Where to watch American Ninja (1985) tonight
American Ninja (1985) runs 1 h 35 min, is rated R in the US and averages 6.0 from 514 TMDB members. Joe Armstrong, an orphaned drifter with little respect for much other than martial arts, finds himself on an American Army base in the Philippines after a judge gives him a choice of enlistment or prison. On one of his first missions driving a convoy, his platoon is attacked by a group of rebels who try to steal the weapons the platoon is transporting and kidnap the base colonel's daughter.
- Runtime
- 1 h 35 min — ends 9:35 pm if you start at 8:00 pm
- Rated
- R (US)
- Genres
- Adventure, Action
- Released
- August 30, 1985
- TMDB rating
- 6.0 / 10 from 514 votes
- Director
- Sam Firstenberg
- Starring
- Michael Dudikoff, Steve James, Judie Aronson, Guich Koock
- Language
- English
Where to watch it tonight
Availability loads live for your country. See where American Ninja streams (JustWatch via TMDB) →
Streaming availability by JustWatch. In the US, as of 2026-11-08: Amazon Prime Video (subscription), MGM Plus (subscription), Amazon Prime Video with Ads (subscription), The Roku Channel (free with ads), Fandango at Home Free (free with ads), YouTube Free (free with ads), Plex (free with ads), Tubi TV (free with ads).
Questions people ask
- How long is American Ninja?
- American Ninja is 1 h 35 min long (95 minutes). If you start it at 8:00 pm it ends at 9:35 pm; add about 20 minutes if you watch trailers first.
- What is American Ninja rated?
- American Ninja is rated R in the US.
- Is American Ninja a good movie to watch with a group?
- Yes — a crowd movie. Adventure and Action hold a room: people can talk, laugh or scream over it and still follow what is going on. Rated R in the US — check who is in the room.
- Where can I stream American Ninja?
- In the US, as of 2026-11-08: Amazon Prime Video (subscription), MGM Plus (subscription), Amazon Prime Video with Ads (subscription), The Roku Channel (free with ads), Fandango at Home Free (free with ads), YouTube Free (free with ads), Plex (free with ads), Tubi TV (free with ads). Availability changes often; this page loads the live list for your country (streaming availability by JustWatch).
Lists it could be on
If you like American Ninja
- Shogun Assassin (1980)
- Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013)
- The Marine 3: Homefront (2013)
- Revenge of the Ninja (1983)
- Ninja III: The Domination (1984)
- Protector (2026)
- Interceptor (2022)
- No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder (1987)
American Ninja on TMDB · This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
Lights Down is a free tool: tell it your streaming services and how long you have, and it ranks what you can stream tonight, with a this-or-that, a roll, a bracket and a wheel. Movie data from TMDB; streaming availability by JustWatch. Page updated 2026-11-08. 
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