Hard Target 2

When I herd that Hard Target 2 was going to be on Netflix, I was all set to jump at the chance to see it, but I must admit that I was a little upset to see the film starred Scott Adkins and not Jean Claude Van Damme.

Not that I don't love Scott Adkins, I do. He's this generations' marshal arts action star, but possibly because I'm such a huge fan of Van Damme and the idea that he can still do the high flying kicks that made him worth loving is the reason why it took me so long to see it.

The wait was well worth it. Of course it's not as good as the first one. Like I said the 1st one had Van Damme and was directed by John Woo in his first American picture, Just before Hollywood thought enough of him to temper with his genius. Not to mention that Lance Henriksen and Arnold Vosloo played possibly the first gay villains I ever seen on the big screen.

But like I said, Scott Adkins is this generations answer to Van Damme. In Hard Target 2, Adkins plays a Mixed Marshal Arts fighter (stretch), who accidentally kills his best friend in the ring. Filled with depression, he accidentally signs up to be hunted in Indonesia by a group of rich bastards, but of course "They picked the wrong man to hunt'"

It's interesting that happens though. When you play a game like Hard Target, eventually you will pick the wrong man to hunt, and man, you do not want to be on the team when that happens. There was at least two characters: A billionaire game developer and the son of some rich gun totting type who were hoping to start off with something a little simpler. Rounding out the variety of the hunters was a women with daddy issues and some famous Spanish guy looking for a thrill.

It's an action packed sequel. Not the best fighting Adkins has done in a picture (That I think was Undisputed 2 and 3), but I think Hard target 2 will work on those guys who never herd or don't really know who Adkins is. It's a great way to introduce him to the audience with a group of people wondering why Van Damme is not in it, but will not be disappointed with Adkins.

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I didn't go into this with high expectations, even as a guilty fan of Scott Adkins and Rhona Mitra, but lo and behold it was too subpar to enjoy. That said, they shot on location which has to be appreciated so there's some meritable authenticity with the "sets." However most of the acting is painfully wooden, and while Adkins isn't an Academy nod he's still passable; his fighting is what you really want to see. Unfortunately a lot of the fight choreography wasn't that great, and you know you're watching a low-grade movie when you can blatantly discern punches and kicks not connecting. Adkins still had a few cool scenes but they get lost in the slew of sappy clichés, cringey dialogue, and laughable plot. Robert Knepper was really the only credible character, who, besides Mitra's fleeting scenes, added some personality to the cesspool.

Uh, I'm sorry I gave up my time to watch this. The main issue is how dumb, clichéd, and slow it is.

After the first few minutes I should have stopped watching it - I must be just as dumb, if not more so, that the creators of this movie because I watched most of it.

Watching it became painfully painful, like being softly but incessantly clubbed. I kept thinking, 'oh, this is so weak .. it has to get better.' It didn't.

I gave up before the end - I'm lucky that I didn't keep watching until the end because I probably would have died from head injuries. Still, I'm pretty damaged from just watching the three quarters.

The makers of this movie should have rather have donated the investment money to poor folks, honestly. They just wasted it.

Anyone remember the 90's? The age of mobile phones that looked like bricks and cheesy martial art action flicks?

Hard Target 2 is firmly set in the 90's action flick mould. Its simple formulaic stuff but its also good fun. There's no pretension here just lots or corny but enjoyable scripting and tons of kick ass action. Lead actor Scott Adkins is a worthy successor to Jean Claude Van Damme. He's a talented martial artist and puts on a polished performance, that really helps to lift this film.

One to enjoy if, like me, you grew up on a diet of 90's action flicks. Seven out of ten from me.

i didn't expect much from this one. and to be fair all i wanted to see at that moment, was a decent action flick. and surprisingly enough - i got it!

plot is predictable. i mean really. they did put some effort into developing main protagonist and it works, a bit. the acting is fairly average. but since this is an action film, let's get to action.

fight choreography is good, and one particular kill will catch you off guard(believe me i've seen it). since Adkins isn't playing Boyka, his technique is different, more simplified, but efficient enough.

there is a nice nod to the original HT and you will easily recognize it.

as for the supporting cast Rhona is playing a really stereotypical character, which was my main problem throughout the film. i mean she really can do better than that. Robert Kneppers main villain was decent enough to listen to his dialogue.

and for the last when you'll watch it make sure to know that some sequences take place simultaneously at different spots, so you won't feel lost in the pacing

overall i would give it 6.5/10 if you have enough time, watch it...