| Better described as a clichéd parody of the first rather than a true extension of it, I was embarrassed and let down by this film. Melodrama reigns in the movie, and no opportunity for a long, drawn-out chunk of emotion is unused. The first ABT worked so well because it knew when to use emotion, when to use action, and when to use guns. ABT2 is guilty of overkill in all three of these categories, and of cranking the dials up to 10 on all fronts without even the slightest hint of subtlety or style.
When things get melodramatic, they get OVERLY melodramatic (rice scene, refrigerator scene,) and when the guns come out, the guns are BLAZING in ridiculous fashion (the ending mansion scene.)
Perhaps I'm biased, since I am no fan of the trademark HK melodrama (which is pervasive in this film, even more so than in Bullet In The Head, the grand champion of bad melodrama) and appreciate gunplay immeasurably more when it is done sensibly and with measured effect, instead of senselessly & to the point of farce. |
