Mission suicide

Take one part Missing In Action and one part Romancing the Stone and mix it with total incompetence in front of and behind the camera and you get this junk. Painfully awful with some of the worst choice in score you'll ever see. They seriously use silent comedy music for action and dramatic scenes. It's almost funny how bad this is, but it never gets so bad it's good. Save 90 minutes of your life and avoid this.

Strike Commando 2 (1988)

* (out of 4)

Here's another ultra-cheap action picture from Bruno Mattei. This time out, Michael Ransom (Brent Huff) must go into the jungles of Vietnam as his old squad leader is being held ransom. Once there the kidnappers are demanding some priceless diamonds for his return but Ransom has his own way of dealing with things.

Once again we are treated to another awful film from the one and only Bruno Mattei who has pretty much become a legend to bad movie fans because of his willingness to do whatever it takes to make something unoriginal. The first STRIKE COMMANDO was a really bad film but it did offer up a lot of bad action scenes and explosions. That stuff happens, to a lesser degree, here as well but this film also plays the Mattei game of ripping off other movies. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARC, LETHAL WEAPON and RAMBO II are just some of the films that get ripped off here.

I must admit that I was a little shocked to see a lot more dialogue and story here compared to the first film but I'm going to guess that the budget got slashed before the production started. I say that because the first film was mostly action but that's not the case here as the action doesn't really start until the finale. With that said, I must admit that I enjoyed this one here slightly more than the first because the dubbing was so bad that you couldn't help but laugh at some of the dialogue and the way it was delivered.

Huff flexes his muscles throughout but the real shock to the cast is Richard Harris. I was shocked to see him in a film from Mattei and what's stranger is that he isn't just in a walk-on part but instead he appears throughout the movie in a rather large part. Perhaps the action scenes budget was cut to give more money to Harris? Who knows but STRIKE COMMANDO 2 is pretty much what you'd expect it to be.

Vietnam vet Michael Ransom (Brent Huff) is sent by the US Government into Burma to save his old commander (Richard Harris). He is ordered to pay a ransom (ha!) of $10 million dollars in diamonds. Naturally, he encounters trouble along the way. At first glance this Bruno Mattei flick might merely appear to be a RAMBO clone. But Mattei is no fool as he shamelessly rips off RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and ROMANCING THE STONE in this one. No joke, Mattei lifts the drinking scene and truck chase nearly frame-by-frame from RAIDERS.

Of course, if you enjoy this type of stuff like I do than you are in for a treat. Brent Huff is no match for Reb Brown in the role of Michael Ransom but he does well enough. And your eyes are not betraying you when you see noted thespian Richard Harris in this as the commander. I guess he wanted to star in something that made ORCA look credible on his resume. Female lead Mary Stavin is quite attractive, especially when she sneaks into the camp in a black wig. For some odd reason, Mattei decided to give this film a soundtrack like THE STING, which only enhances the comedy (the unintentional stuff, not the stuff they want you to laugh at).

A whiskey stream of consciousness review.

What did Richard Harris get paid for this film?!?! He must've needed some fundage to keep up with his notorious hellraising habits. Directed by Bruno "the man of many names other than his own" Mattei. There are actually a few nice shots and sequences spoiled by bad acting, script, and production design.

Love the scene where Ransom picks up Rosanna Boom and tosses her in the truck. Hilarious. Can't get over how much Mary Stavin (Boom) looks like Dolores O'Riordan, the late lead singer of the Cranberries. Brent Huff (Ransom) reminds me of Chris Cuomo. Fake newscaster and fake action star. Ha!

Yes, this film rips off Raiders of the Lost Ark in so many ways. If only they could have gotten a better keyboard player. Still trying to figure out why Ninjas are in Vietnam. There are scenes ripped from Rambo First Blood Part 2 and Predator as well. The movie looks like it was filmed 10 years before Predator, but was released the year after.

The clown keyboard music throughout the film adds to the ridiculousness and is probably the most appropriate style decision made. I'm guessing the choice was dead serious. Not quite the Troll2 of return to Vietnam flicks, it's close. The first Strike Commando is a much better film even though part 2 had the better budget. I'm guessing most of it went into Harris's bottle. If you like baddies, drink up. If you want more action, skip it. Wallowed through with Old Grandad 114.

Well, I would have hoped a director as mighty as Bruno Mattei might be one to break the curse of inferior sequels. Sadly not, but he does his best here with the odds stacked against him. This time around he doesn't have the incomparable Reb Brown, massive amounts of firepower and corresponding bodycount nor hysterical emoting, and his various "inspirations", tend to be lighter (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Romancing the Stone, Lethal Weapon as well as Rambo 2 and other jungle actioners), so really the ultimate product was bound to be flawed, and it is, but it still pretty much rocks so its all good. Brent Huff takes over the Mike Ransom role, and while he lacks the stately magnificence of Reb Brown does a solid job, a smart, rough and tumble tough guy who can come into his own when the going gets hard. Mary Stavin plays a bar owning partner and love interest of sorts, bold, brassy, badass and not to mention beautiful she proves an ideal counterweight to the macho end of the scale. Italian schlock regulars Massimo Vanni and Ottaviano dell'Acqua (Rats: Night of Terror) appear as well, but the most plaudits go to the great Richard Harris. The cosmos only knows what strange wheels turned to put Richard Harris in a Bruno Mattei film but he gives it his all, a turn of authority and dignity forged in total commitment, he plays the material as if it were Oscar worthy and the effect his marvellous, his scenes tremendously entertaining. The star power can't entirely distract from the fact that the film is a bit too light hearted, and doesn't have quite enough action, explosions, wannabe gruelling violence or deranged tilts at pathos to be truly great, there are certainly classy bits (often involving useless ninjas) but overall there's a slightly underpowered feel to things. Still, I can't say as this isn't pretty solid entertainment. You'll laugh, you'll roll your eyes, you may in some small moments feel your pulse start to quicken but most importantly, you'll likely won't feel bored. So worth a watch for fans of this sort of thing.