I must say, I was surprised when I first heard a sequel to Kill ‘Em All (2017) was being produced. Personally I felt it was one Jean-Claude Van Damme’s poorest starring vehicles, easily on par with the lackluster Derailed (2001).
This was a shame, as there were talented people both in front and behind the camera. Obviously it was great to see Van Damme in action, but overall the film just felt lifeless, with it being sorely lacking in energy. Some decent fight scenes didn’t really make up for the poor script and some poor directorial choices.
It’s unclear what went so wrong. Director Peter Malota may have been making his directorial debut but he had an extensive stunt background, with him working on a number of Van Damme films dating back to the likes of Double Impact (1991) and Universal Soldier (1992), so he had a working knowledge of what makes an action movie work. Yet, this seems to have eluded him during the making of Kill ‘Em All, with the film being filled with unnecessary flashbacks that just slowed the film down, a definite no no in a Van Damme film.
Then there was the quality supporting cast, with the likes of Peter Stormare, Maria Conchita Alonso and Daniel Bernhardt who all should have raised the film above your typical DTV fare. Unfortunately, they were mostly wasted. At least Van Damme got to face off against Bernhardt, but by that point in the film it was too little too late. It really should have been more of an event in the movie, especially when you consider Bernhardt got his start in the business by replacing Van Damme in the Bloodsport franchise.
Being such a massive Van Damme fan I still had to watch the sequel, but with all my misgivings about the original film I didn’t exactly enter Kill ‘Em All 2 with high expectations. Thankfully I’m happy to say the sequel is a major improvement over the original, that while still having a good few production issues kept me entertained for its 90 minute runtime.
The film’s opening recaps the events of the first film, so it’s not necessary to have watched the original before delving in. We are reintroduced to the mysterious Phillip (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who is living the quiet life in Italy with his daughter Vanessa (Jacqueline Fernandez).
With every trace of him being wiped clean, Phillip is surprised to find a hit team attempting to take him and his daughter out. Holding photos of him, it would appear that Philip’s identity and location has been leaked, with Philip reaching out to ex C.I.A. agent Holman (Peter Stormare) for help in finding out who is looking for him.
It doesn’t take long before finding out that this attack is the work of Vlad Petrovic (Andrei Lenart) who is looking for revenge for what Phillip did to his brother during the events of the first movie. Now Phillip will have to rely on all his old skills if he and Vanessa are to survive.
Original director Peter Malota doesn’t return for the sequel, with the chair being filled by Valeri Milev. Looking at Milev’s back catalogue didn’t exactly fill me with joy as his previous film Bullets of Justice (2019) had me struggling to reach the end. However, he did helm the enjoyable Re-Kill (2015) which did well considering it was a low budget found footage movie.
He does a solid enough job with Kill ‘Em All 2. There isn’t anything overtly stylish or groundbreaking about the movie, but for the most part Milev keeps the pace tight, filling his film with a good helping of violent action scenes.
One issue that can’t be overcome no matter how bone crunching the action was is the obvious use of stunt doubles. Although Van Damme clearly does a fair bit of the action himself, his double can be noticed numerous times throughout the film. Sometimes it’s to have Van Damme carry out moves that would be inconceivable for him to pull off these days, but other times it would seem a double was used mainly because Van Damme was unavailable.
On top of the doubling is the use of atrocious ADR dubbing. It is relegated to one scene but it so blatantly standouts it can’t help but lose the film some points. It is used during a telephone conversation between Van Damme and the main villain. It is so clearly not Van Damme’s voice that it becomes laughable. What’s worse was that the dialogue is completely unnecessary. The scene could have been cut and had absolutely no impact on the completed film. It brought to mind the awful dubbing that appeared in a great deal of Steven Seagal’s output in the 2000’s.
Milev’s film is helped considerably by some beautiful locations which add to the production values. Cinematographer Angelo Stramaglia does a decent job of capturing these as well as the action, even if it does have that overlit digital look on many occasions. It would also seem that Stramaglia was bought a drone for his Christmas as he uses it excessively during certain points during the film.
Like the earlier Darkness of Man (2024), Kill ‘Em All 2 would never be considered top tier Van Damme. That’s fine with me, as I never expected it to be. Personally, I’m just glad to see the martial arts legend still making movies, even if they’ll never rank amongst classics like Bloodsport (1988) and Hard Target (1993). What still makes Van Damme’s films stick out from other stars from his era i.e the previously mentioned Steven Seagal is that he still appears committed in giving his audience what they want. His role here doesn’t exactly stretch him but he also never phones it in.
One refreshing part of Van Damme’s character was his relationship with his daughter. Initially when I saw the cast list I presumed Jacqueline Fernandez’s character would be the love interest. I didn’t expect they would cast someone age appropriate to play his daughter, but the filmmakers have taken into consideration Van Damme’s increasing years. This is apparent during the action where he takes more punishment than he would have in the past, with the fights clearly taking a toll on him. Only on a few occasions does the film betray this by having Van Damme’s Phillip pull off a somersault or some other flashy kick.
I was quite surprised by Fernandez’s involvement considering the amount of big budget blockbusters she’s starred in back in India. Kill ‘Em All 2 is certainly a smaller scale production from what I’m used to seeing her in, but at the same time could possibly open her up to a wider audience. Her role doesn’t call for her to really stretch her acting muscles, but thankfully she isn’t the typical defenseless daughter that needs rescuing. Fernandez’s Vanessa more than gets in on the action, holding her own in several of the film’s action scenes.
A couple of actors from the first film also show up linking the film to what came before. Most important of these is Peter Stormare, who once again chews the scenery as the shady Holman. Let go from the C.I.A., Holman is now a free agent. Stormare has fun with whether that’s a good or bad thing. In parts it almost appears as if Milev just told Stormare to do what he likes. It certainly works for the film, with Stormare injecting a jolt of energy into proceedings.
Maria Conchita Alonso on the other hand does very little, only appearing in a handful of scenes that look like they could have all been shot in the same day. Her appearance does move the plot along somewhat but her scenes wouldn’t have been missed if they were removed.
Andrei Lenart is sleazily evil as the films main villain Vlad, but he never comes across as a viable threat when facing off against Van Damme. At least he is surrounded by enough disposable henchman that Van Damme’s Philip has to work his way through which works towards keeping the excitement levels high. Interestingly, one such henchman is played by Van Damme’s own son Kris, who he brutally dispatches during the film’s violent opening. Viewers of the first film will remember Kris played one of his father’s pursuers, even facing off against his old man in one of a few of the film’s worthwhile moments. He plays a different character here, albeit his screen time is fleeting.
Of the two Van Damme films this year, I would put Kill ‘Em All 2 slightly under Darkness of Man. Still, I was pleasantly surprised how much of an improvement it was on the first film. There’s enough here to keep action and Van Damme fans satisfied even if you’ll probably not find yourself returning to it.Â
Plot: 2.5/5
Acting: 3/5
Action: 3/5
Overall: 2.8/5
