The followup to one of the more influential entries in the "heroic bloodshed" genre, Long Arm of the Law II is really a sequel in name only. The stark grittiness of the original release is substituted here for comedy and ultra-violence, resulting in an end product that isn't as compelling as its' predecessor, though still worth checking out, especially if you are into Hong Kong-style cops and robbers shenanigans.

Elvis Tsui, Ben Lam, and Yuen Yat-Choh star as a group of Mainland police officers who are sent into Hong Kong to infiltrate a gang led by the dangerous Fu (Kong Lung) that preys on immigrants. Using their local contact, Biggy (Alex Man), the cops soon have Fu in their sights. But after their cover is blown, the trio finds themselves alone on the streets of Hong Kong in a desperate struggle for their lives.

For the first half-hour or so, Long Arm of the Law II plays out very much like a comedy, with the officers having to wear wigs to cover their identities (which looks especially silly on the usually bald-headed Elvis Tsui) and trying to manage the differences between Mainland and Hong Kong culture. Most of the comedy is based on broad stereotypes, such as a scene where the Mainlanders learn about pagers, and doesn't work all that well.

Things pick up a bit during the middle portion of the film, which morphs into your typical Triad potboiler. Plot elements like one of the cops starting a romance with a hostess girl (Pauline Wong) are introduced into the mix, along with the seemingly mandatory fights with grossly oversized knives fans these sorts of productions always felt the need to throw in to keep blood-thirsty audiences happy.

Like many pictures of the time, the action and violence quotient is ramped up during the final third of the film. Kicking off with a grisly torture scene that features a man getting his head covered with a bag of rats and then cut off completely, and culminating with a shootout that features plenty of dual-pistol wielding and slow-motion shots of bullet-riddled bodies, Long Arm of the Law II ends satisfyingly enough that many viewers should be able to (at least in part) forgive the movie's shortcomings.

RATING: 7