Kickboxer 2 followed up the first successful Kickboxer, but minus Van Damme. David Sloan (played by Sasha Mitchell) is now the focus, the apparent 3rd brother of Kurt and Eric Sloan from the 1st movie. Sasha Mitchell may not be anywhere as close to Van Damme in the athletic department, but that doesn't hurt Kickboxer 2 at all. Sasha Mitchell is a better actor and as a whole, Kickboxer 2 does a better job than the 1st movie in that department. The story is pretty decent too - this time both characters (good and evil) are out for revenge. The evil is Tong Po, who returns from the 1st Kickboxer, played by Michel Qissi. He only has one line in the movie and doesn't appear until much later on, but it is a grand appearance. Matthias Hues (Death Match, Blackbelt, No Retreat No Surrender 2) also has a role in the movie, fighting David early on in the ring, the 1st of 3 fights in the movie. Vince Murdocco (Ring of Fire, To Be The Best) is also one of the main characters, who fights Tong Po, the 2nd fight in the movie. This match is all in slow-motion, but it is the only slow motion fight I have ever enjoyed, creating a sense of suspense that supports a main element in the story. The final fight of course is between David and Tong Po, which is about 5-1/2 minutes in length. It is mostly slow-motion once again, but is still quite entertaining and bloody, with broken glass glued and taped to the fists (same used in the 1st Kickboxer).
Kickboxer 1 is definetly a Van Damme classic. Kickboxer 2 began a different path, but in no way did it succeed in being a bad martial-arts film. I highly recommend this if you want to see some good fights backed by a decent story. |
Kickboxer 2: The Road Back [Region 2] dvd movie.![Kickboxer 2: The Road Back [Region 2]](/pictures/Kickboxer-Road-Back-m.jpg)