No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (1987) - A Review

 

The unexpected sequel to a martial arts classic. It goes in a very different direction!

No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (also known as No Retreat, No Surrender 2: Raging Thunder and Karate Tiger 2) is an American/Hong Kong martial arts action movie released in 1987. It stars Loren Avedon, Cynthia Rothrock, Max Thayer, Matthias Hues, and Hwang Jang-Lee. No Retreat, No Surrender 2 was directed by Corey Yuen Kwai, with martial arts choreography also by Yuen, and assisted by Mang Hoi, King Lee King-Chu, and Ma Chin-Ku.

Loren Avedon as Scott Wylde. Loren really kicks butt in this movie!

In No Retreat, No Surrender 2, Loren Avedon plays Scott Wylde, an American martial artist who goes to Vietnam to visit his fiancee Sulin (played by Patra Wanthivamod). Sulin comes from a wealthy family, and her father was involved in a war conflict. The night of their date, Sulin is kidnapped, and Scott finds out that he's been framed for her entire family's (except her father's) murders! He escapes custody and finds his friend and master  Mac Jarvis (played by Max Thayer), a Vietnam veteran and arms dealer. Together with his helicopter pilot Terry (played by Cynthia Rothrock), they go to Cambodia where Sulin is being held by Yuri (played by Matthias Hues), a Soviet General who leads an army of Vietnamese soldiers.

Cynthia Rothrock (as Terry) giving Matthias Hughes (Yuri) a piece of her mind!

As you could probably tell by the plot description, No Retreat, No Surrender 2 is a sequel in name only to the first movie. Kurt McKinney and Jean-Claude Van Damme were supposed to star in this, but Van Damme was concerned about the safety of filming in the Cambodian jungle. He persuaded McKinney to drop out of the movie as well. Schedules never lined up for McKinney and the filming, so he left the project. Loren Avedon was then hired to take on the lead role, and the script was changed accordingly (though it is said that this was originally supposed to be a totally different movie not related to the first No Retreat, No Surrender).

Whereas the first movie was like The Karate Kid or Rocky IV, this movie is more like Rambo or the Missing In Action movies. There is a lot of of military combat in this, in addition to the martial arts fight scenes. Loren Avedon does well in his debut film. His acting gets better as the movie goes on (though there is a lot of awkward dialogue he has to say), but his fight scenes are top-notch. He is a really underrated martial arts movie star. I called him the 'Caucasian Jackie Chan' back in the day. Cynthia Rothrock is also great in this; she gets a lot of dialogue and she gets to show how much of a butt kicker she is. Max Thayer as Mac Jarvis is great in this; best actor in the movie and he's pretty funny. Matthias Hues is properly menacing as the final boss, and you really hate him for the jerk he is! The story is kind of basic, but hey, we're here for the action, aren't we?

The fights in this are fast and hard-hitting!

The fight scenes in No Retreat, No Surrender 2 are the best thing about this movie. Then again, if you enjoy military combat, gunplay, and explosions, you'll be greatly satisfied. The action is a bit more violent than in the first movie, but it isn't graphically gory. Loren Avedon has some great fight scenes; the kidnapping scene is our first introduction to his prowess. A fight at the temple is also great! His final fight scene against Yuri is awesome as well. Yuri is a powerful monster, and Scott has to use everything he has to defeat him. Cynthia Rothrock has a fight against the legendary Korean superkicker, Hwang Jang-Lee. Though the fight is pretty short, it is awesome. Matthias Hues does well as the powerful Yuri, even though he is not a trained martial artist. That's the greatness of Hong Kong choreography back then, they make non-martial artists look credible without editing and camera tricks.

So, should you watch No Retreat, No Surrender 2? I would say, yes. It has the debut of the great, underappreciated Loren Avedon, it has Cynthia Rothrock kicking butt, it has crazy Hong Kong martial arts fight choreography, and it has lots of guns and explosions. It has something for everyone! Just remember, this movie has nothing to do with the first No Retreat, No Surrender. As an aside, it was nice to see this movie again after not having seen it since the late 1990s. It's better than I remembered!

Reviewed by David Williams

Snake In The Eagle's Shadow (1978) - A Review

 

The beginning a of a legacy...

Snake In The Eagles Shadow (usually shortened to SITES online) is a martial arts comedy movie released in Hong Kong in 1978 and stars Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, Hwang Jang-Lee, Dean Shek, Paul Chan, and Roy Horan. The movie was directed by Yuen Woo-ping, with Yuen Woo-ping and Hsu Hsia serving as Martial Arts directors (Brandy Yuen Jan-Yeung, Yuen Shun-Yi, and Corey Yuen Kwai serve as Assistant Martial Arts directors). Snake In The Eagle's Shadow was the movie, along with Drunken Master later that year, that shot Jackie Chan up to superstardom in Hong Kong.

In Snake In The Eagle's Shadow, Jackie Chan plays Chien Fu, an orphan taken in by a kung fu school who does nothing but menial jobs there and is used as a punching bag by the assistant instructors (played by Dean Shek and Paul Chan) demonstrating kung fu moves for their students. The only friend Chien has at the school is the cook. One day, Chien finds an old beggar (played by Yuen Siu-tien) getting beat up by a rival kung fu school. He decides to help out, despite having no fighting skills. The old beggar guides Chien's movement in order to help him defeat the mob of attackers. A Christian missionary (played by Roy Horan) comes upon the scene and breaks the fight up.

Jackie Chan plays the ultimate underdog in this movie.

Chien takes the old beggar to his kung fu school to recover. They begin a friendship, and eventually the beggar teaches Chien how to avoid getting hit and how to defend himself. The old beggar teaches Chien snake style kung fu. When the assistant kung fu instructors use him to let a new student beat him up, Chien finally defends himself. Later, a champion from the rival kung fu school comes to Chien's school and demands respect from the assistant instructors. The champion beats them up and takes all of the school's students. The master of Chien's school returns to find the place deserted, with only Chien there cleaning. Chien tells him what happened, and the master confronts the champion martial artist. The master can't beat him, so Chien defeats him, to the shock of everyone.

Unfortunately, Sheng Kuan (played by Hwang Jang-Lee), an Eagle Claw master in search of a master of snake style kung fu named Pai Cheng-tien, sees Chien's skill and is intrigued. Sheng Kuan is on a mission to kill  Pai Cheng-tien, the last surviving master of snake style kung fu, and any other practitioners of the style. Sheng Kuan asks Chien who was his kung fu teacher, and Chien describes him, not knowing Sheng Kuan is a really bad guy (or the old beggar's true identity). This all leads to a final battle between the old beggar, Chien Fu, and Sheng Kuan. There are a lot of deaths, fights and betrayal on the way there!

The master and student relationship/friendship is portrayed so well!

Snake In The Eagle's Shadow was the movie that finally put Jackie Chan on the map in Hong Kong. Prior to this movie, Jackie was stuck in a film contract with Lo Wei's production company, with all of the movies made with Lo being complete failures. Jackie Chan was considered box office poison at this time! Lo, who directed The Big Boss and Fist Of Fury (Bruce Lee's break out hits) was trying to make Jackie into the next Bruce Lee. Ng See-Yuen, owner of Seasonal Films, wanted to use Jackie Chan for a two-picture deal. Lo, tired of losing money, agreed. Finally, Jackie Chan was able to work with people who wanted to try something new and different. This was also Yuen Woo-ping's directorial debut, and what do you know, Jackie Chan and Yuen Woo-ping were a match made in heaven!

This is the movie that set the template for Jackie Chan's next few movies, and also most all martial arts comedies from then on. So many movies have the same type of format; from Magnificent Butcher to No Retreat, No Surrender. In this movie, the relationship between Chien Fu and the old beggar is warm and caring. You believe that they care about each other. The movie is funny, but it is not over the top like later Jackie Chan movies (not saying either is a bad thing). Jackie Chan plays the underdog so well in this movie! You root for him one hundred percent!

For some reason, I avoided this movie back in the day. It looked like a weaker version of Drunken Master to me. Yes, I believe Drunken Master blows this movie out of the water, but Snake In The Eagle's Shadow is still a really good movie. This movie is the genesis of the Jackie Chan we all know and love.

Jackie Chan and Hwang Jang-Lee kick butt in this!

With Yuen Woo-ping directing and choreographing the fight scenes, you know the fights are good in this. The intricate choreography Yuen Woo-ping is known for is there, but it is a bit more subdued. Hwang Jang-Lee gets to show his powerful kicks in his scenes, and even knocks out one of Jackie's teeth for real in the final fight. Yuen Siu-tien, as the old beggar, has quite a few fight scenes; and despite his advanced age, he shows he can still move with grace. Yuen Woo-ping choreographed around his father's limitations, I'm sure. Jackie Chan fights with such energy and enthusiasm in this. He gets to show off his acrobatic, martial arts, and comedic skills in his fights. Even when he's fighting 'untrained', it's great to see how awkward he is trying to fight a mob of bad guys. The style Chien Fu invents to defeat Sheng Kuan is interesting as well, very unique movements! The fights are fun, and there are plenty of them in this movie!

So, should you watch Snake In The Eagle's Shadow? I would say, yes! It's a fun movie with great action and comedy. It is cool to see Jackie Chan and Yuen Woo-ping begin to develop their styles in this movie. You even see Jackie Chan with his front tooth knocked out! This movie even has some weird space-age type of musical soundtrack! Watch it and appreciate where Jackie Chan came from and where he has gone since then!

Reviewed by David Williams