As soon as 'Fast getaway II' begins, the movie endeavors mightily to illustrate that it's a faster, slicker, more hip follow-up to its predecessor. I don't necessarily mean that in a condescending way; scene writing does feel tighter, helping to build a more meaningful sense of freewheeling fun and excitement even as it's all a smidgen too pointedly over the top. This goes for David Robbins' original score, too, and Oley Sassone's direction. Protagonist Nelson is at least as unlikable here as he was in the first movie, though there is a slightly stronger air of sincerity about the feature in general. And, hey - four familiar faces return from the 1991 film, so that counts for something! In addition to star Corey Haim, Leo Rossi, Cynthia Rothrock, and Ken Lerner all reprise their characters, and that measure of continuity is welcome, even if there's an obvious and unexplained time skip from where one picture ended and this one picks up.
Unfortunately, the cast isn't the only element to return. There's more detectable intelligence and cleverness in the narrative, and in the dialogue, true. There's also strains of sexism, juvenile humor, storytelling tropes, and a certain neatness to some of the course of events that's less than believable. Mark Sevi's writing is more careful, allowing a more complex and mindful plot to develop in its own time, though the trade-off is a slowed pace and less immediate energy. Peter Liapis is duly stone-faced as Rankin, though I'm unsure if I hate the character because he's despicable as written, and Liapis succeeds in embodying that, or because the acting we see here from Liapis is about as dynamic as John Wayne. In a few too many ways, 'Fast getaway II' is quite a mixed bag. I don't mean to say it's bad, not by any means, but just as much as some aspects seem an improvement on its predecessor, others seem exactly on par.
One more element to consider is that a primary strength of the 1991 feature was robust action to complement the light comedy. Great stunt work and otherwise finely orchestrated sequences did much to build the entertainment in a picture that struggled to be especially noteworthy. 'Fast getaway II' carries itself with a more straightforward crime thriller vibe to pair with its comedy. While it can to an extent claim some of the same bombast, it almost entirely waits until the climax to show up - and at once feels both more overblown in comparison to the tone in the rest of the feature, and more restrained relative to the antecedent. Factor in a failure to actually resolve the plot, and I admit I'm a little befuddled.
Just as was true with 'Fast getaway,' I can't say I didn't have a good time in watching this. The value only just outweighs the faults and deficiencies, but it's not like this direct-to-video sequel had any pretenses of being something it wasn't. All the same, while more polished in its fundamental craft, 'Fast getaway II' lacks the more wild sensibility that helped to propel the first. If you have the chance to watch this, you could certainly do worse. It's most recommendable for fans of the cast, or as an uncomplicated movie to put on for a lazy afternoon. There's no need to specifically seek it out, but if flawed, it's good enough for what it is.
