“It takes more than bad intent to kill me. The stars must align, the birds must swim, the fish must fly before I will die.” —Master Ho
Today’s quick review: The Man with the Iron Fists 2. Seeking redemption for his violent deeds, Thaddeus (RZA), a blacksmith with iron hands, journeys to the monastery where he trained. But before he reaches his destination, he comes across a small village terrorized by Master Ho (Carl Ng), the draconian owner of the town’s silver mine. There the blacksmith offers his services to help Li Kung (Dustin Nguyen), a peaceful man with a violent past, lead a rebellion.
The Man with the Iron Fists 2 is a martial arts movie with a rap soundtrack and fantasy elements. The Man with the Iron Fists 2 has competent stunts but little else going for it. The movie spends too much time setting up its unimpressive story and not enough time showing off its action. Budget constraints show in everything from the cast to the action to the pacing. For a series defined by outlandishness, the sequel makes for an oddly generic martial arts flick.
Unfortunately, The Man with the Iron Fists 2 has none of the qualities that made the first film interesting. The colorful character designs and notable cast of the original have been replaced by bland, standard characters and unfamiliar actors. The inventive weapons of the first film have almost no role in the second. Even the gratuitous violence is all but missing, only making an appearance near the end of the film when the amount of gore ramps up drastically.
The result is an unsatisfying movie that has almost none of the appeal of the original. The only holdovers are the main character and the rap soundtrack, and these are considerably less effective without the supporting cast, creativity, and budget of the first film. The Man with the Iron Fists 2 has little to offer fans of the original, critics of the original, or martial arts fans. Watch it only if you are the curious type.
4.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.0 for passable action, a weak plot, and no sense of identity.