|
NO
RETREAT, NO SURRENDER 2 (1987)
A.K.A.
- No Retreat, No Surrender II; Karate Tiger 2; Raging Thunder
Reviewed
by Tony Ryan
This
was originally intended to be a direct sequel to the first 'No
Retreat, No Surrender' 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.
Rating:
 
|
