Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

hyped garbage

Expected more

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Doctor Johnny Woo (The Dragon) returns. This time around, he's engaged to Julie (Ford) and looking forward to a quiet life together. That is, until Julie is kidnapped and stolen away to an underground society called...The Underground. It's its own separate city, with its own rules, laws and gangs. No one from the surface world ever goes down there, and guns are not allowed. But Johnny ventures down there anyway and battles away for his wife-to-be. Along the way he meets Ernest (Richardson), an embittered vet, who ends up helping him. It turns out the main baddies in The Underground are Kalin (Jacklin) and his lackey Predator (Lurie). They stage Punchfighting matches for fun and they want Johnny to face off against them. Backing up Johnny is his crew from the previous film, which includes the return of comic relief Kwong (Lee). Will Johnny and his compatriots rescue Julie and make it back to the surface world? Find out today! Ring of Fire II certainly doesn't skimp on the action: there are constant fights, blow-ups, car chases, broken glass, and even some Punchfighting. It keeps up like this with a good pace until right before the climax, when it starts to drag, and the repetition of it all becomes brain-numbing. But in the set and costume design, there is a lot of creativity which sets it apart. Sure, the basic plot is a melange of The Warriors (1979), Escape From New York (1981) and The Running Man (1987), but weird sets and the bizarre costumes of gangs like The Avengers, Shadow Warriors, Nightrats and personal favorites The Garbage Gang keep things nicely different. The lighting can also be odd, but a lot of the movie is too dark. So, visually not only is it different from the previous Ring of Fire installment, but it's different from most other movies of this kind.Cleverly, the first image of the movie is a "Ring" - but it's Julie's engagement ring. Sadly Maria Ford does almost nothing in this movie. The cast is very impressive - Eric Lee is up to his classic wacky antics, Evan Lurie shows his time-honored Meatheadyness, and Ian Jacklin wears a metal cummerbund. As in Firepower, Gerald Okamura is here but you can barely see him. At least he's credited this time. Art Camacho is also here as a generic gang member. The great Sy Richardson gives the movie much-needed weight, and lest we forget Vince Murdocco and Michael Delano. Both in front of and behind the camera, the cast and crew give it that PM style we all know and love.Happily, this movie is not at all a retread of the first, which in lesser hands it easily could have been, and we give them credit for that. There's also no courting or love story, because that was taken care of in the first film. Unfortunately, there is some filler, and the Punchfighting subplot is pointless and goes nowhere. The baddies just beat up on nameless, unseeable goons and there is no rhyme or reason to it. There's no escalation in fight prowess. It's seemingly there just to fill time. We love a good Punchfighter, but that's not really what this movie is and it feels like an afterthought. Adding to The Warriors feel, there's a radio DJ who periodically pops up to give updates. But those of you who have seen Riot (1997) and Fists of Blood (1988) will see there is also a (no pun intended) underground influence, as well as a more mainstream influence to the proceedings.Finally, it should be noted that Don is shirtless for most of the movie's running time. He, of course, loses his shirt in a fight when he first enters the underground, and he must go through his entire odyssey bare-chested. It's worth noting because it's the longest single instance of unnecessary shirtlessness we've seen to date. There's NO reason for it, especially considering how long it lasts.Ring of Fire II may have its flaws, but it's basically an enjoyable movie. It's not a title you need to rush out right now and buy, but if you see it somewhere, pick it up.

"Ring of Fire II" may be a lot of things, but it certainly isn't lazy: in about 90 minutes you will see at least 3 giant explosions, 2 car chases, and more than a dozen fight scenes. And when you think the movie is over....NO! One more action scene coming your way. But what makes this one stand out in the sea of medium-budget action flicks is mainly its weird and claustrophobic setting: an entire underground system of tunnels and basements right below the surface of L.A., and an entire society, divided into gangs, living there by their own set of rules. The setting actually reminded me of "Alien From L.A." with Kathy Ireland, except that apparently most residents of THIS society spend their time extensively training in the martial arts! And if the gay subtext of half-naked men in leather isn't enough, there is also a gay radio announcer who openly comes on to Don "The Dragon" Wilson! Anyway, the violent fight scenes are occasionally impressive, and the explosions even more so. The film was followed by a very different in style sequel. ** out of 4.

Well... what can I say? It's fun... if you let it be fun. It's filled to the brim with well-choreographed fight scenes that are executed to perfection by professional martial artists... That seems to be the most true and innate value of this romp. The story seems to have been put in place primarily as a vehicle to get from one fight scene to another. Some moments of decent acting by the supporting cast will sneak up on you... as will some comedic moments provided by the comic relief. (The comic relief - physically - the smallest martial artist in the movie and naturally... portrayed in the film as the MOST girl-hungry!) The score is fine but the film has a very fun soundtrack that winds up being featured on an underground radio station within the parameters of the story.. If you like this genre of movies you'll like this one as much as you would any other...Too bad they didn't sell the soundtrack!

Just your average Don "The Dragon" Wilson movie. They guy whose been in all those awful Cyborg Cop movies shows off more "underground street fighting with thugs" style that was so big in the late 80s and early 90s. Playing "Dr. Do-Good" Johnny, Wilson fights a bunch of evil jumpsuit thugs, muscle freaks, and dorks on skates as he tries to save his girl Julie from the evil champion of the underground fighting world, Kalin. So your basic "Double Dragon", "Final Fight" or any other punch-and-kick video game plot plus he's got his comical posse following him slowly and fighting everyone else he encounters. Don also has Sy Richardson as the wise old guy in the form of a disillusioned and always-angry black ex- soldier who wants revenge on Kalin. If this is your kind of movie, enjoy, otherwise.............RUN BEFORE IT GETS YOU!