Bloodsport II - Die nächste Herausforderung

I can say this Bloodsport is as good as the first one but this has better fighting scenes. This has better fighting than 1 and 3. I haven't seen the fourth one though. Well all I can say is it's very good. Watch this movie because in my view it's worth watching.

No pun intended - I don't know if the honor code and the fighting code even matters to you. It was quite the paper thin string that held the first movie together. Now I can't really say if this is supposed to play in the same universe as the first one. But you do get Jackson back (D. Glib) ... which I guess is a nice touch.

What I do agree with others: the fight scenes are at least as good as the first one. Sometimes probably even better. The main actor (from Swiss) is really good - he is a stunt coordinator or became one if I got it right. So he knows his stuff. And you also get two other greats in this: Pat Morata (Karate Kid/Miyagi) and James Wong - nice touch to say the least.

The story is paper thin - it even copies certain beats (like the last opponent of our main bad guy before he takes on our hero ... and the reaction to it. But even in that moment you can tell what the biggest flaw of the movie is: it does not have a good enough villain ... and by good enough I mean bad enough of course (yes my puns, you know you love them).

And all told like a fairy tale of sorts ... why not? Maybe a cautionary tale even? Who knows ... who cares?

Alex, notorious street fighter and thief, meets the kung fu master Sun in prison, who teaches him the deadliest of all martial arts disciplines: "the iron hand". However, after his release, Alex has to fight in "Kumitte" - brutal full-contact fights without rules. Alex quickly realizes that there is much more at stake. He has to fight for his life...

I didn't expect this to be better than Bloodsport, it's hard to top that 1988 classic, however this sequel isn't too bad. It's watchable at least for the kumite and there's plenty of matches featuring an array of different styles. Donald Gibbs reprises his role as Jackson. Daniel Bernhardt, who resembles Van Damme and Sean Connery, does well as the hero. He fights well, though he lacks Van Damme's unique Belgian charm. The main villain, however, is bland and not as imposing as Bolo Yeung. The bits between the fights are so-so and isn't as interesting. Overall, a passable effort.

This is basically a realistic documentary on the totally real Kumite that totally happened in real life! wow! basically its like Mortal Kombat but without the costumes...

Actors: Although it doesn't have the classic fued between Van Damn and Bolo Yeung, it does have Donald Gibb. The new guy Daniel Bernhardt does a good job.

Fight Scenes: The fights are well done and the actors are athletic.

Music: Sounds somewhere in between Mortal Kombat and salsa dancing music.

Philosophy: To own something one must earn it, not steal it...or maybe both?

Conclusive Thoughts: The characters are not as interesting, one guy had clown style makeup on while fighting the first female warrior allowed in the tournament. The fight scenes with the generic fighters combined with the Mortal Kombat Salsa music worked well together. A backstory for some of the tournament fighters would make it more interesting and would add some plot depth.

It may have the usual tropes of a martial arts flick, but 'Bloodsport 2' is a decent dtv sequel that stands on it's own without ruining what came before it. I'm really surprised at how competent this turned out to be instead of a drag. The fisticuffs display decent choreography, plus some known faces and a story that traces betrayal, redemption, friendship. This was my first time seeing Daniel Berndhardt too though the man was no stranger to these types of flicks.

Alex Cardo (Bernhardt) a self centered thief steals a valuable katana from wealthy businessman Mr. Leung (Pat Morita) in Thailand. When his partner John (Philip Tan) betrays him, he's caught and sent to prison where he meets Sun (James Hong). A man who teaches him to be a better person and a mystical martial art 'Iron Hand'. He also learns about a Kumite coming up and how brutal head prison guard Demon (Ong Soo Han) has entered. Leung uses influence to free Alex who enters the tourney, but at the price of getting back the katana.

Coming in at a light 80 mins nothing here will surprise a seasoned viewer of b-movies and there's some undeniable weak elements. The Kumite just happens to be taking place there instead of Hong Kong (as before) and you just have to roll with it. Ditto a lone lady fighter which doesn't come off very well. On the plus side, Alex's arc from being an a-hole to trying to atone for his sins comes off well. Morita, Hong are fun to see though the latter shouldn't be in a fight scene. Like the first title, different fighting styles get shown off and it was a hoot to see Donald Gibbs return as Jackson too.

Obviously low budget fare, 'Bloodsport 2' suffers from a scattered story and some suspect editing. Definitely juggling one too many friendly characters by the end. However I was glad it didn't trash the original unlike 'Kickboxer 2'. Demon is shades of Bolo Leung and Berndhardt comes off pretty well. I'll give 'Bloodsport 3' a chance seeing as how decent this turned out.