GI Joe (Dudikoff) is the new boy on campus, a silent recruit fresh to the forces with an amnesiac mind and smart ninja skills. His fighting capabilities lead to respect from his buddies within the institute, and soon he is putting his skills to great use when corrupt generals and their hoards of ninja bodyguards collaborate on a racket to ship stolen weapons into South America. The normal rituals ensue: he gets it on with the general’s daughter and makes friends with macho buddy Jackson (James), and together they shoot, smash and stab their way to justice. But this is Dudikoff’s bag: baby-faced and charmless, the guy comes alive in a series of swift ninja battles and heroic punch-ups that almost make you forget the film’s ridiculousness. Braindead violence rules, and continues in many sequels.