Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Hard Target 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 10, 2016

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.

Wes Baylor (Scott Adkins) is a skilled martial artist and a beast in the ring. He has a shot at the title, but standing in his way is his best friend. Baylor wants the title, badly, and he won't be happy even if it's his friend claiming victory. Rather than hold back and leave the decision to the judges, Baylor goes after his friend, hard, and wins by knockout. Unfortunately, Baylor kills his friend in the process. It's a tragic accident, but it leaves Baylor scared and unable to perform in the spotlight. He moves to Bangkok where he earns a living fighting underground. Unsurprisingly, he's good, but his skills draw the attention of the wrong man, Aldrich (Robert Knepper), who offers Baylor an opportunity to make some real money. Baylor agrees, believing he's to participate in another fight. What he finds, however, is an eclectic group of individuals who have paid for the privilege of hunting him down, and killing him. Baylor is furious, but forced to participate. He's given a brief running start and a container for water while the hunters, armed with crossbows and guns, follow him in hopes of gaining the kill.

Hard Target 2 is one of those movies that deems it necessary to bludgeon the audience with the same, albeit core, concept several times, seemingly working under the assumption that the audience is too dense to get the fact that Baylor is haunted by his friend's death, or of the realization that character development and depth is so minimal that it must continuously reinforce the one and only driving arc in the movie. It's probably a bit of both, though favoring the notion that Baylor is a one-trick pony. None of that development really matters in the long run anyway, though. Hard Target 2 amounts to nothing more than disposable, throwaway entertainment. It's fine for what it is, which isn't much: a loud, slicked-up DTV action movie constructed around recycled character arcs, over-pumped audio, and frenzied, well-constructed, but hardly novel action scenes.

The film plays with much the same vibe as another recent DTV Action movie sequel, The Condemned 2, which was also directed by Roel Reiné. Scenes are practically interchangeable, characters, too, and with a few minutes worth of rewrites either movie could have been called the other and worked just about as well. Reiné is nothing if not consistent; both films are tonally and structurally similar, crafted of the same filmmaking techniques and squeezing as much out of whatever resources were available as seems possible. Action fanatics should find that enough to warrant a watch, and the truth is that, like The Condemned 2, this is hardly the worst of the DTV Action genre. Reiné knows his way around these movies and proves more than capable of delivering a slick, sleek, and hard-hitting experience. Scott Adkins doesn't do much with the lead role, though he's not exactly the beneficiary of Shakespeare either. He fills in the part well enough, offering an athletic, muscular, kinetic style of acting. His verbal delivery is good enough to get the film from one action scene to the next. Robert Knepper soaks up some good bad guy moments and is appropriately slimy as the lead villain.

Hard Target 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 9:47): Baylor & Sutherland Weigh In, Baylor Goes for the Knockout, Come On, Right Here, Rooftop Pool Party, Baylor Tells Tha to Run, and Kay Delivers a Message.
• Deleted Shots Montage (1080p, 1:59): Additional shots removed from the film.
• A Fighting Chance: Behind the Scenes of Hard Target 2 (1080p, 5:13): A discussion of how this film serves as an homage to the original, the director's work, the pace of the shoot, stunt work, Adkins' preparation for the role, and crafting fight scenes.
• Hard Target 2 Through the Lens (1080p, 2:43): A quick look at the film's shooting pace on a small budget and the director's involvement in the shoot.
• Into the Jungle: On Location of Hard Target 2 (1080p, 2:25): This supplement examines the film's shooting locations in Thailand.
• Thrill of the Hunt (1080p, 3:13): A quick look at the hunter characters.
• Audio Commentary: Director Roel Reiné and Stars Scott Adkins and Robert Knepper, Composer Trevor Morris, and Camera Operator Rolf Dekens fill out the roster and offer a nice cross-section of insight into the making of the movie. Reiné is very passionate, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to listen to discuss both his movie and his love for cinema. The other participants call in from time to time and discuss various tidbits with the director.

Hard Target 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.