The Man with the Iron Fists 2 (UNRATED) [Blu-Ray]
Director: Roel Reiné
Cast: RZA, Dustin Nguyen, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Release Date: Own it on Blu-ray Combo Pack & DVD On April 14th
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 8.5/10
Synopsis:
When Thaddeus (RZA) is found badly wounded near a 19th-century Chinese town, miner Li Kung (Dustin Nguyen) and his wife Ah Ni (Eugenia Yuan) offer him refuge. As he heals, he becomes entrenched in a conflict that pits the townsfolk against the evil Master Ho , his nefarious Beetle Clan and the terrifying Lord Pi. With Thaddeus at his side, the mild-mannered Kung transforms into a deadly warrior in this martial arts epic.
‘The Man with the Iron Fists 2’ follows the continuing journey of the Blacksmith Thaddeus (RZA) who is now on a quest for inner peace. Yet when his past catches up with him and he is beaten and left for dead, his life is saved by the daughter of a miner with a violent past of his own, in a town controlled by an evil murdering clan leader. As things heat up in the feud between the controlling Beetle clan and the town’s miners, Thaddeus might just have to put his quest for inner peace on hold as he reluctantly becomes involved in helping the desperate miners to take back their town from the evil Beetle Clan and its sadistic leader.
This time around the film was directed by Roel Reiné who does a fairly competent job of capturing the overall vibe of the original in this sequel. RZA has stepped down from directing duties for the sequel, but he’s still actively involved, providing the music in addition to co-writing (with John Jarrell this time) as well as reprising his role of Thaddeus, aka The Blacksmith. RZA is in fact the only cast member (or character, no one is recast) present here from the original and with the exception of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Mortal Kombat) the cast is comprised entirely of unknowns, some of whom deliver more capable performances than others, but none of which are anything notable or exceptional.
‘The Man with the Iron Fists 2’ is an overall fun time and it delivers more than enough hard-hitting and bloody action to satisfy fans of the first film in that regard, and while it’s an enjoyable film in its own right, it doesn’t come close to comparing with its predecessor, a film which hugely impressed me and I couldn’t have loved more. The less impressive acting and a budget which I can only assume was significantly smaller unfortunately result in this movie feeling a bit unintentionally cheesy at times. While it may not hold up with the original, fans of that one will still definitely want to check the sequel out, just try not to go in with your expectations too high and you should have a good time; it might also be one that would be better to rent before you purchase a copy of the Blu-Ray just to be safe.
VIDEO:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘The Man with the Iron Fists 2’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks pretty fantastic as a whole, everything from the colors and shapes down to the gorgeous landscapes and backgrounds looks bright, detailed and spot on in every way. Even the numerous fast moving action sequences and the darker scenes always hold up, are more than discernible at all times and never suffer from any video noise, pixilation or other notable faults small or large. Overall, this is quite an impressive high definition video presentation that holds up admirably in nearly every regard.
AUDIO:
The Blu-Ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This lossless multichannel soundtrack sounds pretty great for the most part and is also quite active, regularly utilizing all five available channels to throw everything from the score to metal clangs and nature related elements swirling around the viewer. It also makes certain that any dialogue that might be occurring simultaneously to the more frenetic moments never becomes distorted or inaudible. Overall, this is a pretty top notch 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtrack that shouldn’t disappoint.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘The Man with the Iron Fists 2’ includes a few nice extras. Included on the release is an Audio Commentary with Director Roel Reiné and Executive Producer/Co-Writer/Star Rza. Also included are a number of Deleted Scenes (just under 12 minutes worth in total) and a Behind the Scenes Featurette titled ‘Chi Warriors: The Making of The Man with the Iron Fists 2’ which runs just shy of 13 minutes and features behind the scenes footage and interviews/comments with the cast and crew.
*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.
Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 8.5/10
‘The Man With The Iron Fists 2’ UNRATED Arrives on Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack Including DVD & Digital HD with Ultraviolet™ April 14th from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment!
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