Rage and Honor II

Not having seen the first 'Rage and Honor', but being a fan of Richard Norton and Cynthia Rothrock, I picked up 'Rage and Honor II' from an ex-rental stand of cheap videos at a local video rental store. I must say that I was pretty impressed.

Rothrock plays Kris Fairchild, a U.S. Government agent undercover in Indonesia investigating a money laundering operation. Norton plays Preston Michaels, an ex-cop hiding out in Indonesia and running a boxing gym. After they both get a shot at beating up the same thugs, Fairchild and Michaels find themselves up against local crime syndicate lead by Buntao (Frans Tumbuan).

Naturally, as a direct-to-video martial arts movie, little attention is paid to plot, dialog, acting, etc. Don't get me wrong though, the plot seems a little TOO developed to belong in a martial arts movie, but that gets balanced out by some of the terrible dialog.

Action wise, the movie is pretty good. Norton and Rothrock give a good showcase of their butt-kicking abilities. There are some good fight scenes, and the requisite number of explosions and car chases to keep all action fans satisfied.

Richard Norton needs to be in more movies. His awesome Australian accent makes every other character sound like dorks. I'm quite impressed by the number of times he managed to use the term '****ing crazy' in this movie. I probably should have counted. Next time.

'Rage and Honor II' is a good martial arts movie, but that's all. Fans of martial arts, or action movies in general, should give it a go - 7/10

I've seen most of the movies on Cynthia Rothrock's filmography, and I have yet to see a movie of hers that is actually good. I will admit that this particular effort isn't as bad as some of her other films (like 24 HOURS TO MIDNIGHT), but all the same I found this movie tough to sit through at times. It is filmed entirely in Indonesia, but the locations chosen are almost all so generic that one might swear the movie was filmed in Los Angeles. Those who rent this movie with the feeling you'll get to see Rothrock kicking a lot of butt will be disappointed. Her fights aren't that spectacular (actually, *none* of the fights in the movie are exciting), and she doesn't have that many fight scenes. In fact, at times Rothrock's character seems to be an afterthought - she appears somewhat less in the movie that you might think. But the biggest fault of the movie is that it's really dull at times, fairly lifeless and unenergetic. You can safely skip this one.

1992's 'Rage and honor' surprised me by being more balanced and mindful in its writing and storytelling than I anticipated. While only loosely connected, I'm pleased to say that 1993's 'Rage and honor II: Hostile takeover' quite follows that approach, and if anything is arguably a step up from its predecessor. Make no mistake, this is still second-tier action/crime thriller territory, but for being B-grade, it's gratifyingly solid. Stunts and fight choreography are terrific, and emphasized here even more than they were in the first film. Darryl Way's music is even tighter, helping to build the mood in any given scene, and some meaningful tension and suspense. There's no risk of this movie being mistaken for a major blockbuster, but I think it's a pretty great time!

It's noteworthy that this is the film debut of actor Patrick Muldoon. Perhaps more relevant to the craft of this, specifically, it's the directorial debut of Guy Norris, the first writing credit for Steven Reich, and the only writing credit for Louis Sun. Experience or the lack thereof is no guarantor of quality, and 'Hostile takeover' kind of proves it in my opinion. One of the biggest sticking points for me in features like this - sequels, at that - is how established characters will be purported to find themselves in an entirely different locale; very often the meeting is altogether contrived. Here, the continued partnership of lead characters Kris and Preston seems natural and genuine. That rather goes for the screenplay at large, truthfully. There will always be a degree of Movie Magic behind any action film, sure, but the story feels plausibly real and believable, and is duly absorbing as a viewer - with a twist late in the length I admit I didn't see coming. The scene writing is strong, suitably varied to remain fresh, and geared always toward invigorating fun. Characters and dialogue are likewise well considered - diverse, with secrets, and differing values and motivations; and a little cheekily overt, as it helps to build the plot.

'Rage and honor II' trades in a fair bit of the levity that characterized its antecedent, becoming more seriously-minded in the process. That doesn't make it any less entertaining, though, particularly as it seems to me like the action is given higher priority in its stead. Why, though this marked only Norris' first venture as director, he has experience in other capacities with action flicks that tells me he had a fine sense of what this picture needed. Indeed, he arranges some fine shots; my chief critique is perhaps that camerawork and editing, broadly worthy, are often overzealous when it comes to fight scenes. Yet that's the only especial point to come to mind as a shortcoming, and otherwise it's just a question of personal preference, and how well the feature achieves its goal of being a jolly action romp. And I think it succeeds very well.

All manner of technical construction and rounding details look fine - blood, explosions, hair and makeup, costume design. Acting tends to take a backseat in titles such as this, but for what it's worth I believe Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton, Muldoon, and their costars all illustrate able skills to help bring their characters and the story to life. The end result of all this is an action/crime thriller that consciously operates on a level below that of major studio productions, but makes the most of that space with action, storytelling, and film-making that is nonetheless of deserving, enjoyable quality. I sat to watch 'Rage and honor' and 'Rage and honor II' with mixed expectations, as some movies of this nature are a marvelous joy, and others fall flat. As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the good ones - an engaging, satisfying slice of cinema that I think most fans of action flicks could appreciate. Recommendable most of all for fans of the cast, I give 'Hostile takeover' an earnest thumbs up!

In comparison to the first "Rage and Honor", this sequel comes out on top in three ways:

1) Better-shot fight scenes

2) Exotic setting (Indonesia) and higher production values (which allow for some chases and explosions along with the martial arts)

3) A good, unexpected twist near the end

On the other hand, it lacks the colorful supporting cast of the first movie (only Patrick Muldoon stands out - the villain and his henchman are generic), and in the final fight it is obvious that Richard Norton's opponent cannot measure up to him, so there's no chance of a good fight scene.

But on the whole, I found this sequel a slight improvement on the original. (**1/2)

Cynthia and Richard team up for another good martial arts Movie. Rage and Honor 2 This movie focuses more on Richard Norton's character. The plot twist at the end you didn't see coming. The introduction of Richards character in the Bar fight was great. 4 on 1 and the fight was believable

Also the the bird and his commentary of the fight was hilarious. The villain being just a bystander was great. The country also was a character in the movie. The background made you feel you were there.

I also like the fact that some of the same actors were in both films Rage and Honor 1/2. A perfect double feature for a Saturday day afternoon.