U.S. Seals 2
AKA: U.S. Seals II: The Ultimate Force
1999
Director: Isaac Florentine
Fight coordinator: Andy Cheng
Stars: Michael Worth, Karen Kim, Damian Chapa, Sophia Crawford, Andy Cheng, George Cheung, Hakim Alston
U.S. Seals 2 reminds me a lot of the cheap B-list action movies that Hong Kong cranked out by the dozens during its' "golden age" -- the first hour or so is pretty much crap, but the last third of the film delivers some solid action. Actually, it's a bit better than your usual low-budget action movie as it has a somewhat interesting plot -- a former Seal turned terrorist has kidnapped a scientist and plans to use her to develop nuclear warheads. The problem is that his island hideout is a former chemical weapons plant, so the gases lingering in the air will ignite if any firearms are used. So a team of martial artists are sent in to do the job.
Yes, this is a B-movie, but it's done well. While the acting isn't going to win any Oscars, most of the other aspects of U.S. Seals 2 are done well. The cinematography in particular is really good for this type of movie. Unfortunately, the foley guy seems to have gone into overdrive. Nearly every movement in the film, whether it's opening a door or punching someone in the face, is accompanied by a "whoosh" effect. I don't know why they did this -- maybe to give it a more "old-school" or "intense" feeling -- but it just ends up being silly. Actually, even though this might annoy the hell out of some people, it adds something to the camp value. This is not Citizen Kane we're talking about -- it's the kind of movie that you watch with buddies while quaffing brews and the cheesy sound effects add to that experience.
I am very much a die-hard action junkie, and so I am able to look past some bad bits for the sake of seeing some good action -- and, for a US B-movie, the action sequences in here are suprisingly good. Andy Cheng (a former member of Jackie Chan's stunt team) didn't really have much to work with (let's put it this way -- one of the team is a former Power Ranger), but he creates some pretty intense fights. In particular, I enjoyed the climatic fight between Karen Kim and Sophia Crawford. It's very intense and brought back fond memories of the good "girls-with-guns" movies Hong Kong used to produce.
Don't let this film's B-movie looks fool you. If you're willing to forgive some shortcomings, there is some good fun to be had with a viewing of U.S. Seals 2. Even though there is probably as much cheese in here as a Packers fan's colon, U.S. Seals 2 delivers a no-brain good time. If nothing else, there's enough eye candy in here (for both male and female viewers) to keep yourself entertained.
RATING: 6.5
Note: this is a sequel to the first film in name only.
Click here to view my Karen Kim picture page
A review of the DVD for this movie can be found here