No Retreat, No Surrender 2

I just got the the NRNS trilogy today and watched "NRNS2". (I really only was looking to get the original because I collect van damme movies and of course it is his first action movie. But I was lucky enough to get the other 2 for free with it). I just wanted to write the IMDb fans of kung-fu and action flicks that that this was a decent low budget movie that gave me that feeling I haven't had in a while. that feeling of being a kid again and I wish I did see this one when I was a kid because it would of affected me even more. I felt like I had seen it before when I was watching it and was loving the low budget, bad acting you would expect from the time. this is a hidden classic for me now and im glad i watched it and now own it.

all you need to know about nrns 1 and 2 is.............

the fight scenes are wicked (even for today standards) speeding up the camera seems to be the staple of these movies (but it does make the action look hella good). And thats it....

good 80's nostalgia representing and now I cant wait to see number 3 (blood brothers)

Loren Avedon stars as Scott Wylde, a young kickboxer and martial arts pro living in Thailand with his Vietnamese heiress girlfriend. When she is kidnapped by a Russian gang, Scott enlists the help of his friends Mac (Max Thayer) and Terri (Cynthia Rodrock) to rescue her. Plenty of martial arts action (punctuated with explosions and shootouts) ensues as they confront the kidnappers in the aptly named Death Mountain region.

I didn't like No Retreat, no surrender much, the only highlight was seeing Van Damme, so I wasn't expecting much with this sequel. However, I was pleasantly surprised. It's an entertaining film, which has nothing to do with the first film. The actors are different namely Loren Adven, who, acting wise, is amateurish, but he's got a boyish charm. More importantly, he's a very skill fighter- fast and fluid. The fight scenes are energetic and inventive. The plot and the fights remind me of a Jackie chan film. Cynthia Rothrock also stars. Mathias Hues makes his debut here as a nasty villain with a penchant of throwing people into a crocodile-infested river. It's cheesy, humorous, and entertaining.

This was originally intended to be a direct sequel to the first 'NR, NS' which launched the career of a certain Jean Claude Van Damme. However Van Damme pulled out feeling the film would not have furthered his career while persuading co-star Kurt McKinney to do the same. As a result, the story was changed with Tae Kwon Do expert Loren Avedon and Matthias Hues drafted in to play the American and Russian stereotypes.

The basic synopsis sees Avedon's character call in some friends in an attempt to rescue his Thai girlfriend, while strangely coming across a contingent of the Russian army (camped out in the Vietnamese jungle!) in the process, as well as a group of fake Shaolin monks. (Blame Keith W. Strandberg for the script!).

Surprisingly, for an American film, there are some well executed and imaginative fight sequences predominantly showcasing the excellent kicking skills of Avedon. This is clearly the influence of Yuen Kwai who was not prepared to concede too much to the American filming and time constraints. The finale, while inferior to the first films final reel, features Cynthia Rothrock as a hard-hitting, tough talking helicopter pilot (not a cop/CIA/FBI agent for a change!) showing some of the moves which made her name on the Jade screen. This movie is one of the only 80's flicks that uses her real voice! Loren Avedon did not follow Jean Claude's example and stayed on after this film fulfilling his 3 picture contract, notably with the decent third instalment of the NR, NS series: 'Blood Brothers' with the excellent Keith Vitali (Yuen Biao's opponent in 'Wheels on Meals') and I am surprised he was never used in a 'real' Hong Kong picture as he is clearly skilled and quick enough to have made a good screen villain.

This sequel has nothing to do with the original film, but is connected that American kickboxers fight Soviet killing machines. This marked the debuts of Loren Avedon and Matthias Hues. The only flaw in the film was the short fight between Cynthia Rothrock and Hwang Jang-lee. If this was longer and Hwang didn't have any padding, the fight would've been spectacular. The finale between Avedon and Hues is blistering, especially when Avedon unleashes his awesome kicking. Pretty good for martial arts fans to enjoy!!!

No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder (1989) was a sequel only in name to the first film. Corey Yuen is back, Seasonal Films decided to make another film to the series. This time the movie's featured star is Cynthia Rothrock. The action is also co-directed by Hoi Meng.

The movie takes place in Southeast Asia. A couple of commandos along with a female agent are sent on a deep cover assignment. Their mission is to take out a suspected Soviet clandestine operation. Whilst in Thailand they discover that their mission has become a whole lot more complicated than they could have ever imagined.

The acting is not that great but it's adequate. Who's kidding themselves. Who goes to a movie like this and expect a cast full of thespians. The action set pieces are what we expect from the team of Hoi Meng and Corey Yuen, bone breaking action with a fair amount of blood letting. Cynthia Rothtock is phenomenal in her role. More action and less gabbing from her.

If you like no nonsense action films then this one's for you. Others need not apply because you'll be turned away from the nonsensical plot and pedestrian acting. But the action scenes are excellent and fun to watch.