kapecki

Beautiful southwestern scenery is the only redeeming virtue of this by-the-numbers revenge film. The ecological, pro-Native American theme seems more exploitive veneer than imaginative twist, and the direction lacks suspense or even much of a climax. Acting is dull and unconvincing, though William Atherton is on board to lend his trademarked sneer to the chief villain. There is little more to the plot than "heroine framed for parents murder; heroine kills the real murderers." None of the characters are developed at all, even to the limited extent of an action film. That's too bad, because I was prepared to like this movie, and yes, the scenery was nice.

If it weren't for the editing out of curse words and a superimposed blur when one character give another the finger, it would be easy to mistake this low-budget snoozer for a Sci-Fi channel pilot. The plot about the government's attempts to destroy a group of telekinetics it originally trained as military weapons ends ambiguously enough with the hero, himself gifted, in pursuit of a telekinetic survivor bent on revenge. Alas, the movie is talky, boring, predictable and even devoid of interesting special effects. Top-billed Louis Gossett, Jr. has a minor role as the evil government bureaucrat who originated the program and now wants to eliminate all traces. He walks through the part and it is hard to understand why he bothered. Other members of the cast do a decent job with a script that demands little.

Forget about the plot-it's something about injecting wrestlers with animal DNA with the intent of selling their super villain talents to the highest bidder-this sequel to the original Jet Li vehicle is strictly about action and style. Acrobatic flying fights, quick cuts, zooming cameras, and non-stop special effects ranging from the visually imaginative to the unfortunately tacky are what this film has to offer. Andy On has assumed the title role, and the addition of a tough little kid suggests that this may have been aimed at Power Rangers crowd, now in their teens. If you're willing to kick back and simply take in the visual pyrotechnics, Black Mask 2 is fun and certainly better mounted than most direct to video action sequels. If, however, you remember that director Hark Tsui once gave us `Once Upon a Time in China,' you may feel a little sad.