5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Retired mixed martial artist Wes “The Jailor” Baylor (Scott Adkins) can’t refuse a million-dollar purse he’s offered for one final bout in Myanmar. But when he arrives for the fight, he learns he’s been tricked into becoming the target of a human hunt. Carrying only water and a ruby-filled money belt for the last person standing, Wes must outsmart the heavily armed group that has paid to kill him. As he fights for his life in the treacherous jungle terrain, the hunters become the hunted.
Starring: Scott Adkins, Robert Knepper, Rhona Mitra, Temuera Morrison, Ann TruongAction | 100% |
Thriller | 90% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Portuguese: DTS 5.1
Hungarian: DTS 5.1
Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Russian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Brazilian Portuguese
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Polish, Romanian, Russian, Thai, Turkish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Well, that only took 23 years. Hard Target 2 is the follow-up in-name-only to the popular Jean-Claude Van Damme 1993 Action flick Hard Target. Nowhere to be found are either star Van Damme or Director John Woo, the two individuals responsible for making the original one of the great successes of Van Damme's career, both in terms of entertainment value and production value, too, given Woo's workmanship behind the camera. The sequel carries on a similar spirit and follows a similar narrative path but is otherwise an entirely disparate film, favoring over pumped DTV Action stylings and failing to find any kind of serious muscle to its dramatic content. The movie is little more than a collection of action scenes that shape around the basic narrative. Fans looking for loud action should find the movie satisfactory, but those wanting to engage the brain should seek out entertainment elsewhere.
If Jeremy Renner retires, Scott Adkins is ready.
Hard Target 2 delivers a smooth, crisp, and clean 1080p transfer. Digitally photographed on the Red system, the picture reveals standout details even through a somewhat smooth digital façade. Clothing, skin, and environmental details are almost always right on target, revealing finer nuances with ease. Image clarity is very strong, and the ultra-sharp imagery remains in near and wide shots alike. Color saturation appears deliberately drained, just a bit, leaving actors appearing a little pale and gray and pushing out even the most brilliant natural greens in favor a slightly more subdued palette. Black levels retain depth and detail throughout. Noise can spike, severely in lower light scenes, while trace amounts of aliasing are evident throughout, notably in Vegas flyover shots at film's start.
Hard Target 2 explodes onto Blu-ray with a dynamic, high energy DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Though it lacks the added back and overhead channels that have become popular additions these days, Universal's more traditionally structured track fills the stage with a sonic assault of high intensity music and action effects. Every speaker is pushed hard from beginning to end. Whether music or action effects, there's constant engagement that's prodigious but at the same time balanced and never wanting for more clarity. Both stationary music and moving sound effects find expert balance. Bass rocks hard, explosions pump out tons of low end fun, and the adrenaline-charged music never wants for more energy. Dialogue remains well prioritized throughout, playing with consistent and clear center-focused placement.
Hard Target 2 contains an audio commentary track and several additional extras. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes
digital
copy are included with purchase.
Hard Target 2 doesn't lack polish, and it doesn't lack confidence. It's not much of a movie in the more artful sense of the term -- this is all about slick, sleek action and adrenaline -- but it is a flick that should really shine in the eyes of audiences craving a new action fix. Universal's Blu-ray delivers huge, highly aggressive lossless audio, a solid and sleek 1080p transfer, and a surprisingly ample allotment of extra content. Recommended to Action junkies.
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