Toss ninjas into an action movie, and entertainment is sure to follow. These masters of stealth, tricks and assassination have been the subject of discussion and interest for decades, and movie makers knew precisely how to capitalize on their mysterious past in order to sell a good picture.

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Not all filmmakers succeeded in the attempt, however. For every amazing ninja movie, there's one that is so terrible that it defies all conventional wisdom and common sense. Juxtaposing the best against the worst is great fun, and this collection of movies does just that.

Great: American Ninja (1985)

Michael Dudikoff as Joe Armstrong in American Ninja

American Ninja might not win any awards, but it's one of the most entertaining ninja moves on the block. It took a heavily abused action subgenre, and turned it into something fun to watch, primarily driven by the Golan/Globus team, who were cranking out action hits one after the other during the 1980s.

Michael Dudikoff played Joe Armstrong, a U.S. Army conscript who goes up against the Black Star Order, a group of ninjas involved the theft and illegal sale of United States weaponry. It's 95 minutes of high octane action, catchy 1980s charm, and some bright and colorful ninja action, sans much of the silliness of its peers.

Ridiculous: Revenge Of The Ninja (1985)

A masked ninja attacks in Revenge of the Ninja

Nothing is better than having a real life ninja starring in your film, and Sho Kosugi is one such man. Known for a string of memorable martial arts hits during the 1980s, Kosugi made his mark with 1985's Revenge of the Ninja. Though ninja fans regard it as a cult classic, it simply hasn't aged well enough to remain on the "great" list.

The fights aren't very well choreographed compared to the movies that have since come out, and it does fall victim to many of the clichéd trappings of Hong Kong ninja movies of the mid-80s. Still, the film has enough merit for diehards to sit through and be entertained, but don't expect any desire to watch it a second time.

Great: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Donatello and Michelangelo battle the villainous Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Ninja movies had taken a break in the latter half of the 1980s, but they experienced a major revival, particularly among young people when Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics were turned into a Saturday morning cartoon. Turtle Power soon took over the world, and it was only a matter of time before things went live-action.

The original TMNT movie is one of the absolute best. It blends the darkness and grit of the original comic books with the kid-friendly pop fun of the cartoon, and turns it into the perfect mix of both. The fights are dazzling and brutal, especially for a kid's movie, which caused a lot of ruckus among parental groups in 1990.

Ridiculous: The Miami Connection (1987)

Y.K. Kim stars in the cult classic The Miami Connection

It's unfair to classify The Miami Connection in the "ridiculous" category, even though it does fit the bill.  Y.K. Kim emptied his savings and put all his money into a passion project that fell flat on its face, only to be thrown into the meat locker for years, until it eventually saw a cult re-release. The movie got a new lease on life, thanks largely in part to word-of-mouth enthusiasm.

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The film is horrid in every way imaginable, yet simultaneously charming, fun and feel-good. Synthwave rockers Dragon Sound just want to party it up, but they are forced to contend with an evil ninja gang set upon them on the streets of Miami. The acting is atrocious, the fights are hit and miss, and it drips with kitsch, but that's part of the fun. It's definitely worth a watch, despite its status here.

Great: The Octagon (1980)

Chuck Norris takes on a gang of ninjas in The Octagon

The indominable Chuck Norris brought his trademark legs and stone-chiseled beard into the ninja movie realm with 1980's The Octagon. In contrast to a lot of the garbage coming out during the time, The Octagon was solid, competent and highly enjoyable to watch. By today's standards, the largely single-camera action takes are considered completely outdated, but that doesn't diminish the film as much as one might think.

Norris was in prime condition at this time, and he showcases it with lightning fast kicks, grapples and punches, not to mention some decent sword fighting scenes to give it a little ninja authenticity. It definitely ranks as one of the highest, yet underrated ninja films around.

Ridiculous: Ninja: American Warrior (1987)

Red and White ninjas battle it out in Ninja: American Warrior

No other film here as horrid and simultaneously hilarious as Ninja: The American Warrior. It's the brainchild of notorious Hong Kong film director Godfrey Ho, a man known for hastily putting together one action picture after another, with absolutely no regard for continuity, plot, or even title.

In fact, many of his movies are amalgamations of multiple films spliced together, making the plot incoherent. Such is the case with this film, which finds new ways to embarrass itself. Ninja is notorious for one side-splitting scene of a character shooting a grenade out of a bad guy's hand, which is replaced by a dummy for the actual shot. When the explosive goes off, the dummy's wig flies off before it slowly falls over.

Great: Ninja (2009)

Scott Adkins stars in the 2009 film Ninja

This 2009 action flick starring martial arts superhuman Scott Adkins goes straight for the jugular with a simple, direct title, and plenty of action scenes to satisfy fans of the genre. It's an up-to-date take on an over-the-top formula that just works, thanks largely in part to dazzling cinematography, inventive costume designs and some great fight scenes.

Adkins is the true star of the show, blending his dizzying, gravity-defying martial arts talents with some ninja flavor for the ultimate payoff. The film did well enough to spawn a sequel with Adkins returning in the role, but the original is still regarded as one of the coolest ninja flicks ever put to film.

Ridiculous: Ninja Fantasy (1986)

Two ninjas fight on the beach in Ninja Fantasy

Godfrey Ho makes the list again for another notoriously bad ninja movie that entertains purely on the basis of how hilarious and nonsensical it is. Once again, he splices together multiple films to create Frankenstein pictures with no intelligible plot or progression, to pave the way for one bad action scene after another.

The fights are hilarious, almost on purpose, with Godfrey pulling out all the stops to outdo himself from previous outings. The film is highly memorable for a beach battle including, of all things, exploding ninja fish.

Great: Ninja Scroll (1993)

Jubei battles his arch nemesis Gemma in Ninja Scroll

Anime brought ninjas to life in a huge way in 1993 with the release of Ninja Scroll. The film, along with Fist of the North Star, Akira and the unparalleled Ghost In The Shell made up the 1990s Western anime craze, when tons of movies were being imported from Japan through various distributors.

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Ninja Scroll is a flawless work of beauty from start to finish. The action is wildly good, the artistry is brilliant, and the pacing unbelievable. With a solid story to back it up, it remains one of the quintessential ninja movies of all time. Be forewarned: Ninja Scroll is loaded with shocking amounts of violence, gore and sexual assault.

Ridiculous: The Ninja Squad (1986)

An embellished ninja warrior from The Ninja Squad

The Ninja Squad is easily the worst ninja film ever made, and it isn't close. Every single bad action movie decision was rolled into one large cake, thrown in the oven, and burnt to a cinder. The costumes look like something out of a Power Rangers episode, the fights are hokey, unimaginative and dull, and the plot is devoid of logic.

The man in charge, of course, was Godfrey Ho. He would make headlines for luring in actor Richard Harrison, only for Godfrey to re-edit previously shot scenes into several ninja films without his knowledge, resulting in a falling out between the two. Looking back on The Ninja Squad, one can't fault the man.

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