And we're back, number four, Philip Rhee returns as Tommy Lee, and surprisingly, the casting keeps going well for this franchise. This sequel sees Ernie Hudson enter the mix as a hard-ass detective, what else? Paul Gleason has a small, rather unimportant role as a priest. Art LaFleur pops up, and gets killed. Arnie's muscular friend Sven-Ole Thorsen is a henchman, what else? And lastly, Tobin Bell is the main bad guy. It's not an A-list roster of course, but it's a pretty loaded list of B-list character actors.
This franchise continues to move into the action genre, leaving martial arts behind, and it is getting sillier. Although, truth be told, the third movie was pretty out there. This time, some dastardly Russians are running a money counterfeiting operation which Tommy Lee finds himself inadvertently involved in. Luckily, Lee is working for the cops as a martial arts instructor, so he's exactly the right man for the job (he rolls his eyes).
The plot is a typical action trope. A girl working for the Russians decides to betray them and steals a data disc (important to their counterfeit racket), which she hands over to...wait for it...Tommy Lee! Lee decides to go on the run (which seems like a really stupid decision that he wouldn't make), so the Russians kidnap his daughter (of course!). It then essentially boils down to a standard rescue operation with lots of generic action.
I would be lying if I said this was a good action flick, it just about stays afloat. Rhee puts in a standard action man performance with a side order of ham and cheese. There are two main action set pieces which see Lee fighting a group of baddies in a posh fencing salle, complete with foils. This is probably the best action in the movie with Rhee showcasing his solid martial arts skills plus weapon skills. Then there is a motorbike chopper chase sequence which isn't too bad, but ends with some iffy-looking CGI explosion. It should be said that there are some bad CGI effects used here, not lots, but they are very obvious (and cheap looking). But really, what do you expect? This ain't 'Die Hard'.
One thing did confuse me, the Russian villains appear to be wealthy, I mean seriously rich. They own multiple cars, motorbikes, choppers, a massive mansion etc...So why do they need to counterfeit money? It's quite obvious they are doing pretty well in whatever ventures, be it criminal or not. So why the need to go to so much trouble with this risky counterfeit operation? People are greedy, I get it, but these movie villains are often already super rich, so go live the good quiet life man.
As far as low-budget action movies go, this is a pretty good offering. Rhee has proven himself to be a good, likeable, action man hero with nice muscles when oiled up. The bad guys here are reasonable I guess. Bell as the big boss is fine, nothing special or particularly intimidating. German actor Thure Riefenstein as the younger brother of the boss, is a weak attempt at Jeremy Irons ' villain in 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' if you ask me. The problem is neither are that evil or intimidating, and their scheme is very dull. The action is by the numbers and Rhee doesn't give himself enough time to shine with his martial arts.
How many ways can I say this movie is a standard but acceptable action flick? The franchise has obviously run its course at this point, it's done. The move from martial arts to 'Lethal Weapon' style action may have been a mistake, as it lost its core heart. Understandable, but a 'Fast and Furious' U-turn was not the result here. They should have kept their action focused more around martial arts and less on cops and robbers. Rumours of a fifth movie would be a mistake and waste of everyone's time and money in my opinion. There's no need for it; Rhee is too old, and it wouldn't be anything original. At its core, this franchise was originally an all-out 80's martial arts vehicle, and that moment has now past.
5/10
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