I must admit that I was somewhat excited to finally get to sit down to watch "Kill Zone 2" (aka "SPL 2: A Time For Consequences" or "Saat po long 2"). But it wasn't before 6 years after it was released that I actually got to do so.

And I will say that this 2015 movie from writers Lai-Yin Leung and Ying Wong definitely boasts a rather impressive cast ensemble, especially if you are familiar with Hong Kong and Thai cinema.

But I am getting ahead of myself here. The story was fairly good, though the movie was oddly paced. It felt like the movie was much longer than it actually turned out to be. So director Soi Cheang didn't really manage to bring the movie safely to port in a wholly satisfactory manner for me. Sure, the movie was watchable, but it just felt prolonged and somewhat losing its momentum entirely a couple of times along the way. And that reflected poorly on the movie's overall enjoyment factor. And I will say that the writers actually set out to accomplish a bit too much, because the storyline was a bit too complex and didn't always had a clear red thread throughout it.

Now, there is a good amount of action and martial arts in the movie, which in itself actually adds a good amount of enjoyment to the movie.

As I mentioned earlier, then "Kill Zone 2" definitely has a great ensemble of casted actors and actresses, with the likes of Tony Jaa, Simon Yam, Jing Wu, Jin Zhang, Ken Lo and Louis Koo. So if you are familiar with Hong Kong cinema, in particular, then you are in for a good ensemble of well-established actors here.

Ultimately, then I felt like "Kill Zone 2" failed to really deliver all that it was setting out to do. Sure, the movie is watchable, but it ultimately was killed off by the pacing of the movie and a way too cluttered storyline.

My rating of this 2015 movie settles on a very mediocre five out of ten stars.

KILLZONE 2 - original title SHA PO LANG 2 - is a belated sequel to the Donnie Yen-starrer of the early 2000s, not that it has anything to do with that movie. As a film, it's a mixed bag, with a little too much influence from mainland China to be truly successful. The film is mired down with bad direction (from the guy who did NEW BLOOD, a similarly poorly-directed B-movie) and a rather convoluted storyline that mixes in a corrupt prison warden with a plot involving illegal organ harvesting and the like. Truth be told, none of this is very interesting, so it's a good job that a top cast helps to make the tired material work. Wu Jing is typically dynamic as the hero of the hour, but my money's on Tony Jaa as the main man here, and it's great to see him delivering hard-knuckle action once more. Further along in the cast list, veteran stars Simon Yam and Ken Lo elevate the work by their presence, Louis Koo gets an odd little incognito role, and Zhang Jin's big bad is spoilt by an excess of wirework. Still, the action scenes are generally dynamic and exciting, although there's not enough of them. Jaa battles Jing in a couple of fun fights, there's a big bus set-piece, some prison brawling, and then an extended bout at the climax. None of it is fantastic, but it passes the time well enough and lifts the spirits a little. A shame about that unresolved literal cliffhanger ending, though.

Kit is a Hong Kong detective working undercover in the black market organ business which includes the kidnapping and killing of Hong Kong citizens. For some reason there just don't cut out the organ, put it in an ice cooler and travel around the desert for a few days like in US films. In a subplot, Chai (Tony Jaa) is a Thai prison guard whose daughter has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. He is given money by his warden to help her.

Kit is discovered as a plant and winds up in the same prison as our two protagonists collide as enemies. Meanwhile there is a rich man who needs a heart transplant and his brother is the only person in the entire world who can supply him with one. Needless to say this all ties in together.

Chai is torn between doing what is right and saving his daughter's life. While the film has tons of action, it hasn't lost its oriental touch of combining ethic complexity into the script. I liked what they did with the relationship of Kit, Chai, the telephone, and coincidences.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. English subtitles.