I am known for willingly watching ANY movie I haven't seen, whether it has the potential to be awful or not. To this end, I borrowed the first 3 "Kickboxer" movies from my mate. I actually found "Kickboxer 2" to be quite watchable, and an improvement over the original. Sascha Mitchell can deliver a line marginally better than Van Damme, and pretty much everyone involved with this film tries as manfully as they can to treat it with as much seriousness as possible. You get the sense that Albert Pyun could be an average director in Hollywood were he to take on better projects. I also found the fight sequences more realistic and less narcissistic than in the first one, although my friend disagrees with me. Mitchell seems less obsessed with the idea of the audience seeing him flexing his muscles than Van Damme did. I should point out that the buddy I refer to is the martial arts aficionado of the two of us, so maybe his opinions count for more than mine from an aesthetic perspective.

Yes, it is a basic fight film, but it provides what its fans want with a modicum of style. I am in no way trying to claim that this is as good from a technical standpoint as any of the other films I've rated 6, but from an entertainment perspective you'll be surprised to find it's solid, if unspectacular fare. That assessment is from a viewer whose tastes are usually a little more refined.

KICKBOXER is one of my favourite Van Damme movies. It has many classic moments, from the heightened revenge plot, to those classic, tortuous training sequences to the outstanding ending, one of the best-filmed fights of all time. It's a classic feel good movie. This sequel is none of those things and is in most respects an awful film. Van Damme passed on the chance to reprise his role, so we're saddled with the spurious 'missing brother' claim and the resultant film must be one of the most pointless ever made.

In essence, Tong Po didn't die at the end of the first film. He's back and seeking revenge, along with some loyalist Thais (a nation cast as the bad guys here, somewhat unusually). Mitchell, playing Van Damme's brother, ends up fighting Tong Po in a severe re-match, but before then there's lots of boring stuff about 'doing what's right', following one's path and all that nonsense. The first hour of the film is boring and the action sequences are few and far between; even they are mishandled. In one ring match, we watch as Mitchell beats the hell out of his opponent, with slow-motion blood sprays and the like; he's portrayed as a sadistic bully-boy, and this is the guy we're supposed to root for! Mitchell reaches a new low for an action hero in a genre already populated by guys cast for their brawn rather than brains.

Much of the blame for this film's failure must rest at the door of Albert Pyun, who really is one of the poorest directors in modern cinema. Absolutely all of the films I've seen that he's directed have been bad: I'm thinking CYBORG, TICKER, OMEGA DOOM, DOLLMAN, along with many others. In none of those films has the direction been good. Here, he shows himself to have no idea of pace or how to handle a decent fight scene, often shooting on the other side of the ropes in the ring battles! Sure, the blood and gore quotient is upped from the first movie, but it goes to show that that alone doesn't make a decent film.

In one, single respect does KICKBOXER 2 surpass the original, and that's in the casting. This film has an excellent cast. It's a shame they're not put to better use. The likes of Peter Boyle are here, along with Dennis Chan reprising his role from the first, even though he's utterly wasted. There's an early turn for Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as a stock bad guy, and man-mountain Matthias Hues pops up for a match. Michel Qissi also returns as the villainous Tong Po, but even though he looks the same he has none of the power or impact that his character had in the original; that goes to show how Pyun's direction sucks. In the end, this film is a wasted opportunity and time would be better spent watching the first film again rather than sitting through this mess.

Former Calvin Klein model Sasha Mitchell takes over the part vacated by Jean-Claude Van Damme in director Albert Pyun's "Kickboxer 2: The Road Back," co-starring Peter Boyle, Dennis Chan, John Diehl, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Michel Qissi. No, Mitchell doesn't play Kurt Sloane. Instead, he plays David Sloane, the youngest of the Sloan brothers. Honestly, I don't recall anybody mentioning David three years earlier in the original "Kickboxer" with Van Damme. Mitchell makes a nice enough guy, but he doesn't conjure up any of that Van Damme charisma. Nevertheless, Hollywood will do whatever it takes to keep a franchise like this one alive and kicking. As martial arts movies rate, "Kickboxer 2" is routine stuff. The David S. Goyer screenplay recycles the original movie's narrative. One of the hero's close friends is destroyed in the arena and our hero vows to even things up for not only his friend, but also for himself. You can see every blow coming at you in the by-the-numbers plot that ripples with no surprises. Apart from Pyun's competent directing, there isn't much of anything else to think about since you've seen this story before. Happily, Dennis Chan reappears. Chan trained Van Damme in the original. He takes on the responsibility of preparing David. The nemesis of the Sloane Clan shows up in a truly preposterous plot reversal. As it turns out, David is managing the gym now that Steve and Kurt once owned. We are told that Kurt got sick of fighting and left the business. David behaves like a true role model. He mentors children at his gym and takes aside one little smart aleck to teach him life's lessons. Unfortunately, David isn't much of a business man, and his friend Jack (John Diehl of "NBC-TV's "Miami Vice") struggles to keep the doors open and the bills paid. An antsy student who trained under David, Brian Wagner (Vince Murdocco),wants to become a contender in the kickboxing world. After our hero turns down an offer from an unscrupulous promoter Justin Maciah (Peter Boyle of "Young Frankenstein") to join him in the kickboxing world, Brian accepts Maciah's offer. Brian trains rigorously and becomes a champion. Maciah's new associate, Sanga (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa of "Rising Sun"),pressures Maciah into switching fighters. Indeed, Maciah breaks some pretty big rules when he allows an unauthorized boxer on his premise. Brian has been matched up with one fighter, but at the last moment, Tong Po (Michel Qissi of "Kickboxer") replaces him. Tong Po, you may remember, was the culprit in the original "Kickboxer" who gave Jean-Claude something to worry about. Pyun likes to reuse footage of feet, hands, knees, and legs battering opponents in rapid succession. Spittle and blood fly during their evocative scenes. The energetic fights salvage this opus. Dennis Chan has some amusing lines, but he doesn't give Sasha the treatment that he inflicted on Van Damme. Altogether, "Kickboxer 2: The Road Back" is strictly standard-issue. Why a gifted actor like Peter Boyle wanted to be in this derivative film is anybody's guess.