This movie is being released on Blu-ray by Olive Films (www.olivefilms.com – www.facebook.com/olivefilms) on August 16th, 2016.
As mentioned previously, Olive Films is releasing the entire American Ninja series in high definition; now every chop, punch and explosion officially looks its absolute best… and probably better than it ever did in the cinema. Following the success of the original title, Cannon ordered up a quick and inexpensive sequel. In fact, extras on the disc explain that despite the original’s large profits, the studio owners wanted the follow-up to be made for roughly one third of the cost ($300,000 dollars) – that way, they could reap even more gains from the brand name.
The results were American Ninja 2: The Confrontation. The subtitle is kind of funny in and of itself. After all, it’s not like there was a distinct lack of conflict in the original. More Ninjas! might have been more appropriate moniker and conveyed the mad tone more accurately. This is an even sillier and more bizarre film than the original was. Still, it looks reasonably slick for a low-budget effort and boasts some impressive locations. While it’s very flawed, those looking for cheesy 80’s kicks will find more than a few here.
Following the events of the first film, Sgt. Joe Armstrong (Michael Dudikoff) and Sgt. Curtis Jackson (Steve James) are sent to the Caribbean to investigate the disappearance of four Marines. As they soon learn, the men have been taken by The Lion (Gary Conway, who also wrote the movie), a villain who has his own secret base on nearby Blackbeard Island. Not only does he have master ninja Tojo Ken (Mike Stone) by his side, but he has kidnapped a renowned scientist and forced him to create an army of obedient super-ninjas. Apparently, it’s a natural and easy transition to go from cancer research to creating mind-controlled, genetically-enhanced, matchless human warriors. Of course, the only guys who can stop this nonsense are Joe and Jackson.
Unlike the first film, this is a buddy picture that features the leads traipsing around exotic locations and trading not-so-sharp witticisms – imagine a no-budget, James Bond-ish adventure. However, the filmmakers get some mileage out of great locations. The Boulder Beach and seaside town look phenomenal. And like the first feature, the heroes are likable and clearly having fun together onscreen. In fact, they’re actually the best performers in the movie (which should give you an idea of how little to expect from some of the bit parts).
James does some entertaining scenery chewing in the role of Jackson. Even a fight scene in which he takes on some bar patrons uses what sounds like a bowling pin effect when he topples them. Jackson also has a hilariously brief “rally the troops” speech towards the end of the film, in which he convinces the marines to disobey orders from above by saying, “That’s not good enough…! I’m boogying, baby… anyone coming with me?!” I guess brevity can really trump flowery exposition in certain instances.
The most ridiculous aspect of this tale is the villain and his evil army. The Lion is over-the-top and decked out in an all-white wardrobe that makes him look like a cousin of the Glad Garbage Bag Man. As for the black-clad ninjas, you’ll see them running around on the beach in broad daylight. You know, ninjas really lose the stealthy quality they are famous for when they’re clearly visible from miles around. And despite The Lion’s claims, his henchmen are oversold – these are pretty terrible ninjas who get easily shot down and wiped out in scene after scene. At least this results in a couple of impressive stunts, including one in which an agent is dragged on the pavement behind a truck.
You can probably tell by now just how dopey all of this is and that your enjoyment will depend exclusively on how tolerant you are towards extremely cheesy action cinema. Fortunately, when I’m in the right mood I can get plenty of yuks out of the outrageousness of it all. The villain’s fortress experimentation area even has a large, light up sign reading “Master Laboratory” (in case you were confused as to where you were). It couldn’t be more foolish, but it also left me really wanting that prop sign very, very badly.
As with the previous Blu-ray, viewers will get some great extras on the disc, including a retrospective as well as another entertaining and engaging commentary with director Sam Firstenberg. He explains his original and different concept for the sequel, the (very questionable) reasons that parent company Cannon insisted it be shot in South Africa and provides insights about shooting on a slim budget with an inexperienced crew. He even explains how one of the film’s most famous gaffes occurred (in which Dudikoff’s stand-in clearly appears as Joe during a dialogue scene).
American Ninja 2: The Confrontation is a really, really silly movie. It’s a big slice of cinematic cheese all the way from beginning to end. Olive Films have put together a great looking disc with informative and engaging bonuses – if you’re a fan, you’re definitely going to be entertained by this release.