''American Ninja V'' is a 1993 American

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

starring David Bradley and Lee Reyes. It was directed by Bobby Jean Leonard and written by John Bryant Hedber, Greg Latter and George Saunders. It is the fifth installment in the ''American Ninja'' franchise. The film is set in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. This film was not originally intended to be part of the ''American Ninja'' franchise. Cannon Pictures made it under the title ''American Dragons'' (it is even shown on many cable TV stations with this title) but the title was changed to ''American Ninja V'' before release. This explains why star David Bradley plays Joe, a different character than the Sean Davidson character he played in '' American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt'' and ''American Ninja 4: The Annihilation''. The working title was ''Little Ninja Man''.

Plot

Lee Reyes plays Hiro, Master Tetsu's grandnephew, who is the last of the true ninja. His granduncle sends him to apprentice under Joe Kastle, who is the American Ninja, to gain experience. Hiro cares only for his

Game Gear The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...

and has little interest in the ways of the ninja. Joe in addition to being the American Ninja also owns a boat. In order to meet the American Ninja, Lisa "varnishes" his boat when in fact she was asked to "tarnish" it. While having dinner Lisa is kidnapped by 'Viper' and a host of multi-colored ninjas, and so the American Ninja and Hiro sneak onto a plane to

to save her. It is revealed that Lisa is the daughter of a scientist, under the employ of Glock, who is being forced to develop a nerve gas for a Latin American despot. Before the American Ninja and Hiro can rescue Lisa and her father from 'Viper', the mysterious ninja that appears and reappears with a puff of smoke, the American Ninja must reawaken the ancient ninja tradition within Hiro with a 5-minute training montage. 'Viper' is defeated in a climactic airplane battle scene, and Joe returns to

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

to kiss Lisa on the bow of his boat.

Cast

* David Bradley as Joe Kastle * Lee Reyes as Hiro * Anne Dupont as Lisa *

Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his roles as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on ''Happy Days'', Mr. Miyagi in ''The Karate Kid'' film series, Captain Sam Pak on the sitco ...

as Master Tetsu *

James Lew James Jene Fae Lew (born September 6, 1952) is an American actor and martial artist. He has made 80 on-screen film and television appearances and 46 more as a stunt coordinator or stunt double. He has done choreography for movies like ''Get Smart ...

as 'The Viper' *

Clement von Franckenstein Clement George Freiherr von und zu Franckenstein (28 May 1944 – 9 May 2019) was an English actor. He was best known for portraying President D'Astier in ''The American President'' (1995), the English Investor in '' Lionheart'' (1990), the Open ...

as Glock * Marc Fiorini as 'Flathead' * Aharon Ipale as Dr. Strobel *

Norman Burton Norman Burton (December 5, 1923 – November 29, 2003) was an American actor. He was occasionally credited as Normann Burton. Early life Born in New York City, Burton was a student of the Actors Studio. After early work on stage, he broke in ...

as U.S. Ambassador On Caracas Halden * Victor Cardenas as Victor Lebon * Francisco Moreno as Emil * Freddy Alvarado as Ramon * Alfredo Sandoval as Zubino * Julio Mujica as 'Butcher' *

Tadashi Yamashita is a Japanese American martial artist and actor. Early life Tadashi Yamashita was born in Japan in 1942, but he considers himself an Okinawan. His father died when he was three and he and his mother moved to Okinawa when he was 8, after the ...

as Himself

References

External links

* * {{The American Ninja Anthology 1993 films 1990s adventure films 1993 martial arts films American adventure films American action films American martial arts films 1990s English-language films Films set in Venezuela Ninja films Golan-Globus films American Ninja 1990s American films