20 best movies like American Ninja (1985)

List of the best movies like American Ninja (1985): Pray for Death, Ninja III: The Domination, Blackjack, Soldier, Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe, Dragon Wasps, Eastern Condors, Shogun Assassin, Too Late the Hero, Warfighter.

Tags: movies similar to American Ninja (1985) - full list

Markimdb: 5.7
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration01:32

Akira Saito, a Japanese businessman lives in Tokyo with his Japanese-American wife Aiko and their children, Takeshi and Tomoya. When the family has a chance to move to the United States so that Aiko can teach the children about their American heritage, they pack up and head for Houston, Texas and run a restaurant. This is where the trouble begins....

Markimdb: 5.3
Genreaction, thriller, fantasy, drama, crime
CountryUSA
Duration01:35

A female aerobic instructor is possessed by the soul of a fallen ninja when coming to his aid. The spirit seeks revenge on those who killed him and uses the instructor's body to carry out his mission. The only way the spirit will leave her body is with the help of another ninja.

Markimdb: 4.7
Genreaction, thriller, comedy, drama, crime
CountryCanada, USA
Duration01:52

After saving Casey, a daughter of his friend, from hired assassins, Jack Devlin is hit with a strange phobia - fear of white color. But when his other friend, who works as a bodyguard for a supermodel, is wounded, Jack decides to step in for him. Now he must confront his fear and the assassin, who seems to be well aware of Jack's problem.

Markimdb: 6
Genrefantastic, action, drama
CountryUSA, United Kingdom
Duration01:39

Sergeant Todd is a veteran soldier for an elite group of the armed forces. After being defeated by a new breed of genetically engineered soldiers, he is dumped on a waste planet and left for dead. He soon interacts with a group of crash survivors who lead out a peaceful existence. The peace is broken as the new soldiers land on the planet to eliminate the colony, which Sergeant Todd must defend.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genreaction, thriller, comedy, drama, crime, detective
CountryUSA
Duration02:00

Before Sam Axe teamed up with Michael and Fiona, he was Commander Axe, U.S. Navy SEAL. The Fall of Sam Axe tells the story of how Sam went from respected Naval Commander to the man of mystery we've come to know on Burn Notice. On what will turn out to be Sam's last military mission, he is sent to the jungles of Colombia to investigate claims of a vicious terrorist organization known only as the "Espada Ardiente" (Flaming Sword). His mission: to determine whether U.S. military aid is necessary to deal with the threat. But when he arrives, things are more complicated than he'd imagined. He receives word that the rebels have targeted a small civilian clinic deep in the jungle. Sam must now save the clinic's doctors and patients from certain death. However, nothing is as it seems and the Espada Ardiente may not be the biggest threat Sam Axe faces.

Markimdb: 3
Genrehorror, fantastic, action, thriller, fantasy, comedy, adventure
CountryUSA
Duration01:21

A scientist enlists the help of the US army to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her father, deep in the Belizean jungle. Caught in the crossfire between a brutal guerrilla army controlled by a mystical warlord, they are also confronted by an even bigger terror giant mutated wasps that are, for some reason, thirsty for blood.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genreaction
CountryHong Kong

A motley group of Chinese prisoners held in the US is sent on a covert mission with the promise of a pardon: to go deep into Vietnam and destroy a secret depot of missiles that the US left behind during the pull-out.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genreaction, drama, crime
CountryJapan, USA
Duration01:25

A Shogun who grew paranoid as he became senile sent his ninjas to kill his samurai. They failed but did kill the samurai’s wife. The samurai swore to avenge the death of his wife and roams the countryside with his toddler son in search of vengeance.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genreaction, drama, military
CountryUSA
Duration02:13

A WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the island. When a group of British soldiers are sent on a mission behind enemy lines, things don't go exactly to plan. This film differs in that some of the 'heroes' are very reluctant, but they come good when they are pursued by the Japanese who are determined to prevent them returning to base.

Markimdb: 4.1
Genreaction, melodrama, drama, military
CountryUSA

Rusty Wittenburg is a Navy SEAL struggling to balance his family life and his job. He fights daily to maintain the line between reality and the nightmares his PTSD conjures up for him. Dedicated to his team and his mission, he is willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for his fellow brothers and teammates.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genreaction, drama, military
CountryFrance
Duration01:44

    Afghanistan. War correspondent Elsa Casanova is taken hostage by the Taliban. Faced with her imminent execution, a Special Forces unit is dispatched to free her. In some of the world’s most breathtaking yet hostile landscapes, a relentless pursuit begins between her kidnappers who have no intention of letting their prey escape them and a group of soldiers who risk their lives in pursuit of their single aim – to bring her home alive. This strong, independent woman and these men of duty are thrown together and forced to confront situations of great danger that inextricably bind them – emotionally, violently and intimately.

    Markimdb: 4.1
    Genrehorror, fantastic, action, thriller, drama, adventure, crime
    CountrySouth Africa, USA

    In the quiet waters of the Mississippi, body parts are being discovered. No one knows what is behind it all, until a huge man eating bull shark turns up. This bull shark is different, as it can breath in fresh water, making a deadly encounter between anyone who comes before it. John Sanders must now try and reach the surface, with his ex-wife and whilst being held hostage.

    Markimdb: 6.5
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:00

    Ichi is a blind entertainer that travels the countryside with her traditional Japanese guitar and walking stick. She’s in search for the kind man that brought her up as a child, but because of her beauty she encounters problems every step of the way. Fortunately for Ichi, she is also a gifted swordswoman and carries a lethal blade within her walking stick.

    Markimdb: 5.8
    Genreaction, drama, history
    CountryThailand

    Based on a true historic figure, Yamada Nagamasa, a Japanese adventurer who went to Ayothaya in the 16th century and became a soldier in King Naresuan's army. After the war in Burma it's restless in Ayothaya, because of a mysterious group of men that terrorizes and plunders the city. Yamada goes after them and discovers that the men are rebelious Japanese samurai. Now he has to fight his own countrymen.

    Markimdb: 4.5
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, military
    CountryUSA

    Seal Team Eight must fight their way deep into Africa's Congo, decommission a secret uranium mine, and stop our most dangerous enemy from smuggling weapon's grade yellow-cake out of the country.

    Markimdb: 4.8
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, adventure, military
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:43

    When Colonel James Braddock is told that his Asian wife and 12-year-old son are still alive in Communist Vietnam, he mounts a one-man assault to free them. Armed with the latest high-tech firepower, Braddock fights his way into the heart of the country and ends up battling his way out with several dozen abused Amerasian children in tow! Struggling to keep them alive while outmaneuvering a sadistic Vietnamese officer, Braddock ignites the jungle in a blazing cross-country race for freedom.

    Markimdb: 4.8
    Genreaction, thriller, drama
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:37

    Detective - turned - bodyguard Cynthia McKay (Cynthia Rothrock) is hired by a psychotic icy seductress, Nina Lindell (Lydie Denier), the same woman who killed Mckay's lover months earlier. With vendetta in her heart McKay accompanies the flamboyantly playful womanizer through the glamourous world of the super-rich as his protector. In a unique role reversal, it is the woman protecting the man from another woman, erupting into a deadly triangle of passion, suspense and action.

    Markimdb: 5.2
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
    CountryThailand, USA, Hong Kong, France
    Duration01:40

    Kham is the last in long line of guards who once watched over the King of Thailand's war elephants. Traditionally, only the perfect elephants could successfully help defend the throne, after his harrowing quest to retrieve the elephants, Kham returns to his village to live in peace. But for someone as good in martial arts as him, peace is but a wishful thought...

    Markimdb: 6.2
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, adventure, crime
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:36

    Mason is a man down on his luck with nothing to lose when he's approached to lead a group of wealthy hunters on an expedition in the Pacific Northwest. But things get really twisted when Mason discovers the group isn't after wild animals -- they're after him.

    Markimdb: 3.2
    Genreaction, comedy
    CountryUSA

    The stars of Starship Troopers are back in action! Mike (Casper Van Dien) decides to hit the road on his refurbished classic motorcycle along with best buddy Alex (Patrick Muldoon), but their trek takes a surprising turn when they become involved in a plan involving political blackmail, corruption, and dirty money. Carrying evidence that could get them killed at any minute, the boys are chased on the open road but turn their skills to their own advantage. William Forsythe (Raising Arizona) and Theresa Russell (Wild Things) also star in this gun-blazing, rip-roaring adventure from the director of Every Which Way But Loose you’ll never forget!

    Markimdb: 5.5
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, adventure, military
    CountryUnited Kingdom
    Duration01:30

    The true story of the formation of Ian Fleming's 30 Commando unit, a precursor for the elite forces in the U.K.

    Markimdb: 3.7
    Genreaction, thriller, drama
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:25

    When the top secret prototype of the Nova Stealth fighter has been stolen, the Pentagon launches big alarm; the plane shouldn't come into hostile hands...

    Markimdb: 5.7
    Genreaction, comedy, drama, crime
    CountryUSA, Hong Kong

    After being humiliated in the ring by a dirty kickboxer who pulled down his shorts and then hit him, a martial arts master decides to travel to China and enter a monastery where he may learn the Shaolin form of fighting. The film then veers into "Karate Kid" territory where the novice humiliates himself at every turn, is tolerated as a foreigner, and still comes out a champion. The monastery teaches non-violence, but everyone knows that sooner or later the student will catch up with the bad guy.

    Markimdb: 6.9
    Genreaction, drama, adventure, military
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:47

    During WWII, when an allied bomber is shot down over Germany, the five surviving crew are captured but cleverly escape detention after learning German secret information and knocking out a Nazi major. With the angry major in hot pursuit, aided by military personnel, Gestapo agents and Hitler-loyal citizens, the five wend their way across perilous Germany, intent on reaching the UK with the secrets they have learned.

    Markimdb: 6
    Genrehorror, fantastic, action, thriller, fantasy, drama, military
    CountryJapan

    Izo is an assassin in the service of a Tosa lord and Imperial supporter. After killing dozens of the Shogun's men, Izo is captured and crucified. Instead of being extinguished, his rage propels him through the space-time continuum to present-day Tokyo. Here Izo transforms himself into a new, improved killing machine.

    Markimdb: 5.1
    Genreaction, comedy, melodrama, drama
    CountryUSA, France

    Eddie Lomax (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a drifter who has been in a suicidal funk since the death of his close friend Johnny (Danny Trejo). Riding his motorcycle into a small desert town where Johnny once lived, Lomax is confronted by a gang of toughs, who beat him and steal his bike. However, Lomax is not a man to take an injustice lying down, and soon he begins exacting a violent revenge on the men who stole his motorcycle, with local handyman Jubal Early (Pat Morita) lending a hand and several area ladies offering aid and comfort.

    Markimdb: 6.4
    Genredrama, military
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:45

    Lt. Col. Iceal "Ham" Hambleton is a weapons countermeasures expert and when his aircraft is shot over enemy territory the Air Force very much wants to get him back. Hambleton knows the area he's in is going to be carpet-bombed but a temporary shortage of helicopters causes a delay. Working with an Air Force reconnaissance pilot, Capt. Bartholomew Clark, he maps out an escape route.

    Markimdb: 6
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, military, biography
    CountrySpain, USA, United Kingdom

    When Andrew Briggman—a young soldier in the US invasion of Afghanistan—witnesses other recruits killing innocent civilians under the direction of a sadistic Sergeant, he considers reporting them to higher-ups. However, the heavily-armed and increasingly-violent platoon becomes suspicious that someone in their ranks has turned on them, and Andrew begins to fear that he'll be the next target.

    Markimdb: 5.5
    Genreaction, thriller, comedy, crime
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:36

    Vengeance drives a tough Detroit cop to stay on the trail of a power hungry auto magnate who's systematically eliminating his competition.

    Markimdb: 2.4
    Genrehorror, fantastic, action, comedy, sport
    CountryUSA

    Seventeen years ago, NASCAR racer Cutter McCullough died in a fiery crash. But death can’t stop a man driven by revenge. He and his car are back from the grave to settle a score with his old girlfriend Tammy and his rival JJ Sawyer. Now JJ, Tammy, and their daughter, Jesse, are hitting the road with the Phantom Racer on their tail.

    Markimdb: 5
    Genrehorror, fantastic, action, thriller, detective
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:53

    In a world without government, the surviving Unisols maintain order and choose the strongest of their ranks to rule, testing them in life-or-death combat.

    Markimdb: 8
    Genreaction, drama, adventure
    CountryUSA
    Duration03:09

    In a land controlled by feudal barons, a great warrior and a young boy embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment. A genre-bending martial arts series very loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West.

    Markimdb: 5.5
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, adventure
    CountryUSA, Canada
    Duration01:31

    Ghang-gheng, the ancient winner-take-all competition in which the deadliest fighters from around the world employ the most spectacular feats of martial arts skills ever displayed in order to win the prized Golden Dragon. But fighting prowess alone will not be enough for Chris to triumph over such daunting foes.

    Markimdb: 6.1
    Genreaction, comedy, melodrama, drama, adventure, military
    CountryUnited Kingdom
    Duration02:30

    During World War One an English adventurer, an American elephant poacher and the latter's attractive young daughter, set out to destroy a German battle-cruiser which is awaiting repairs in an inlet just off Zanzibar. The story is based on a novel by Wilbur Smith, which in turn is very loosely based on events involving the light cruiser SMS Königsberg, which was sunk after taking refuge in Rufigi delta in 1915.

    Markimdb: 6.3
    Genreaction, drama, adventure, military
    CountryUSA

    An American soldier who escapes the execution of his comrades by Japanese soldiers in Borneo during WWII becomes the leader of a personal empire among the headhunters in this war story told in the style of Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling. The American is reluctant to rejoin the fight against the Japanese on the urging of a British commando team but conducts a war of vengeance when the Japanese attack his adopted people.

    Markimdb: 4.2
    Genreaction, drama, adventure
    CountryUSA

    Dolph Lundgren is Christian Erickson, a leading demolition expert trained to disarm mine fields in a humanitarian minesweeping operation in Angola. His son is killed and he discovers that mines are being planted during the war to kill people in the area.

    Markimdb: 7.4
    Genreaction, drama, military, history
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:58

    The film concentrates on the camaraderie and the divisions between the troops as they ready for the big offensive. Told in a taut narrative, the men of the 101st, led by Van Johnson, wait out the winter in the Ardennes forest to confront the German army in what would be the last major offensive of World War II. The men are demoralized and trapped, with no hope of support from the Allies.

    Markimdb: 6.8
    Genreaction, melodrama, drama, western, history
    CountryUSA
    Duration02:01

    Union officer Kerry Bradford escapes from a Confederate prison and races to intercept $5 million in gold destined for Confederate coffers. A Confederate sympathizer and a Mexican bandit, each with their own stake in the loot, stand in his way.

    Markimdb: 6.9
    Genreaction, melodrama, drama, adventure, western
    CountryAustralia, USA
    Duration01:59

    American Matt Quigley answers Australian land baron Elliott Marston's ad for a sharpshooter to kill the dingoes on his property. But when Quigley finds out that Marston's real target is the aborigines, Quigley hits the road. Now, even American expatriate Crazy Cora can't keep Quigley safe in his cat-and-mouse game with the homicidal Marston.

    Markimdb: 5.9
    Genreaction, thriller, adventure
    CountryUSA
    Duration02:16

    The Soviets have developed a revolutionary new jet fighter, called 'Firefox'. Worried that the jet will be used as a first-strike weapon—as there are rumours that it is undetectable by radar—the British send ex-Vietnam War pilot, Mitchell Gant on a covert mission into the Soviet Union to steal the Firefox.

    Markimdb: 6.3
    Genreaction, thriller, melodrama, drama, western, crime
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:47

    The archetypical renegade Texas Ranger wages war against a drug kingpin with automatic weapons, his wits and martial arts after a gun battle leaves his partner dead. All of this inevitably culminates in a martial arts showdown between the drug lord and the ranger, and involving the woman they both love.

    Markimdb: 5.9
    Genreaction, drama, military, history
    CountryUSA
    Duration02:00

    The story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during World War II.

    Markimdb: 5.3
    Genreaction, comedy, drama, crime
    CountryUSA

    The third installment in the successful Bad Ass action-comedy franchise. Bad Asses on the Bayou reunites the dynamic duo, Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) and Bernie Pope (Danny Glover), as they travel to Louisiana to attend the wedding of their dear friend Carmen Gutierrez (Loni Love). What was pictured as a wedding weekend escape to the south turns violently ugly as madness and mayhem ensue, pressing our senior heroes to once again serve justice.

    Markimdb: 6.9
    Genreaction, comedy, drama, military, history
    CountryTurkey

    After the First World War, the Allies occupy Istanbul. The protagonist, Yandim Ali is a rogue, discharged from the navy, who doesn't believe that the country can be saved, until he meets Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk), who plans to start a resistance in Anatolia against the occupying Allies, as well as the collaborators of an Ottoman government, that exists only on paper.

    Markimdb: 4.8
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, adventure, sport
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:30

    A group of Russian mobsters have stolen a huge supply of paper for printing U.S. currency, and are now flooding the market with conterfeit bills. When one of the mobsters decides to give herself in and hand over a data CD to the DA, she is shot and killed, but not before handing the disc to an unsuspecting Tommy Lee. Despite working with the police as a martial arts instructor, Lee doesn't go to the cops with the disc, but instead goes on the run, giving the mafia time to kidnap his daughter and hold as a hostage in exchange for return of the disc. Will Tommy ever see his daughter again?

    Markimdb: 5.8
    Genreaction, drama, family
    CountryHong Kong

    Ten years ago, five students joined a martial arts school and learned the disciplines of Wushu and the bonds of friendship. Today, both will be put to the test after they and a former student stumble into a child kidnapping ring

    Markimdb: 5.9
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, adventure, crime
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:33

    Just retired from the Drug Enforcement Agency, John Hatcher returns to his hometown and quickly discovers that drugs have infiltrated his old neighborhood. Determined to drive the dealers out, Hatcher crosses paths with a ferocious Jamaican drug lord who vows that Hatcher and his family are now marked for death.

    Markimdb: 4.8
    Genreaction, drama
    CountryChina, Hong Kong
    Duration01:53

    In the time of the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor Yongzheng created a secret army known as the Guillotines. It was the job of the Guillotines to protect the Emperor by killing anyone who posed a threat to him or his rule. After 348 successful missions to eliminate their target, the 349th assignment proves to be their last.

    Markimdb: 6.4
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, military
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:45

    A group of Vietnam War veterans re-unite to rescue one of their own left behind and taken prisoner by the Vietnamese...

    Markimdb: 5.4
    Genreaction, drama
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:33

    A city in Washington state awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky - shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation. Determined to fight back, a group of young patriots seek refuge in the surrounding woods, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerrilla group of fighters. Taking inspiration from their high school mascot, they call themselves the Wolverines, banding together to protect one another, liberate their town from its captors, and take back their freedom.




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