Kill Em All 2 2024

Kill-Em-All-2-2024
Kill Em All 2 2024

To be honest, I was astonished when I first heard that a sequel to Kill ‘Em All (2017) was in the works. I personally thought it was one of Jean Claude Van Damme’s worst films and one that was on the level of Derailed (2001).

It was a shame since there were indeed talented people in front of the camera and behind the camera. Yes, it was nice to see Van Damme get busy, but in the end, the movie was devoid of energy and felt really dead. Some decent fight scenes could not compensate for the weak script and some suggestions as to directing were just not followed .Online movie streaming services

No one seems to have a clear idea of what went so wrong. Peter Malota, the film’s director may have been new behind the camera but he had an impressive resume as a stunt performer working on Van Damme films as far back as Double Impact (1991) and Universal Soldier (1992) so he had a fair idea on what works in an action flick. Still, it seems this eluded him in the process of making Kill Em All, with the film being full of needless flashbacks that brought the pace of the film to a crawl which is not a good idea in a Van Damme movie.

And that’s the supporting cast, thank you um, Peter Stormare, Maria Conchita Alonso, Daniel Bernhardt who all actors should have made this film above the ordinary DTV. Sad to say, they were mostly wasted. At least Van Damme was able to face Bernhardt, but at that time in the movie, it was already too little, too late. It is quite unfortunate that it wasn’t more of an event in the movie, especially considering that Bernhardt started in the business by replacing Van Damme in the Bloodsport series.

I am such a big fan of the van Damme movies that I had to see the sequel, however, I did have my reservations concerning the original film. So I didn’t quite go into Kill ‘Em All 2, expecting much. Luckily, I’m glad to report that in comparison to the previous one, the sequel is a major leap ahead, that still had its fair share of production value issues but entertained me through the 90 minutes it ran.

As the movie begins, there is an introduction to the plot of the first installment. Nevertheless, it is not essential to see the original first. Phillip, played by Jean Claude Van Damme, is back but now in Italy with his daughter Vanessa, played by Jacqueline Fernandez.

Claiming that he has not been in the CIA’s sights for quite some time, Phillip is shocked to see those who claim to be attempting to abduct him and his daughter. Those wanting to kill Phillip’s ex-partner, Goiheida once again seem to have prior knowledge about Phillip’s whereabouts which he has kept secret for years.

Edison Gohei (as text messages to Eddie appear) appears to be the source of the betrayal and leads Phillip to believe that this was of his old enemy Vlad Petrovic (Andrei Lenart) seeking revenge on Philip for killing his brother. Therefore if Phillip and Vanessa want to remain alive, it is imperative that he use all his prior training.

Valeri Milev is appointed the new director of Kill ‘Em All 2, taking over from original director Peter Malota, who did not return for the sequel. I can’t say I had high expectations after watching Milev’s Bullets of Justice (2019), a film I practically gave up halfway through. But I must admit I enjoyed his other low-budget film, Re-Kill (2015) as well.

In the movie, Kill ‘Em All 2, he does an acceptable job. No formalism that jumps out as particularly innovative or original. Overall, however, Milev manages to keep the tempo well and the film is full of fun action sequences.

One problem which is tough to get around no matter how hard the fight was bone-crunching is the apparent use of stunt doubles. It’s apparent Van Damme does much of the action himself, Yet, his double can be seen many times during the course of the film. Sometimes it is performed so Van Damme can perform actions that would be difficult for him to do in reality now. Other times it seems a double was used only because Van Damme didn’t want to do so.

Apart from the awful voiceovers, ADR in this case adds insult to injury. It seems to be used in only one scene, but it is spoken in such an unmistakable manner that it tarnishes the movie. It is that of a phone call between Van Damme and the main antagonist. It is so fake that the voice was not Van Damme made the scene funny. The worst came in dead dialogue. It had no purpose as it contributed nothing to the final cut of the film. It reminded me of the dreadful overdubbing that marred much of Steven Seagal’s films in the early 2000s.

The location and settings considerably save Milev’s film and enhance its commercial value. Here\’s the problem: it has that plastic, over-lit quality that comes with using a lot of digital equipment and Stramaglia does a mediocre job at times capturing them alongside the action scenes. In some scenes, it seems as if Stramaglia received a drone for Christmas and he decided to try it out on every possible occasion.

As in the case of the previous Darkness of Man (2024), Kill ‘Em All 2 would never rank as Van Damme\’s upper tier. That’s in order for me, as I never anticipated it would. For me, however, it’s enough that the martial arts legend is still creating films, albeit ones that that will never rival the likes of Bloodsport (1988) or Hard Target (1993). What still enables Van Damme’s films to stand out from other actors of his generation such as the earlier mentioned Steven Seagal, is his willingness to please the audience. His part here does not quite require much of him but it is never a case of a voice over.

I love how Van Damme’s character interacts with his daughter. In fact, when I first watched the film and saw the cast list, I thought Jacqueline Fernandez would be a romantic on-screen fetcher. When casting someone as his daughter, I didn’t expect someone who was age-appropriate. However, the filmmakers have gone with the reality of Van Damme\’s advancing age. During the action, it can be seen how much more he is willing to take a beating than he did before, as clearly, the fights are taking a toll on him. This is only true with a few exceptions when Van Damme’s Phillip performs a somersault or some other kick that the film has spoiled on a few occasions.

Given the filmography she has back in India of big-budget action movies, I was perplexed by Fernandez’s participation in the project at all. While Kill ‘Em All 2 may be on a smaller scale than any of her other work, it could also be much more commercially successful for her. Her role doesn’t give her much acting to do, but the good news is that she is not your average helpless daughter who has to be saved. More so, Fernandez as Vanessa does not sit back as she is involved in a number of action sequences in the movie.

Some actors from the first film appear too, an attempt to connect this film with the previous. This is why Peter Stormare is the most important of them because he seems really to enjoy playing the crooked Holman once more. After being discharged from the CIA, Holman has become a freelance operative. Stormare seems to struggle with that. In parts, it almost looks as if Milev just asked Stormare to go out there and have fun with it. It definitely helps the movie since Stormare is able to raise the level of the entire production.

As for her character, Maria Conchita Alonso does not do much for the story, with only a few cut scenes that could have easily been taken in the same shooting schedule. Although her role does somewhat advance the story, her presence in the film was superfluous as several of her sequences would have been unnecessary.

Andrei Lenart is as sleazy and evil as the film’s main villain Vlad, but still never is able to come off as a legitimate threat while confronted by Van Damme. At least he is not all by himself as there are enough nameless flunkies whom Van Damme’s Philip has to get through and which helps in maintaining the excitement quotient. Quite amusingly, one such henchman is actually Van Damme’s son Kris which the actor kills in the film’s brutal start. Followers of the first film won’t forget the awesome situation where Kris went after his father, playing one of his protagonists. He is now someone else though the amount of featuring he has is short.

Of the two Van Damme films this year, I would place Kill ‘Em All 2 just below Darkness of Man. It was a real joy to witness the change from the first film, however, I was not overly impressed by it. There is enough of both action and Van Damme satisfying portions even if you are never going to come back to the film.

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