6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In American Ninja, Michael Dudikoff plays American "GI Joe" who, based in the Philippines, gets hip to a crooked arms racket involving none other than the military itself. There's no end to the rib-cracking opportunities Dudikoff encounters as he knee-knocks his way through a host of bad guys, rescues a lady in distress, and ventures to thwart the thieving arms vendors.
Starring: Michael Dudikoff, Steve James (I), Judie Aronson, Guich Koock, John FujiokaMartial arts | 100% |
Crime | 12% |
Action | 2% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Sam Firstenberg's "American Ninja" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; exclusive new audio commentary with director Sam Firstenberg and producer Elijah Drenner; and exclusive new featurette with new interviews with director Sam Firstenberg, actors Michael Dudikoff and Judie Aronson, screenwriter Paul De Mielche and stunt co-ordinator Steve Lambert. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The Ninja
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sam Firstenberg's American Ninja arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.
The release appears to have been sourced from the same MGM master that 88 Films accessed when it prepared the British release of American Ninja. There is a small discrepancy in the brightness settings -- this release appears marginally darker -- but detail and clarity are practically identical. This is certainly good news as the bulk of the film actually looks quite good in high-definition. Some very light noise again sneaks in during the darker footage, but there are no serious anomalies to report. Also, there are no traces of recent degraining corrections, though grain certainly can be better exposed and resolved. There are no traces of sharpening adjustments either. Colors are stable and natural, but saturation can be better. Overall image stability is very good. Lastly, I must mention that the film has a slightly tighter appearance here, likely because the encoding is a bit more convincing, though I think that only viewers with very large screens and projectors will be able to tell. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
As noted in our review of the British release, the film has a surprisingly complex soundtrack -- the orchestration is excellent and there are plenty of terrific solos -- that easily opens it up and actually make it look like a much more elaborate production than it actually is. Overall dynamic intensity is rather limited, but there are plenty of action sequences with plenty of movement. The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow.
American Ninja is a product of its time. This could be a very good thing if you remember watching it during the '80s and liking it -- it will surely remind you of a time when you were a lot younger. But it could be a bad thing as well because now it looks very dated and uneven. This new Blu-ray release from Olive Films comes with a very informative exclusive new audio commentary with director Sam Firstenberg and producer Elijah Drenner, as well as an exclusive new featurette with brand new cast and crew interviews. RECOMMENDED.
1990
Special Edition
1987
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Special Edition
1981
Special Edition
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1985
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Special Edition
1982
2K Restoration
1980
Collector's Edition
1984
1985
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2021
Bloody Mary Killer / Cui hua kuang mo / 摧花狂魔 / Retailer Slipcover Limited to 6,000 Units
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2011
2K Restoration
1979
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1974