had no martial arts experience. He was, however, already very athletic. Fight choreographer Mike Stone, who was an accomplished martial arts expert, assured the producers that he would pick up the moves. Post-production The film was initially called American Warrior and was released in UK cinemas under that title, but was changed to American Ninja for all other releases. The trailer (included on the DVD) contains the original title. In Germany, however, the film was released under the title American Fighter. It was also the first of three films pairing Michael Dudikoff and Steve James, the other two being Avenging Force (1986) and American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987). Reception Critical response American Ninja received a mixed reception with critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 0% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 3.2/10. On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 20 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Other media Sequels In popular culture Lethal Ninja – 1992 (a semi-official entry from brothers Avi Lerner and Danny Lerner, the producers of American Ninja 2, 3, 4, and directed by American Ninja 4 director of photography Yossi "Joseph" Wein. Released as American Ninja 5: The Nostradamus Syndrome in South Africa.) American Samurai – 1992 (not a sequel, but a similarly themed film from director Sam Firstenberg) See also List of American films of 1985 List of martial arts films List of ninja films References External links American Ninja 1985 martial arts films 1985 films American martial arts films American action films 1980s English-language films Films about amnesia Films directed by Sam Firstenberg Golan-Globus films Ninja films Films set in the Philippines Films shot in the Philippines 1985 action films Japan in non-Japanese culture Films produced by Menahem Golan Films produced by Yoram Globus 1980s American films