Kill Zone 2

An unrelated sequel that sees Wu Jing and Simon Yam returning in new roles. Actually "SPL 2" had a strong cast with all round solid performances. For me Louis Koo stood out as he simply oozed of creepy menace as the mastermind of the major crime syndicate in urgent need of a heart transplant that only his unwilling brother could provide, causing the ripple effect to what was to implode.

To start off I was kind of lukewarm, but steadily the characters and story, which heavy on context and definition began to grow on me and eventually come on big. There's no trying to connect the dots, as each thing is laid out in front of you in a careful, deliberate manner involving undercover police operations, organ trafficking, kidnappings, corruption and a sick little girl in need of a bone marrow donor. This leads to everything coming around 360 degrees in a real twist of fate when all these pivotal elements collide beyond their control and the usage of the action felt more in line with the story.

The action choreography on the other hand won me over from the get-go. No camera tricky, and few quick edits in what was technically flawless in the picturesque framing of the high risk stunts, bone crunching martial arts, or hyperbolic shootouts and lethal blade work. Each exhilarating set-up seemed to up the ante, although for me it peaked at the midway point with the prison riot. But still the ballistic showndown finale between Tony Jaa, Wu Jing and Zhang Jin is nothing short than spectacular including the backdrop where it takes place. In spite of some clunky story-telling, it's riveting HK action cinema

...i'm not a big fan of any stars of this movie. ...but...surprisingly..it was a pretty good movie... ...an excellent one probably for fans of martial arts and action movies... ...has plenty of hand to hand combat and lots of gun-play too... ...had dramatic moments which were fairly touching..loved the little girl in this movie... ...the movie has Simon Yam in it...that's a bonus for any movie... ...excellent action in the first major set-piece in the hong kong boat terminal. ...fans of action movies will not be disappointed..guaranteed.. ...fairly good watch for just movie fans too....

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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.

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.