Very disappointed :(

A Brilliant Conflict

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This immediate sequel to the cult and violent classic from the same year doesn't bother changing the formula in any way, shape or form. Instead director Shigehiro Ozawa gives us exactly the same kind of movie as before in mood, look and plot. The plot itself is the weakest aspect of the film, and seems like a weak rerun of the original movie's storyline. Indeed many of the same things happen to the characters. Another annoyance is the inclusion of some unwanted long flashback scenes, made to pad out the already short running time. Ignore these grievances and you'll find yourself watching another good old ultra-violent tale of action, revenge and much ass-kicking. Another welcome return is the funky score, complete with a highly memorable theme tune which grows on you every time you hear it.Sonny Chiba is back as Terry Tsurugi, once again on top form and seemingly enjoying himself in the multiple action stakes. Once the action begins properly (after the first half hour or so) it doesn't let up, as Chiba takes on assassin after assassin before finally deciding to attack the bad guys himself, with the film culminating in an exciting massacre that very nearly equals the legendary finale of the first movie. There are some nicely varied locations – the fight on the ski slopes is great, and the attack in the bedroom is a fun touch. The script and dubbing are sub-par but the effects are negligible. As well as the returning Chiba, chief villain Junjo (the sickly-looking guy) also comes back, minus vocal chords but with a brand spanking new electronic voice box, leading to a couple of cool showdowns between the two larger-than-life characters.What of the old ultra-violence you may ask? Well, it has been toned down here, but only slightly. Plenty of bones are broken, a guy has his throat destroyed by two fingers alone and in the gory – but slightly cheesy highlight – a guy's eyeballs burst out of his skull after a powerful crack from Chiba's tough hand. Also expect to see lots of bloody shootings, impalements, and a touch of pathos here and there as minor characters are killed and Chiba is forced to emote a little before getting back to his job, killing many villains. Don't let the lapses in logic and interest dissuade you – this is still a fantastic action film at a comic book level, highly watchable and 95% engaging. Lovers of the first film check it out.

Sonny Chiba returns as bad-ass mercenary Takuma 'Terry' Tsurugi, cracking skulls, breaking bones and causing untold internal injuries as he takes on the mafia, who want him dead for refusing to kill an old karate colleague. With virtually the whole movie consisting of one brutal fight scene after another, martial arts fans should be more than satisfied with this sequel, despite the plot being a virtual rehash of the first film.As expected, there's lots of impressive kicking and punching from karate champ Chiba, as well as some extremely over the top action that sees our anti-hero performing superhuman feats, including leaping off a motorbike to somersault over a gate, and kicking a hole through a brick wall to leap to safety. Terry Tsurugi's impressive fighting skills also result in plenty of graphic violence, with blood spurting and gushing from his enemies' wounds, and, in the film's most outrageous moment, a punch to the back of a man's head causes both eyeballs to pop out of their sockets.Other guaranteed crowd-pleasing moments include Terry slipping under the sheets with a naked woman who turns out to be yet another assassin, the return of bad guy Tateki Shikenbaru (Masashi Ishibashi) from The Streetfighter (now equipped with an electronic voice-box, his vocal chords having been ripped out by Terry in the first film), Terry pouring a bottle of whisky over his head (I found that hilarious), and an action packed finale that sees Chiba taking on numerous henchmen, blinding a Mafia baddie with a throwing knife and stabbing some poor bloke in the stomach with the barrel of a gun!7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb (although Yôko Ichiji as Terry's irritating sidekick Pin Boke tempted me to round the score down).

If you ever had a single reason to doubt the greatness of Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris, Sonny Chiba in the role of Terry Tsurgi, a deadly half-breed assassin for hire, will make you a believer that they're ammeters in every sense of the word.Continuing from the last film, "The Street Fighter", Terry is hired once again by the Yakuza to take out two former members who could very easily disclose some very important info to the cops, namely that the boss is hoarding money in order to build a fake dojo. Joining him is his partner Kitty, a jive talking embodiment of the seventies who loves popping in 8-tracks in Terri's "gettaway car" and grooving the hell out.And yet me just say, if you are squeamish around blood or violence, DO NOT WATCH THIS.This quite possibly the most brutal kung fu film ever made, but that's what makes it so great.For instance, there's a scene in the spa which turns out to be a trap set up by the Yakuza. Terry throws half the men into a sauna, locks the door, and jacks up the heat to the point where the crime stooges are broiled alive.But honestly the violence is what makes it so beautiful and so memorable because it's done on such a intricate level of insanity that you can't help but laugh. Terry does these things, these viciously savage inhumane things in order to honor the memory of his father, to let no man overtake, to let nobody else be "the number one man".If you are any sort of Kung Fu buff, or simply just a fan of Eastern cinema, you owe it to yourself to watch this over and over again with your friends, by yourself, with estranged family members Because no one should be without knowledge of the greatness that is Sonny Chiba

Because this film is pretty much a rehash of the last STREET FIGHTER film--with a very, very similar plot and an assistant that is destined to be dead meat by the end of the film. About the only real improvement I noticed was that leading man Sonny Chiba had a decent haircut for once! Like the last film in the series, the Yakuza orders a hit on Chiba because he won't do business with them. About the only difference is that apparently the American mafia is also involved--though oddly the guy they got to play the Don looked more like John Lennon in his big hair and beard days and nothing like Vito Corleone! This was pretty poor casting, as the guy just looked like a young hippie.Also like the first Street Fighter movie, Chiba uses a combination of martial arts techniques (including more judo this time) to kick the butts of dozens of bad guys. I did notice, though, that Chiba's athleticism showed off more in this film as he did some incredibly leaps and spins and tumbles. But once again, Chiba is a very pragmatic man. Instead of just beating up the bad guys like the usual martial arts hero, his anti-hero takes the effort to then kill almost all the attackers as well--in very brutal fashion--with tons of blood and fingers through the throat, etc. This makes for a much more realistic sort of martial arts film than those of Jackie Chan or even Bruce Lee (who did kill some of those he fought in his movies, but not nearly as many as Chiba), but they also make the films a BAD choice for kids (though it is a bit less bloody than its predecessor)!! Plus, this film does have a bit of nudity--so take note.By the way, I am not saying that Chiba was better than Bruce Lee--but he fought to win and to destroy his opponents even more than Lee did in his films. Both were super-realistic and talented, but Chiba's style was even more brutal, whereas Lee took on more men simultaneously and fought in a quicker manner.Overall, for lovers of martial arts films, you won't be disappointed. However, understand that there isn't anything all that new here--it is in many ways just a rehash of STREET FIGHTER.Finally,...what's up with Sonny's lady friend?!!? She looked for all the world like a Japanese version of Pippi Longstockings!!! And that terribly dubbed voice! Ugh! The rest of the dubbing was excellent, but she sounded almost like a cartoon character!