Kill Zone 2

This movie is incredible. It's significantly better than the first (which I thought was awesome). There is much more action, done more creatively, shot amazingly. You can see everything, wide shots, and long takes. The action scenes are infinitely intense. You can't take your eyes off the screen.

But the thing that separates this movie is the story and characters. The story is phenomenal. It gave me The Departed vibes. I cared so much about the characters and their wellbeing. And the music was perfectly fitting.

This movie played with my emotions so many times. It knew exactly what it was doing. I knew exactly what it was doing. And I didn't mind. It did it so well. The emotional moments hit hard.

I would normally give it 8 stars and wait until the second viewing to confirm if it should be a 9, but I feel like some of the tension might be missing when I know the general outcome. As a first time viewing experience, I had a BLAST. I clapped in excitement numerous times (even though I watched it alone lol).

EDIT: On second viewing, it hit JUST AS HARD. I absolutely love this movie. Not only am I confirming 9 stars, I came close to bumping it to a 10, a rating I almost never give. I still might on third viewing.

(2 viewings, 2/16/2021, 7/9/2023)

I loved the story and at times it actually gets a little hard to follow since a lot is going on but eventually you will figure it out. After seeing this film TIFF midnight madness I raced home and I am currently trying to get a copy of SPL 1 Kill Zone. The fight scenes are incredible and if you are into that stuff you will go gaga for this film. It is strange some scenes are straight hand on hand combat, while others rely on knives and yet others focus on guns. But in the end the hand on hand fighting wins hands down. The jail house riot was well shot and the final fight scene had some incredible choreography. I really cant wait for SPL 3. The best part of the whole film is that after all the fighting, dying and blood shed it actually had a moral which is always nice. Do yourself a favor and see this movie. And if you can do so on the big screen even better.

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

When I think back on Tony Jaa's movies I remember mostly "B"/"C+" movies with "A" or "A+" moments. This is his first "A" movie. A majority of his movies in the past were really bad plots that led to fights where he demonstrates his talent as a stuntman, and his fighting style, which is always really tight on his ability to cut distance and overpower his opponents using his short strikes from long distances with his ability to tough out and withstand beatings that should kill him. This fight has all that but unfortunately it seems like they traded his stunt work for CGI...go Hong Kong... they did give him a scene where he and Wu Jing get into an amazing tight out of character fight, almost like an Iko Uwais scene, just still very Jaa. There was also a lot of character development and identity in the choreography, which is nice to see. This adds to my thoughts 15 minutes in when I was thinking about the maturity in both Jaa and Wu Jing. There are no elephants or statues causing a city to get terrorized in this one, it's all about family.

I agree that there were too many coincidences in the plot to consider it great, but I still found it all interesting and well done, up until the last ten minutes. At that point you could almost see the writers cutting the ribbon. None of this is as important as the work from Jaa, Wu, and Zhang.

This is the first non period piece that I'm going to get my girlfriend to try to watch with me. A scene that I predicted at the beginning of the movie made me tear up, and I think that even though she's not as into the action as I am, she'll enjoy it.

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.