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Happy 60th Birthday Michael Dudikoff!!
Can't believe how time flies. One of the 1980's action movies icons!
Posting the full movie American Ninja in his honor.
I am posting these two full movies as well:
Get your NINJA on!
American Ninja 1 (1985)
American soldier, obviously very skilled in martial arts, sing-handely takes on mercenaries in the Phillipines.
Trivia:
- Domestic box office grosses for the picture totaled $10,499,694. SG's note: wonder if that number factors in video rentals?
- Body count: 114
- Chuck Norris was originally cast to play the title role.
- Michael Dudikoff knew no martial arts before filming began.
- Steve James said in an interview that Michael Dudikoff was anxious about working with him, since James knew martial arts and Dudikoff didn't and he didn't want to be shown up. James even requested his final fight scenes be filmed on the other side of the compound, far away from Dudikoff, to avoid any further problems. It wasn't until halfway through filming the sequel that the two of them set their differences aside.
- In an interview with German media in 2012, Michael Dudikoff revealed he had contracted malaria during filming, and that he can be seen to be excessively sweating at the end of fight scenes as a result.
- Director Sam Firstenberg admitted in an interview that audiences didn't like seeing a woman ninja in Ninja III: The Domination (1984). This is why Cannon Films sought to find a "James Dean"-like action star to be the ninja in this film. The studio wanted someone who looked like James Dean, didn't talk much and seemed to carry a chip on his shoulder. During this process Sam auditioned 2000 actors and narrowed it down to 200. Though Michael Dudikoff had no martial-arts training, he had the look Cannon was looking for and was cast in the lead.
- Director Sam Firstenberg has stated in an interview that his two favorites of the films he's directed are this one and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984). He said that this film "has a special quality of innocent, true friendship, love and youthful idealism."
For more information, please check:
NOTE: Props to my friend Louis G. for the nudge.
