the audience applauded

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Blistering performances.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

More straight-to-DVD action nonsense, this one starring Wesley Snipes and a nominal follow-up to THE ART OF WAR (I can't remember anything about that, so it must have been good).THE ART OF WAR II: BETRAYAL does the usual rounds with its story of political double-crossing, a sinister criminal mastermind, a wronged man, multiple assassination attempts and of course one just, ass-kicking hero. I quite like Wesley Snipes, but his talents are wasted here and criminally the fight scenes are poorly handled.The important thing about movie fights is that the camera steps back to show the actors utilising their skills - this is why films such as Donnie Yen's FLASHPOINT are so good, because the participants in the fights are brilliant at what they do. By contrast, the fights in this movie are fuzzy, poorly edited so you can't properly see what's going on. Most annoyingly of all, one key scene has a fight taking place in the dark! The plot is absolutely nothing to write home about, and the characters are as bland as they come. They even throw in some terrible CGI effects just when you thought the film couldn't get any worse. The resultant film is pitiful and uninteresting, just another forgettable straight-to-DVD action flick.

The first one was pretty good except for the bloody scenes which i pretty much disliked.This one is clearly a low budget product from the director of the contractor, a film which was even superior to this one.It has fights in the dark where you get the impression that snipes'double did most if not all of the fighting.The DVD even has alternative fight scenes which really don't look that much different from those actually in the film.In about every snipes action film straight to DVD, i can find something to like and this one isn't different but you need patience and i really was getting to lose mine at 45 minutes.Something interesting happens at about 49 minutes(unfortunately it starts getting in the flat and boring zone oncein a while after that) and you can tell until the end that the scriptisn't the main problem but the directing is.it's mostly flat and boring but a better directorwith a bigger budget could have made something good out of it.I also really hated the ending.You see ... there's a traitor(not such a big surprise when you see so many movies) at the end and that person is being killed in cold blood by snipes.The whole thing is so flat and dull that it simply doesn't feel true and leaves the viewer unsatisfied.This art of war sequel is indeed a betrayal of the first one since it hardly has any real connection to it (bringing marie makito could have helped) and is so far below in quality.Apparently nobody was aiming high with this and it shows.

Wesley Snipes' movies aren't exactly groundbreaking material, but the first Art Of War was a pretty good action movie even if it was a bit generic.The new Art of War movie is a total disaster. I don't even know where to start. The plot is thin and incoherent at best. Both the direction and camera angles are amateurish or even worse. The entire cast was at best platonic.Some scenes are shot so badly, you wonder whether it was directed or just some homemade video slapped into the movie. Also, the makers did a pathetic job of trying to pass off Canada as L.A.The only 'good' thing about this movie is that you might end up laughing uncontrollably at their miserable attempt at making a movie.

'Art of war' with Wesley Snipes back around 2000 was a pretty damn good movie; even though it was lack of plot but a lot of cool action sequences and a very attractive Marie Mateko it made the original film a interesting popcorn flick; Now eight years, and a couple of night flights away from the IRS later...Wesley continues his character of Neil shaw in a very damaging sequel of a pretty damn cool movie...this is what happens when you use very bad camera actions, lack of acting, character, and surprising enough not continuing the relationship between Neil and Ms. Fang's character from the first movie..oh did i mention this is filmed in Canada and not in Los Angeles (where the direction of the movie was suppose to be taken place but not due to Wesley's escaping the law...haha that's funny every time i hear it) the result is a very poorly done movie that only is showing Wesly's swagger and not much of the action the first movie contrived.I'm not going to spoil this movie cause it wouldn't be fun....i want you to see this movie for yourself cause i had to laugh at this film for the due fact that this movie could of been A WHOLE LOT better if a better director, cameraman, and oh i don't know BETTER SCREENPLAY. But this is what happens when you evade the law and try to think you are going to get away with it a crappy movie like this. But don't take my word for it see it yourself!