Comando Final 2: Hora das Consequências

It has taken slightly more than a decade for someone to pull off an 'SPL' sequel, but not for a lack of trying. Hey, it isn't quite so straightforward to make a sequel to a movie which had the balls to kill off each one of its three main characters played by Donnie Yen, Hung and Yam, and this long-awaited sequel is even more gratifying because it is in many ways as good as, if not better, than the original.

Rather than be tied down by the events of the first movie, incoming writers Jill Leung Lai-yin and Wong Ying have gone for a completely new narrative that honours the themes in the original. Yes, for the uninitiated, 'SPL' stands for the names of the three stars in Chinese astrology that signify destruction, conflict and greed, and just as these elements drove the characters in the first movie to their fateful end, so too do they propel the destinies of the main characters here – Kit (Wu Jing), a drug-addicted Hong Kong undercover cop in an organ trafficking syndicate who finds himself in a Thai prison after his cover is blown; Wah (Yam), his uncle and handler also assigned to the same case; and Chai (Tony Jaa), a guard at the prison Kit is locked up in whose daughter Sa is suffering from leukaemia and needs a bone marrow transplant soon.

As it turns out, the potential donor which the hospital has identified for Chai's daughter happens to be Kit, though both will remain unaware of that stroke of fate until much later. It is a somewhat implausible coincidence no doubt, one that we would readily scoff at in any other movie, but which you'll have to accept as being central to 'SPL 2's' very premise. The other intertwining thread of events has to do with Hung (Louis Koo), the ailing leader of the aforementioned syndicate which he runs with the corrupt prison warden Ko (Max Zhang) at the penitentiary Kit has been sent into. Hung himself is in need of a life-saving heart transplant, although because of his rare Bombay blood type, his only hope lies in his younger brother Bill (Jun Hung), whom he resorts to kidnapping when the latter refuses to donate his very organ.

Whereas the emphasis was very much on Yen's action and action choreography previously, this sequel pays a lot more attention to both character and storytelling. Indeed, each one of the many characters is distinctly defined by their proclivity to preserve their own life and/or that of a loved one, while being forced to confront how far they are willing to go to compromise their own sense of morality, justice or duty. In particular, Jaa gets his meatiest role yet playing a father who is forced to choose between a human cure for his daughter's blood ailment in exchange for his silence on the illegal skin trade happening right under his watch, and the actor gives probably his most nuanced performance to date. Also noteworthy is Koo's villainous turn, whose character justifying his selfish deed by the countless other lives he has saved before.

It is to Cheang's credit that the various narrative threads never get confusing, especially so at the start when he jumps back and forth to explain how Kit landed in prison. Though it may seem like a gimmick, the non-linear manner in which Cheang introduces us to his disparate characters eventually makes for a surprisingly compelling plot for a film of its genre, which often treats the latter as no more than filler in between the crowd-pleasing action sequences. Not that Cheang neglects the latter though – it is for its hard-hitting action that its predecessor was known for, and with action director Li Chung-Chi, this sequel honours that spirit with some truly exhilarating fights of its own.

Because Wu Jing, Zhang Jin and Tony Jaa are martial artists in their own right, there is no need for that sort of distracting camera-work that Hollywood action movies seem to be very fond of in recent years. Yes, Kenny Tse's cinematography is clean, simple and crisp, conveying the balletic moves of the stars who are front and centre in each and every one of the sequences. Li choreographs the poetic mayhem with flair, which consists of impressive set-pieces, such as a shootout at Hong Kong's new cruise terminal following a sting operation and no less than a full-scale prison riot filmed in one single unbroken tracking shot, as well as intimate mano-a-mano fights between the principal characters.

The best is saved for last, as Kit and Chai make their last stand against Ko and his henchmen in the penthouse of the Lotus Medical Centre in Thailand. The scenes towards the end where Kit and Chai tag-team to take down Ko are especially exhilarating, and most certainly match up to the sheer thrill of watching Donnie Yen and Wu Jing go at each other in a narrow alleyway in the first movie. Yes, those wondering if this sequel lives up to the action orgasm of its predecessor need not worry; the combination of Tony Jaa, Wu Jing and Zhang Jin makes for just a lethal concoction of bare-knuckle fights and bone-crunching violence.

But more than just a pastiche of well-staged action sequences stitched together, this sequel is a better film on the whole than the original thanks to an engaging story and some genuinely empathetic characters. Yes, the premise itself guarantees a certain degree of narrative contrivance, but Cheang's film preserves the no- holds-barred spirit of its predecessor while delivering a compelling crime/ morality thriller. It's as good a follow-up as fans will get, and well-worth the decade wait for one of the best action films you'll see this year.

A little misleading with Tony Jaa on the poster. He plays a prison guard whose trying to get help for his sick child, but his character is not as forefront as you'd expect, but it's all good cause Jaa brings the heat.

Most of Jaa's movies are designed like video games, with Jaa fighting a few random henchmen and then fighting the master of the level (sometimes more like a fighting game where Jaa fights one kung fu master, after the other). In this movie he's more dramatic than action oriented, which is why he keeps the marshal arts real basic.

But basic turns out to be good. Not brushing off what a huge fan I am of Jaa, but there is a certain gimmick he's going for in films like Ong bak as he showcases all he's capable of, but there was something about Jaa just doing the basic kicks and punches that felt more electrifying.

Plus he got to show that he has slightly a little more acting skill than we think (although the love he shows for his daughter is no different than the love he showed for the elephants in the Protector)

As for the rest of the film, it was certainly a well done crime drama. It's a very complex story filmed well and with great action sequences that keep you interested. Good watch.

I came into this movie with high hopes having been a huge fan of similar movies such as SPL, Flashpoint, and many of tony Jaa's films.

I always felt HK action movies' plots were only there to connect the action scenes together. I've never been too impressed with any plot from an HK movie, and unfortunately SPL2 continues that trend. The plot relies on far too many coincidences to occur and often times, the characters motivations seem really questionable.

If you can ignore the flimsy plot, you'll be treated to some of the best martial arts action since the original SPL. There are 4 actors in this movie that can REALLY fight and their skills are well highlighted in several scenes. The choreograph and framing of the scenes was so well executed allowing the viewer to fully appreciate the skills of the fighters. There are a handful of memorable fight scenes in the movie but special mention has to be reserved for the final fight. It's quite a lengthy scene and is full of extremely satisfying action. I'd rate it on par with any scene in SPL1 / Flashpoint..

9 seems like a very high rating given the substandard plot but i've been itching for a good martial arts movies and even the latest Donnie Yen / tony Jaa offerings have left me slightly disappointed. SPL2 reminds me what i love so much about Martial Arts movies and I'm glad there is so much promising talent in Wu Jing, Andy On, and Zhang Jin to replace the likes of Donnie Yen / Jet Li / Jacky Chan.

Note: Check me out as the "Asian Movie Enthusiast" on YouTube, where I review tons of Asian movies.

SPL 2: A Time for Consequences (2015) (Chinese Action/Drama).

Tony Jaa has been on a streak of underwhelming movies lately. I have yet to see his collaborations with Dolph Lundgren, but I can say that "Ong Bak 3" and "Tom Yum Goong 2" were not up to his previously established levels of quality martial arts action. Thankfully, he's back in form here. Wu Jing's manager wasted his talents on middling films for the past half decade, but he's back on track as well. SPL 2 is here.

I'm sorry, but you can have your Batman v. Superman movie, because Tony Jaa v. Wu Jing is every contemporary martial arts lover's dream come true . . . and it friggin' delivers! A drug-addict (Jing) and prison security guard (Jaa) try to save themselves and/or loved ones while trapped within a black market organ theft organization. This film spends quite a bit of time developing the story and characters, and is mostly successful at doing so despite a few improbable coincidences. The performances are good all-around, and both leads give what is likely the best performances of their careers. But what about the action? Well, it's very impressive and plentiful enough to satisfy. The choreography is fast and precise, with only marginal use of wires. Watching Jing and Jaa fight within the same camera frame is both orgasmic and exciting.

I was super excited to watch this film after seeing the action packed trailer. Flying knees, elbows and shoot outs seem like a no brainer for any action fan. After the initial opening you will come to realize it isn't just any run of the mill martial arts film and you get a sense that they try to inject story behind the punches being thrown. The film itself is outstanding to watch but you cannot dismiss some of the flaws in storytelling, plot and pacing.

The story follows two main characters and many sub characters. Chai works as a Thai prison guard trying to support his ailing child suffering from leukemia. Kit is an undercover cop from Hong Kong investigating a black market operation of organ theft. Their paths intertwine and eventually they uncover the importance of how they need each other's help to save Chai's daughter Sa. It seems simple but how this concept is presented is a bit confusing. During the intro they focus on Chai and then switch to Kit. As you get invested in Chai's emotional desperation to help his daughter you get pulled away and presented with Kit's story and his own battle against his inner demons. Then sub plots with sub characters get their time to shine afterwards and the story loses its focus before fully developing the main characters. To make matters worse the director uses flash back sequences and the locations of Thailand and Hong Kong randomly jumps making you confused of the language change and locale. It can also be argued that Chai's character is a bit selfish as he seems only to care about saving his daughter at the expense of others. Kit's character is generally just recovering from his drug binge so neither character has a strong hold on the viewer. As a martial arts movie I generally don't take story too highly into account since your here mainly for the action but since a huge chunk of the run time focuses on plot it cannot be ignored.

The action can be brutal and some crazy wire work is involved but most of the choreography is realistic. You won't see people flying across roofs and running up walls and all the main combatants bring their A game. The fights are beautifully shot and the ending battle is one of the best I've seen. Some things that pull you away and can be quite distracting is that characters will often suffer injuries where you believe that they will be critically disabled, but those said characters will be in the next scene without any problems. It pulls away from the immersion and doesn't make sense when you knew for sure that person had died or should've died.

Kill Zone 2 also suffers from pacing issues. Some areas of the story can be very slow since they are trying to flesh out the characters. You can probably tell they didn't do a superb job of it and so for the first half of the movie you get a little action and a lot of dialogue. Then the movie starts to pick up and for the ending they kind of said eff it and threw non-stop action with very little story.

Kill Zone 2 has everything a martial arts fan can ask for. Story, top action stars and beautifully shot battles make it for a thrilling viewing experience. You just can't help but feel that this could've been a true classic if some the story plots were ironed out and connected you better with the main stars. The pacing may turn off action junkies for the first half but as the pace picks up it won't let you go.