Iron Angels II Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Iron Angels II Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 11, 2025

This review contains a few spoilers for the 37-year-old film.

When we last left the Angel Organization, they elected to declare war against criminal operation Golden Triangle, facing certain doom as the team battled their way to victory against a most determined opponent. All was well, but work in the superspy business is never truly completed, and the agents (well, most of them) are back in 1988’s “Iron Angels II,” which returns to the furious action ways of the franchise, only now there’s defined interest in pursuing a dramatic tone from co-director/writer Teresa Woo. The battle for justice takes a trip to Malaysia this time around, and the change in scenery helps the endeavor, adding bits of culture and a lot more jungle to the sequel, which trades drug world activity for political revolution. Woo gets somewhat ambitious with “Iron Angels II,” but doesn’t manage to craft an improvement on the 1997 movie, dialing down the general fury of the picture to invest in character. It’s a laudable effort, but it doesn’t always connect as intended.

After handling an undercover operation using their usual skill and success, members of the Angel Organization are ready for a vacation. Fong (Alex Fong) pushes for a trip to Malaysia, bringing Moon (Moon Lee) and Elaine (Elaine Lui) with him to meet his old college roommate, Peter (Ting-Wai Chan), who’s overseeing a palm oil empire, which has made him an extraordinarily rich man. Joining the reunion is Marco (Yu-Lung Hsiao), another classmate, turning the trip into a celebration of friendship and the past, with Moon and Elaine enjoying the luxurious accommodations. However, all is not well with Peter, who’s secretly putting together plans for a revolution, looking to overthrow the government using help from his private army, ready to create a communist utopia for all. While Peter’s vision takes shape, the Angels are prepared to fight, joined by Kharina (Kharina Andrews), a Malaysian Angel brought in to help when Marco goes missing.

Fong, Moon, and Elaine are a tight fighting unit, getting a workout in the opening of “Iron Angels II,” tasked with pulling a target out of a bad situation. A bit of spy work is needed, but physical force dominates, watching the team kick and shoot their way out of dangerous situations. Woo cooks up a vacation story for the sequel, taking the action to Malaysia, putting the Angels into immediate contact with a sketchy taxi driver, who brings some broad comedy to a mostly serious effort, treating the visitors to a ride in his junky car. Peter is eventually introduced, and he's a suave man Elaine is interested in, reuniting with Fong, providing his old pal with rooms in his mansion, and a dinner feast is prepared, which also serves as a lesson on Malaysian dining etiquette. Camaraderie is established, and Marco joins the evening, adding to the fun as Fong gets right back into the groove with his college pals.

Familiarity among classmates takes “Iron Angels II” into a few bizarre directions. This includes a trip to a local nightclub for an evening of excessive drinking and flirtations with a lounge performer offering a “Snow White” act (complete with a cast of little people) and a tune about perverts wanting to watch her shower. She’s quite the addition to the sequel, and takes up a bit of screen time with her stage displays, eventually triggering a bar fight when she denies a request to become company for someone other than Fong, who’s been upgraded to a Handsome Dan in the feature. The nightlife sequence doesn’t have anything to do with the overall story of “Iron Angels II,” but it’s amusing filler, and it permits Woo to add in another fight scene, following the inebriated men as they take on the locals. It’s the last bit of lightness in the offering.

“Iron Angels II” gets weird in other ways, especially when Peter elects to take the gang on a tour of his palm oil operation, which feels like a commercial for the actual industry, as the particulars are lovingly photographed and the details are carefully spun. Of course, Peter is no pal, eventually exposed as a dictator in the making, planning a coup with his private army, while leadership inspiration comes from late night viewings of Hitler footage, which is Woo’s blunt way to assign villainy. Complications arise in Elaine’s feelings for Peter, and Fong’s disgust with his old friend, infiltrating his compound to fully understand what he’s up against. “Iron Angels II” grows a little twisted as it hunts for evildoing, as one character is subjected to torture that involves a battery and nipple clamps. And there’s B-movie goofiness, including a car chase in the jungle that somehow triggers squealing tires, and Elaine is established as a tough person, openly blasting away baddies and riding on helicopter skids. But she squeals like a child when she finds a bug crawling on her. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider her Angel Organization membership.

Iron Angels II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Iron Angels II" is listed as "newly restored in VS from existing studio masters." A few brief inconsistencies are noted, including a bit of crush during the opening sequences, and some mild damage is found along the way. The viewing experience does well with detail, capturing skin particulars on heavily made-up actors, joined by occasional bouts of sweatiness. Costuming is fibrous, exploring eveningwear and military uniforms. Jungle experiences maintain depth, along with city tours. Interiors deliver a good look at decorative additions. Colors are alert, with vivid greenery. Nightclub events and fashions choice provide rich primaries, and blood remains red. Skin tones are natural. Grain is passably resolved.

Iron Angels II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA Cantonese mix offer a simple understanding of aural elements. Dialogue exchanges are decently defined, preserving dubbed performance choices. Scoring handles with clear synth support and satisfactory instrumentation. Sound effects are blunt.

Iron Angels II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historian Frank Djeng.

• And a Trailer (2:57, SD) is included.

Iron Angels II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The sequel gets a little bogged down in melodrama, trying to take feelings seriously as Elaine has her heart broken and Fong deals with disillusionment. Sluggishness sets in, but matters improve in the final act, which adds Kharina as a Rambo-type figure to help increase the action potential of the grand finale, which also involves zipline moves, the actors handling aggression in full makeup and hair, and Elaine stepping into a bear trap, only to have Fong ask her, while looking at the bloody wound, what's wrong. There's more that could be done with Peter's motivations and personal interpretation of what communism actually means, and "Iron Angels II" isn't quite a snappy as its predecessor. However, action does arrive on occasion, and it retains cinematic fury with touches of craziness, preserving the viewing experience. And the actors are definitely more comfortable this time around, understanding the acting assignment while trying to manage a bit more characterization, though depth isn't exactly achieved for this follow-up, as it's hard to combine the emotional pains of betrayal with nipple torture.