[yasr_overall_rating]
When an undercover cop gets too close to revealing the mastermind of a drug syndicate, his cover is blown. Double-crossed and under a false identity, he’s thrown into a Thai prison, where a guard discovers the inmate – claiming he’s a cop – is a bone marrow match for his dying daughter…and his warden may have an even deadlier operation hidden within the prison walls.
Tony Jaa is a Thai martial artist, actor, action choreographer, stuntman, and director. He has starred in some top-notch Asian action films such as “Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior,” “Ong-bak 2,” “Ong-bak 3,” and he and Vin Diesel must have really hit it off because not only was he one of the bad guys in last year’s “Furious 7,” but he is also in the upcoming “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage,” the sequel to Vin Diesel’s 2002 smash hit, “xXx.” The man is capable of unbelievable feats utilizing martial arts but the problem with “Kill Zone 2” is that while it is being marketed as a Tony Jaa movie, he even graces the artwork for the movie’s poster and promotional material, in reality, he is more of a supporting role to Wu Jing’s character of Chan Chi-kit. And his fighting style here, is practically non-existent. He mostly gets beat up and he only gets to show off some amazing choreography in the last five minutes of the film’s exciting finale. While the movie is also being marketed as a non-stop action flick, it is more subdued, and works better as a slow-burning, psychological thriller. Knowing that in advance, you might actually enjoy it more.
Chan Chi-kit (Wu Jing) is a cop who goes deep undercover to try and penetrate a high-level crime syndicate who kidnaps people and then kills them, harvesting their organs on the black market. When he is discovered, he is sent to a prison in Thailand. One of the guards there, Chatchai (Tony Jaa), has a young daughter, Sa (Unda Kunteera Yhordchanng), who has leukemia and is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant and as fate would have it, Chan is the perfect candidate. In order to save his daughter, he must free Chan and keep him alive in order for him to continue his investigation so he can bring down the cartel.
The film moves along at a steady pace and has unrelenting moments of action and violence, which beautifully showcase Wu Jing and his martial arts expertise, more than they do Tony Jaa. In watching a movie like “Kill Zone 2,” you expect your lead character to be more proficient in fighting techniques than his adversaries as they always arrive at the quintessential showdown, where the good guy always wins, here though, he manages to take out his enemy when his back is turned and while he is involved in combat with someone else. Call me old-fashioned but I would much rather watch them go at it, one-on-one, and face-to-face, than striking when the other’s back is turned. Not one of Tony Jaa’s best but enjoyable nonetheless.
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