American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt poster & wallpaper

David Bradley, Marjoe Gortner, Michele Chan

A young martial arts combatant prepares for a tournament on a Caribbean island, where he faces a terrorist who killed his father ten years earlier.

Flixster Users

32% liked it

313 ratings

R, 89 min.

Directed by: Cedric Sundstrom

Release Date: February 24, 1989

Invite friends to see

Get It:

Stats: 69 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites
report incorrect info

Photos

American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt
Upload a Photo |

View All American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt Photos (1)

Your Rating


clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (69)

  • Hallez
    September 13, 2009
    Hallez
    another bad installment this time without Joe, however defeating a life threatening poison with tai chi is just to much to be believed!
  • xosfaere
    June 14, 2009
    xosfaere
    Rating reflects how much I liked these movies as a kid :-)
  • Codrutz
    March 23, 2009
    Codrutz
    Poor. Bad idea with the changing of crew, Michael Dudikoff made a good job. :)
  • gravityandgrace2003
    February 28, 2009
    gravityandgrace2003
    Around 1988, action movies went through a metamorphosis. Previously, it had been about big, over-the-top shoot 'em up movies with tough guys like Chuck Norris and Charles Bronson. After Bloodsport with Jean Claude Van Damme, the change shifted to karate tournament-type fighting m...( read more)ovies, and nowhere is this more apparent than in American Ninja 3, which, while abysmal overall, is interesting in that it combines the "kumite" type movie we would see as a subgenre in the late 80s/early 90s, and melds it with the earlier blow up shit good genre of action films that the American Ninja franchise embodies. Bradley obviously embodied thet Van Damme fighting style that Golan Globus were pioneering at the time- his kicks and fluidity are clearly in the same vein. Unfortunately, Bradley, while likeable, never had the charisma of a JCVD, and he can't pull this movie off as a lead.

    David Bradley plays Sean Davidson, a guy who's father was killed during a karate tournament, and was subsequently raised by a ninja masseuse. I didn't know that ninjas went to work in the physical therapy industry, since, by virtue of their skills of obsfucation and manipulation, they'd probably be able to eek out a pretty nice living elsewhere. But I digress. So anyway, Sean is trained and raised by the Ninja massage therapist, and grows up to be a world class karate fighter (he even made the cover of 'Inside Karate' magazine or some shit like that). He travels to an unnamed exotic island (American Ninja cliche 101) to compete in a tournament, and trouble ensues with a bad guy named "the Cobra." Are you psyched yet? Didn't think so.

    Plotwise, this movie is almost a remake of part 2, with the same kind of bad guy, and antidotes replacing super ninjas. Won't waste too much time recalling it, since the filmmakers obviously weren't bothered to either.

    Steve James returns as the incomparable Curtis Jackson, and he's also competing in the martial arts tournament- I guess using swords or something. After watching this with part four, where they got the Dudikoff back, I can only guess the producers realized Bradley had major shortcomings as a lead and martial artist, and needed someone to carry him, a job James does admirably here. He's probably the brightest spot in this shit fest. He's obviously not having as much fun as in American Ninja 2 or Avenging Force, but he's still kicking some ass and showing off his buffness. The vibe I got is that James was here collecting a paycheck or making the final payments on his used Hundai or something, and I'm cool if that's the case. Guy's gotta eat, right? When he's lamenting to Sean, asking him if they can fight a different type of baddie, like a robber or terrorist, how he's been fighting ninjas for "a long time," I think it was a shoot on James' part. But that's my take.

    The pair of Jackson and Davidson is rounded out by an annoying sidekick like the marines in AN II, but he's nowhere near as annoying as the guy who replaced James in American Ninja IV. There's also a hot chick in here who plays a female ninja, a "ninjette" if you will (Michele Chan, I think is her name). She has this cute Roxette aqua net hairdo, and has the biggest hard-on for Jackson and spends a lot of time touching his buff bod. Who wouldn't, right ladies?

    The ninjas kinda suck here royally as well. In the other movies, they were all over the place, coming out of the woodwork like cockroaches. Here, even the wimpy sidekick beats some ninja ass quite easily. I was let down.

    Another terrible aspect of this movie is its truly weak theme song, 'the Cobra Strikes.' What kind of shit is that? Where's the Stan Bush, over-the-top guy singing his heart out about never giving in and killing people if they blink? What a letdown. Overall, if you HAVE to see all the American Ninja franchise (or you feel like you'll be completely lost in the deep plot while watching part IV), take this for what it is, and be happy that in part IV, they needed Dudikoff so bad, they "found him at the school." If you aren't an AN fanatic, skip this and watch part II again.
  • Rosepetal75
    February 14, 2009
    Rosepetal75
    Curtis Jackson (Steve James) has a new partner, karate champion Sean Davidson (David Bradley) goes to Japan for ninja training so he'll be able to avenge his father's murder.
  • realultimatepower
    February 12, 2009
    realultimatepower
    People are throwing stuff all movie.
  • RandomHeroNo1
    January 21, 2009
    RandomHeroNo1
    David Bradley takes over from Michael Dudikoff as the American Ninja in this one, which is a good and bad thing. Bradley's martial arts are better than Dudikoff's but his acting isn't
  • azdw
    May 12, 2008
    azdw
    Review will be written when/if re-watched (Probability: Zero).

    First viewing: 30.08.1997
  • ltanusaputra
    January 1, 2008
    ltanusaputra
    It's not as good as the first two movies
  • tinge
    December 23, 2007
    tinge
    Another B-flick.. the flicks and the story get lousier and lousier.. nothing really special about it.. I had seen a couple of part from the flick on the TV earlier.. but just the end.. =) So I watched it again.. haha =) The fights are really BAD!!! Maybe cause the flick is almost...( read more) 20 years old.. but still! =)

View All American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt Reviews

Critic Reviews

No recent reviews.

Comments

This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt" !

Post A Comment | View All Comments

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.

Official Trailer

View Larger American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt Trailer

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • American Ninja 5
    American Ninja 5 (100%)
  • American Ninja
    American Ninja (100%)

More Movies like American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt

Theater Showtimes & TV Listings

American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt Trivia

  • Which edition in the low-budget action series American Ninja did not have Michael Dudikoff in the leading role as super-ninja Joe Armstrong?  Answer »
More American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?