- Actors: Scott Adkins, Robert Knepper, Rhona Mitra, Ann Truong, Temuera Morrison
- Director: Roel Reine
- Writers: Dominic Morgan, Matthew Harvey
- Producer: Chris Lowenstein
- Format: NTSC, Subtitled
- Language: Hungarian (DTS 5.1), Russian (DTS 5.1), Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Polish (DTS 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Portuguese (DTS 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (DTS 5.1)
- Subtitles: Portuguese, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Czech, French, Greek, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Thai, Turkish, English
- Region: All Regions
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Rated: R
- Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
- Release Date: September 6, 2016
- Digital Copy Expiration Date: May 2, 2018
If every other
property from the 1980s and ’90s is being pillaged to make money off of sequels
and remakes, they might as well begin cashing in on Jean-Claude Van Damme
classics. This past week we saw the revival of the Kickboxer franchise, with Van Damme following in the footsteps of
Sylvester Stallone by retiring to the mentor role. Hard Target 2 also returns on home video, without Van Damme, or any
connection to the original film beyond loose similarities in the plot. Although
more technically accomplished and visually polished than a majority of DTV
action sequels, this film shares little beyond a title with John Woo’s original
film.
Hard Target 2 is essentially just
another mindless remake of The Most
Dangerous Game, which has been adapted from Richard Connell’s story
countless times since the 1930s. Although there are humans being hunted in the
first Hard Target, there was at least
a bit more complexity to the storyline. It involved a black market of organ
sales and a law enforcement strike opening up New Orleans to an all-out battle on the
streets. Hard Target 2 simply has a
group of hunters trying to kill a human being for sport in the jungle. Within
that simplicity are the film’s greatest assets and faults.
Beginning with a
great deal of unnecessary back-story involving an MMA fight ending in tragedy,
we are introduced to our new protagonist, Wes Baylor (Scott Adkins). After
accidentally killing his friend in the ring, Baylor has resorted to taking
dangerous underground fights as a way of repentance. Baylor thinks that he has
signed up for a fight in Myanmar,
but he shows up to find himself the prey in a game for wealthy hunters. They
are led by the man who organized the hunt, Aldrich (Robert Knepper), who is
willing to cheat to ensure none of the hunted survives. Baylor and others must
attempt to survive, despite being outnumbered and without weapons against a
group of advanced hunters.
The
original film included a great deal of gunplay, living up to Woo’s tradition of
bullet-ballet action. While Hard Target 2
does have a few moments that are an obvious homage to the original (including
the timely appearance of a few slow-motion doves and a motorcycle showdown),
the preference for action style leans more towards martial arts than gunplay.
This should be an obvious shift, not just because of the casting of Adkins, but
because they make his character a MMA fighter looking for redemption. He finds salvation
from his past by kicking countless bad guys in the face, pretty much the exact
way he killed his friend. And he does it with the kind of style that makes
Adkins the perfect actor to follow Van Damme. Overall, this is a polished
action film, but it is also fairly predictable and narratively uninspired.
The Blu-ray
release offers up a high definition presentation of all the slow motion
explosions and manly leaps through the air. The special features feature a
commentary track with director Roel Reiné, who has become a favorite director
for Universal direct-to-video releases, along with Adkins, Knepper, and others.
Also included are a handful of deleted scenes and featurettes. There is a
featurette on the location shoot in the jungle, a behind-the-scenes look at
some of the action, and some generic promotional extras. Along with the HD
disc, there is also a DVD and digital copy of the film included.
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 2/10
Special Features: 7/10
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