailer for “American Ninja 2.”