Comeuppance Reviews
Rothrock and Norton reprise their roles as Kris Fairchild and Preston Michaels in this sequel that is superior to the original film.Kris is now a CIA agent who is sent to Jakarta to go undercover in a bank to investigate the money laundering of Gerald Andrews (Soucy). Meanwhile, Preston works in a run-down bar and does a lot of boxing on the side. For some unknown reason, he takes on a spoiled, unlikable, arrogant student, Tommy Andrews, the son of Gerald. As it turns out, Gerald is working closely with nefarious gangster Buntao (Tumbuan). There's also a cache of diamonds at stake in the ensuing gangster wars, with Kris and Preston caught in the middle. They'll have to use their teamwork and fighting skills to get out of this mess...Rothrock and Norton are always pleasant to watch, both individually and together. There are some nice fights in this film, and, as always, you can actually see the action with no stupid tricks or fast cuts. There was some cool inventiveness as well, as Norton beat up a baddie with a raw fish, leading to perhaps the first "fish-fighting" scene in recent memory. For as awesome as Rothrock and Norton are, Patrick Muldoon is as lame. Well, his character as a preppy jerk is pretty effective. Maybe it's not Muldoon, it's Tommy Andrews who the audience will not like. Buntao is more likable.Also we have Ron Vreeken as the classic heavy/bodyguard, the man they call "Blondie". I guess they couldn't get Matthias Hues. Vreeken was last seen in the Norton vehicles Deathfight (1994) and Under the Gun (1995), so they must be buddies. He was also seen in Hurricane Smith (1992).Director Guy Norris, presumably no relation to the Norris family that produced Chuck, Aaron and Mike, primarily is known for his stunt work, having been the stunt coordinator on countless films, including Day of the Panther (1988) and the aforementioned Hurricane Smith. It was a wise choice to put him in the director's chair because he understands action and delivers plenty of it to the audience, leading to the rare improvement for a sequel.You can rarely go wrong with Rothrock and/or Norton, as this golden-age-of-the-video-store action movie amply proves.for more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
gridoon
In comparison to the first "Rage and Honor", this sequel comes out on top in three ways: 1) Better-shot fight scenes 2) Exotic setting (Indonesia) and higher production values (which allow for some chases and explosions along with the martial arts) 3) A good, unexpected twist near the end On the other hand, it lacks the colorful supporting cast of the first movie (only Patrick Muldoon stands out - the villain and his henchman are generic), and in the final fight it is obvious that Richard Norton's opponent cannot measure up to him, so there's no chance of a good fight scene.But on the whole, I found this sequel a slight improvement on the original. (**1/2)
Kelleyscope
The previous comment has it 99% right. This film works, although maybe it works more for those of us who have seen many films that have not worked (observation: films in this genre all seem to work when Richard Norton is in them).An added bonus with this film for guys like me, is that it does have a few select moments of "so bad it is good" (such as the acting level of the under-cover CIA agent, Tommy's father and one of Buntao's henchmen) SPOILER ALERT: but fear not, all get killed ...The one percent that the previous comment fails to mention (although a couple others have, but in an inaccurate way) is the acting of Frances Taumbaun in the role of Buntao (I'm sure I have mis-spelled his name, and I could correct it simply by back-clicking, but alas I am at work and well, just let me get back to the point ...)At first viewing, Taumbaun may seem as though he were over-acting, maybe first thru 10th viewing ... but trust me when you get to that coveted 11th viewing of any true martial arts movie fan, you will then begin to realize that he is actually a very good actor. In fact, despite being a big Richard Norton fan it is Taumbaun who ALMOST steals this movie 11th-23rd viewings. Dare I say it: I love this guy. Rage and Honor III should be made with Buntao coming back for some revenge.Seriously, I'll write it. Anybody want to shell out some dough? Lets bring back Norton, Taumbaun and of course Cynthia Rothrock and complete this trilogy!
AwesomeWolf
Not having seen the first 'Rage and Honor', but being a fan of Richard Norton and Cynthia Rothrock, I picked up 'Rage and Honor II' from an ex-rental stand of cheap videos at a local video rental store. I must say that I was pretty impressed.Rothrock plays Kris Fairchild, a U.S. Government agent undercover in Indonesia investigating a money laundering operation. Norton plays Preston Michaels, an ex-cop hiding out in Indonesia and running a boxing gym. After they both get a shot at beating up the same thugs, Fairchild and Michaels find themselves up against local crime syndicate lead by Buntao (Frans Tumbuan).Naturally, as a direct-to-video martial arts movie, little attention is paid to plot, dialog, acting, etc. Don't get me wrong though, the plot seems a little TOO developed to belong in a martial arts movie, but that gets balanced out by some of the terrible dialog.Action wise, the movie is pretty good. Norton and Rothrock give a good showcase of their butt-kicking abilities. There are some good fight scenes, and the requisite number of explosions and car chases to keep all action fans satisfied.Richard Norton needs to be in more movies. His awesome Australian accent makes every other character sound like dorks. I'm quite impressed by the number of times he managed to use the term '****ing crazy' in this movie. I probably should have counted. Next time.'Rage and Honor II' is a good martial arts movie, but that's all. Fans of martial arts, or action movies in general, should give it a go - 7/10