| Nobody could have possibly expected there to be a sequel after "No Retreat, No Surrender", which really, at first glance, appears to look more like a standalone type of film with its own story. I remember bypassing this film each time I cruised through the martial arts section of the video store; I had good reason too, considering all of the Art Camacho and Don Wilson crap cluttering the shelves. In a nutshell, I had very low expectations for American martial arts cinema, even after having seen films like "Mortal Kombat" and "Drive". And I would not be surprised if people still overlooked this title on the shelf if they ever saw it. However, one must consider that after seeing the first film,that the standards would more than likely be the same as, or better than the first movie, especially if you look closely at the box and find Ng See Yuen's name, listed as the film's producer for Seasonal Films Corporation in Hong Kong.
With that in mind, welcome yourself to another one of the most undercredited action movies in the history of martial arts entertainment, "No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder", which headlines a whole new story of its own, separating itself from that of the first film, with new cast members including Cynthia Rothrock, Max Thayer, Matthias Hues, and introducing Loren Avedon as the protagonist of this incredible martial arts action piece.
The film features a story that combines a little bit of everything used in both Hollywood and Hong Kong films, like Lone Wolf McQuade, Rambo, Eastern Condors and Magnificent Warriors. This is probably a good thing since the first film caps itself off nicely with a closed, happy ending, which is something that not a lot of films do these days; Often at times, we find ourselves watching open-ended movies, which becomes very frustrating at times, especially if the film promises a sequel that never gets made in the long run. And, while some sequels work for certain franchises, there is a long list of Hollywood A and B list movies where sequels don't really do much justice for their respective franchises, or consumers for that matter.
With that said, the film gives the "no Retreat, No Surrender" franchise a fresh new start with a revamped look into the world of crossover martial arts action for U.S. audiences.
As far as the film's deliverability goes, it bares the unfortunate tendency to leave a significant amount of room for improvement, particularly and mainly, with regard to the acting. The performances are pretty good, and befitting for the film's sub-genre in which, needless to say, not a lot of Hong Kong or American martial arts action movies focused much on the mechanics of acting and drama, rather than precision fight choreography and stuntwork. And of course, with Corey Yuen Kwai directing the film, the action is going to be quite terrific, emulating the very essence of Hong Kong-stylized fight fight choreography and stuntwork that made Hong Kong movies in the eighties so successful.
Personally, I really do not blame Corey Yuen Kwai for focusing so much on the film's action sequences rather than the mechanics of Academy Award winning acting skills. Kwai stuck to what he knew in order for the film to work, leaving it up to the actors to perform as best as they could make it look on screen.
Although honestly, it certainly would've been nice to have the best of both filmmaking elements for the overall quality if the film. But let's face it, the just isn't that kind of film...
...This one is old school, straight up and down!
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS: No Retreat, No Surrender, No Retreat No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers, King Of The Kickboxers, My Lucky Stars, Midnite Angels 3, Fong Sai-Yuk, The Delta Force, Lone Wolf McQuade, magnificent Warriors, Eastern Condors, Righting Wrongs, Simon Sez, U.S. Seals 2: The Ultimate Force, Special Forces, Born To Fight, Banlieue 13, Tom Yum Goong, Kampfansage: The Last Apprentice, Extreme Heist and The Shepherd. |
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