Reviews (24)

Gymkata- 80's Cult Classic
GYMKATA starring gymnast Kurt is not the best action-adventure film, and Kurt Thomas isn't the greatest actor in the world, but the last half hour of the film is worth its weight in gold. A small third world nation, Parmistan, teetering on the edge of going towards communism, stages an athletic contest to see which country would best represent their presence there. Kurt Thomas as Jonathan Cabot is chosen to represent the U.S. in the contest. It is a deadly obstacle course in which in which the natural elements as well as human intervention are the obstacles. Kurt Thomas' athletic gymnastic abilities are the highpoint of the film in which gymnastics and martial arts are fused together as a form of self defense ...hence the name "gymkata". The style is reminiscent of comic book super hero fighting and Kurt Thomas pulls it off convincingly. The film is a little slow in te beginning trying to establish the characters, the situation in Parmistan, as well as a tiny romance between the Jonathan Cabot (Thomas) and Princess Rubali (Tetchie Agbayani). However, the meat of the film is when the deadly contest/obstacle course starts. The climax and best part of the film is at the end of the obstacle course athletes must go through a strange village filled with violent, psychopathic peasants bent on killing any stranger who comes through the village. They swarm towards their prey like zombies with pitchforks, hatchets, and other farm handtools. This is when Kurt Thomas turns on his gymkata fighting skills and it is a very tense and exciting piece of film making. Overall, an entertaining film made at the time when martial arts films were at a decline.

Classic Crud
When I was growing up, it seemed like every other movie on cable television was either called Iron Eagle or Gymkata. I had no use for Iron Eagle. Sorry. Gymkata, however, was a altogether different story. I must have seen this movie a few hundred times between grades 10-12--generally at three in the morning, stumbling in, stumbling out--less of a choice, more of a compromise. As if the pay channels didn't milk the Gymkata cash cow dry, local stations decided to make it their duty to keep it in heavy rotation on a weekly basis. The only movie that came close in its domination of b-string broadcasting was the 1972 classic, Gargoyles. But I digress. Gymkata is about a martial artist (Kurt Thomas) who loses his military papa (Eric Lawson). He goes to a small fictional nation that encompasses every cliché relating to villains from the 1980's. There's intrigue, a great feast, and more intrigue. There's an exotic princess who, to this day, still looks pretty good. The best part of the movie is the game of death--mostly because there isn't a great deal of dialog. As other reviews have mentioned, the asylum/village has some classic moments (the cackling woman comes to mind). Long story short, an olympic wannabe offers up a textbook example of why his acting career went nowhere. Of course, who am I to judge? I have yet to make a single movie about ninjas or good cops gone bad.

One last question: Why isn't this movie on DVD?

Unintentionally hysterical
Kurt Thomas as a gymnast turned lethal martial artist? Only in Hollywood! The idea only works if every time Thomas gets into a fight there just happens to be a piece of gymnastic equipment nearby (parallel bars, pommel horse, etc.) and of course the bad guys attack one at a time, but I guess that's just a martial arts movie tradition. The acting is brutal, the plot could've been thought up by a ten year-old, and there's a village of insane killers. Put it all together and it all adds up to a hilarious movie.

Lousy But Fun
As a serious film, this one is a real dud. However, as a piece of hilariously inept production, it's a real winner. The plot is ludicrous, and the acting is equally poor. Still, some of the scenes are rather good, particularly the bizarre sequence which takes place in the village of the lunatics. Of course, the greatest lunatics are the people who produced this silly little film. No stars for quality, but 2 stars for pure comedy value.

Gymkata is a low-rate film second to none
What can one say about Gymkata?

If you want to see the worst action film ever committed to vinyl, you couldn't go wrong here. The plot is a laugher, the acting is worst, and everything else in the film falls somewhere between the two.

However, this film is so bad it will probably become a cult favorite in the years to come. It makes Ed Wood Jr look like Steven Spielberg. Simply put, Gymkata has no equals when it comes to low-rate films. That's why it should be ported to DVD and every person who likes films SHOULD have a copy of this movie. But I feel the distributor should PAY the viewer to take a tape or disc of this film off their hands, instead of the other way around.

Gymkata will make you laugh more than most comedies. The action scenes are predictable, unrealistic, etc...And look for some good flubs, too. Although the characters are supposed to be native to some remote areas of Asia/Europe, the blond antagonist often reveals a strong New York City accent. Hysterical! And watch closely how nervous that same guy looks riding a horse - obviously a first timer. You will laugh so hard you'll cry.

... Read more

Reviews (23)

G.I. Joe packs a punch and a smile!
American Ninja is basically a star vehicle for Canon films hot young property Michael Dudikoff. While he is no Chuck Norris he has some cool moves and a warm smile. He rescues his Colonels pretty daughter from an ambush of ninja warriors. They escape by jumping in a river. Of course, they both are soaked to the skin but they dry off together in the woods before returning to civilization! Using his own martial arts skills he learned as a child from his foster father, a ninja warrior, he foils dastardly plots that are brewing and gets the girl.

While that sums up the plot, Michael Dudikoff, ably assisted by another rising star Steve James, makes this action movie work well enough to spawn a series of sequals. While no nominations are in order, the movie certainly is more entertaining then many higher budget action films are today. The DVD is in Widescreen with an aspect ratio of about 1:85:1. It includes a trailer sporting a pre-release working title for the film. The VHS editon enhances action in the center of the screen which has its advantages as well. Both releases are Closed Captioned. So make a bowl of popcorn and enjoy the show. Best Wishes, CAL

US armys Joe Armstrong kills a smuggler & hundreds of ninjas
This movie is the chop sockiest ninja flick since Jackie Chans fests. It centers around Joe(The none too articulate Michael Dudikoff),a ninja with amnesia who joined the army after nearly killing someone. After getting into a fight with smugglers,he causes the death of 4 soldiers,(By ninjas)putting his reputation at stake.Joe rescues the colonels daughter and falls in love with her.After scrapping with Curtis Jackson(The too articulate Steve James),a corporal,they become friends.It turns out a smuggling operation is going on,and they want Joe dead for he knows too much. The black star ninja (Tadashi Yamashita) nearly assassinates him on several points. Eventually Joe learns the secrets of his past and.....watch the rest yourself! Its a great martial arts movie,and so was #2. Unfortunetly,3&4 are not worth mentioning. "He possess great skills!" END

Dudikoff, baby!
Our buddies at Cannon figured they should strike while the iron was hot and get a little more out of their successful ninja franchise. Having found success with already established action stars, they tried to make their own in the form of MICHAEL DUDIKOFF-THE AMERICAN NINJAAAAAA! Well, Dudikoff never achieved superstardom, but he'll always be recognized as "Joe". His screen presence isn't bad at all. He's got a boyish look and a rather soft spoken demeanor different from most action tough guys. He plays a soldier who, like Rodney, gets no respect. When he finally beats Steve James(a cool sidekick I might add) in a fight, he becomes rather popular. He takes on an army of evil ninjas that threaten the fate of the world! Ther lead ninja is a mean brute who kills his fellow ninjas during routine practices. This movie's fun.....very fun. Sure it's lame as all hell, but someone must have liked it coz it spawned four sequels.

THIS WAS A GOOD MOVIE, SCREW WHAT THEM CRITICS SAID!
IN THIS CULT CLASSIC, AN ARMY RECRUIT [MICHAEL DUDIKOFF] MUST STOP THE ARMY FROM DOING A MAJOR WEAPONS DEAL WITH SOME RICH BAD GUYS. THOUGH THERE REALLY ISN'T MUCH TO THE MARTIAL ARTS THAT'S DISPLAYED HERE, IT'S STILL A FUN MOVIE TO WATCH, DESPITE THE BAD THINGS THAT ALL THE CRITICS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS MOVIE AND ITS SEQUELS, I'LL ADMIT IT, I REALLY ENJOYED THIS MOVIE. SCREW WHAT ALL THE CRITICS SAY, GO PICK UP THIS MOVIE NOW. MICHAEL DUDIKOFF AND STEVE JAMES HAVE AMAZING CHEMISTRY. FOLLOWED BY FOUR SEQUELS.

a cult was born
one of the best ninja and action films of the 80's.
michael dudikoff at one of he's best, good fightscenes and fantastic music.
the reason for only 4 stars: it's very tragic thats the film only is in widescreen! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

WOW
The greatest movie in the history of film.
Makes Citizen Kane look like a bad 70's martial arts movie.
Sonny Chiba is god like.
p.s.
I am not insane. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

G.I. Joe packs a punch and a smile!
American Ninja is basically a star vehicle for Canon films hot young property Michael Dudikoff. While he is no Chuck Norris he has some cool moves and a warm smile. He rescues his Colonels pretty daughter from an ambush of ninja warriors. They escape by jumping in a river. Of course, they both are soaked to the skin but they dry off together in the woods before returning to civilization! Using his own martial arts skills he learned as a child from his foster father, a ninja warrior, he foils dastardly plots that are brewing and gets the girl.

While that sums up the plot, Michael Dudikoff, ably assisted by another rising star Steve James, makes this action movie work well enough to spawn a series of sequals. While no nominations are in order, the movie certainly is more entertaining then many higher budget action films are today. The DVD is in Widescreen with an aspect ratio of about 1:85:1. It includes a trailer sporting a pre-release working title for the film. The VHS editon enhances action in the center of the screen which has its advantages as well. Both releases are Closed Captioned. So make a bowl of popcorn and enjoy the show. Best Wishes, CAL

US armys Joe Armstrong kills a smuggler & hundreds of ninjas
This movie is the chop sockiest ninja flick since Jackie Chans fests. It centers around Joe(The none too articulate Michael Dudikoff),a ninja with amnesia who joined the army after nearly killing someone. After getting into a fight with smugglers,he causes the death of 4 soldiers,(By ninjas)putting his reputation at stake.Joe rescues the colonels daughter and falls in love with her.After scrapping with Curtis Jackson(The too articulate Steve James),a corporal,they become friends.It turns out a smuggling operation is going on,and they want Joe dead for he knows too much. The black star ninja (Tadashi Yamashita) nearly assassinates him on several points. Eventually Joe learns the secrets of his past and.....watch the rest yourself! Its a great martial arts movie,and so was #2. Unfortunetly,3&4 are not worth mentioning. "He possess great skills!" END

Dudikoff, baby!
Our buddies at Cannon figured they should strike while the iron was hot and get a little more out of their successful ninja franchise. Having found success with already established action stars, they tried to make their own in the form of MICHAEL DUDIKOFF-THE AMERICAN NINJAAAAAA! Well, Dudikoff never achieved superstardom, but he'll always be recognized as "Joe". His screen presence isn't bad at all. He's got a boyish look and a rather soft spoken demeanor different from most action tough guys. He plays a soldier who, like Rodney, gets no respect. When he finally beats Steve James(a cool sidekick I might add) in a fight, he becomes rather popular. He takes on an army of evil ninjas that threaten the fate of the world! Ther lead ninja is a mean brute who kills his fellow ninjas during routine practices. This movie's fun.....very fun. Sure it's lame as all hell, but someone must have liked it coz it spawned four sequels.

THIS WAS A GOOD MOVIE, SCREW WHAT THEM CRITICS SAID!
IN THIS CULT CLASSIC, AN ARMY RECRUIT [MICHAEL DUDIKOFF] MUST STOP THE ARMY FROM DOING A MAJOR WEAPONS DEAL WITH SOME RICH BAD GUYS. THOUGH THERE REALLY ISN'T MUCH TO THE MARTIAL ARTS THAT'S DISPLAYED HERE, IT'S STILL A FUN MOVIE TO WATCH, DESPITE THE BAD THINGS THAT ALL THE CRITICS HAVE SAID ABOUT THIS MOVIE AND ITS SEQUELS, I'LL ADMIT IT, I REALLY ENJOYED THIS MOVIE. SCREW WHAT ALL THE CRITICS SAY, GO PICK UP THIS MOVIE NOW. MICHAEL DUDIKOFF AND STEVE JAMES HAVE AMAZING CHEMISTRY. FOLLOWED BY FOUR SEQUELS.

a cult was born
one of the best ninja and action films of the 80's.
michael dudikoff at one of he's best, good fightscenes and fantastic music.
the reason for only 4 stars: it's very tragic thats the film only is in widescreen! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Worth a look if you're a martial arts fan
The fifth part of this saga may not be the best one (the carisma of Michael Dudikoff was unique) but in my opinion, it's definately worth a look if you are a martial arts fan. To start off with, Michael Dudikoff was not a martial artist. David Bradley is, so the fighting sequences and coreography are a lot better than the first two movies. On the other hand, I have to agree with the other reviewers as it being a cheesey movie with a story that just wastes the cliché and certainly aimed at kids. In a nutshell, the perfect movie to watch on a Saturday after lunch. Very inoffensive but with good martial arts moves and in my opinion, except American Ninja 3, 4 and 5 are two very good martial arts films with an actor who is not so bad in front of the cameras.

Gave it 2 stars for the Martial Arts and the kid...
I saw this movie on TV, and I have to say that it's probably not the best movie in the world...but it's not the worst, either. So lighten up, peoples! The Martial Arts is actually pretty good, not as cheesy as Power Rangers style Martial Arts. I know that guy David Bradley isn't a very good actor (no wonder I haven't seen him in any other movie recently!), but the kid who plays Hiro is the only one (besides Pat Morita), with actual acting talent. Also, the kid who plays Hiro is actually pretty good looking. Anyways, if you've seen the other AMERICAN NINJA movies, then you can be pretty sure what AMERICAN NINJA 5 is all about. To put a long story short: Bad acting (for the most part), a cheesy storyline, OK special effects, and OK Martial Arts moves. This movie is the kind of movie you should see at least once, but not buy. If you can rent it or watch on TV, that is better than actually going out to buy the video or DVD, if they've made a DVD out of it. Could've been so much better!

Bad, Bad, Sequel.
None of the original American Ninja cast returns for this wreck of a fifth entry. instead we are left with David Bradley, who can't act to save his life. The story is silly and this sequel seems to be aimed at kids, which really turned me off from this sequel. The cover is even a letdown, it makes the film look like it has some mystical meaning to the ninja, and sadly the film doesn't. I wouldn't recommend this film even to Kung Fu fans because AM5 even lacks that.

viwer
This movie was ok but part 2 is the best of them all! They could have put a better plot in this film. Hey at least this is better than part 3. If you want to see this movie rent it do not buy it.

Possibly The Worest NInja Movie Ever Made!
From watching the other American Ninja Movies I thought that this movie would be as good. I was shocked when I saw how terrible this movie was compared to the movies before it. This movie in no way depicts the real ninja or any other Martial arts style. The acting is Bad and the special effects are worse. The plot is totally far fetched to say the least. Please don't waste your money on this poor attempt of a movie. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

WOW
The greatest movie in the history of film.
Makes Citizen Kane look like a bad 70's martial arts movie.
Sonny Chiba is god like.
p.s.
I am not insane. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Worth a look if you're a martial arts fan
The fifth part of this saga may not be the best one (the carisma of Michael Dudikoff was unique) but in my opinion, it's definately worth a look if you are a martial arts fan. To start off with, Michael Dudikoff was not a martial artist. David Bradley is, so the fighting sequences and coreography are a lot better than the first two movies. On the other hand, I have to agree with the other reviewers as it being a cheesey movie with a story that just wastes the cliché and certainly aimed at kids. In a nutshell, the perfect movie to watch on a Saturday after lunch. Very inoffensive but with good martial arts moves and in my opinion, except American Ninja 3, 4 and 5 are two very good martial arts films with an actor who is not so bad in front of the cameras.

Gave it 2 stars for the Martial Arts and the kid...
I saw this movie on TV, and I have to say that it's probably not the best movie in the world...but it's not the worst, either. So lighten up, peoples! The Martial Arts is actually pretty good, not as cheesy as Power Rangers style Martial Arts. I know that guy David Bradley isn't a very good actor (no wonder I haven't seen him in any other movie recently!), but the kid who plays Hiro is the only one (besides Pat Morita), with actual acting talent. Also, the kid who plays Hiro is actually pretty good looking. Anyways, if you've seen the other AMERICAN NINJA movies, then you can be pretty sure what AMERICAN NINJA 5 is all about. To put a long story short: Bad acting (for the most part), a cheesy storyline, OK special effects, and OK Martial Arts moves. This movie is the kind of movie you should see at least once, but not buy. If you can rent it or watch on TV, that is better than actually going out to buy the video or DVD, if they've made a DVD out of it. Could've been so much better!

Bad, Bad, Sequel.
None of the original American Ninja cast returns for this wreck of a fifth entry. instead we are left with David Bradley, who can't act to save his life. The story is silly and this sequel seems to be aimed at kids, which really turned me off from this sequel. The cover is even a letdown, it makes the film look like it has some mystical meaning to the ninja, and sadly the film doesn't. I wouldn't recommend this film even to Kung Fu fans because AM5 even lacks that.

viwer
This movie was ok but part 2 is the best of them all! They could have put a better plot in this film. Hey at least this is better than part 3. If you want to see this movie rent it do not buy it.

Possibly The Worest NInja Movie Ever Made!
From watching the other American Ninja Movies I thought that this movie would be as good. I was shocked when I saw how terrible this movie was compared to the movies before it. This movie in no way depicts the real ninja or any other Martial arts style. The acting is Bad and the special effects are worse. The plot is totally far fetched to say the least. Please don't waste your money on this poor attempt of a movie. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

This video is only $19.95
FOr close over 2 years not this video has been priced at $19.95. Action Star Gary Daniels stars with Kung FU's David Carridine. This film is NOT available in Canada. If you have questions please call the films producer and distributor at 1-800-906-4749. ... Read more