Available Now on Blu-ray™/DVD/Digital HD
Universal Studios Press Release
Synopsis of The Man with the Iron Fists 2: Thaddeus (RZA) is back in this explosive action adventure inspired by kung fu classics. A reluctant villager joins forces with a mysterious outsider to fight off powerful evil forces, both earthly and otherworldly, in a 19th century Chinese mining town. When a stranger, Thaddeus, is found badly wounded near the village, miner Li Kung (Dustin Nguyen) and his wife Ah Ni (Eugenia Kang) offer him refuge. As he heals, he becomes entrenched in a conflict that pits the townsfolk against the evil Master Ho (Carl Ng), his nefarious Beetle Clan and the terrifying Lord Pi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). With Thaddeus at his side, the mild-mannered Kung transforms into a deadly warrior in this martial arts epic.
The No Holds Barred Review
Let me first say that I’ve seen the original The Man with the Iron Fists a few times and enjoyed it very much. You can read my comments here. Now…this sequel is different from what I expected. The film begins with a flashback fight scene between Lord Pi, a renegade monk, versus Abbott, the head monk, and the Gemini Killers at the monks side. Lord Pi is after the mysterious chi which flows in the water supply of the monastery in order to gain immortality. Suffice to say Lord Pi is defeated, but not killed. This plot line comes full circle and plays into the final 15 minutes of the film. Watch and you’ll see. The fist we see of Thaddeus (RZA) is about 2 minutes into the film when he’s attacked by a half dozen or so thugs. It’s a decent fight scene where everyone ends up dead or severely injured. And then we don’t see Thaddeus until the half hour mark. See, this film isn’t about Thaddeus and his journey. It’s about Li Kung (Dustin Nguyen) and the other town folk of Tsai Fu village who work at the nearby silver mine. The village and mine are run by the thug Master Ho (Carl Ng) of the Beetle Clan. Villagers are being killed off by the Beetle Clan for disobeying orders, plus women are mysteriously being murdered. It isn’t until Li Guang (Charlie Ruedpokanon), brother of Li Kung is found dead and Thaddeus washes ashore at the village do the town folk lead by Li Kung rebel against the Beetle Clan.
The final 40 minutes of the film is full of action with plenty of fight scenes. The villagers finally revolt and characters are struck down, blown up and have their heads squashed. Evil is vanquished. I’m holding back on the specifics of what happens to who as I don’t want to spoil anything for you readers/viewers. You definitely want to see the unrated version for all of these action sequences. They’re quite graphic and not for the faint of heart. The film ends with Thaddeus on his way and the possibility of another sequel. I rate this film a B- and it’s worth watching. Enjoy.
The Man with the Iron Fists 2 is available for purchase at Amazon.com for $19.99 and rental via Redbox.
Features and Credits
FILMMAKERS:
Cast: RZA, Dustin Nguyen, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Eugenia Yuan, Pim Bubear, Simon Yin, Carl Ng
Directed By: Roel Reiné
Written By: Screenplay by John Jarrell and The RZA
Story By: The RZA
Produced By: Marc Abraham, Eric Newman, Ogden Gavanski
Production Companies: A Strike Entertainment, Arcade Pictures
Executive Producers: RZA, Eli Roth
Director of Photography: Roel Reiné
Production Designer: Chaiyan Chunsuttiwat
Edited By: Radu Ion, Chuck Norris
Music By: The RZA, Howard Drossin
Costume Designer: Waraporn Kaewnanjai
Bonus Features on Blu-ray™ and DVD
Deleted Scenes
Chi Warriors: The Making of Man With the Iron Fists 2 – a behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Man with the Iron Fists 2 featuring the cast and crew including director Roel Reiné and star RZA
Feature Commentary with director Roel Reiné and executive producer and star RZA
TECHNICAL INFORMATION – Blu-ray™
Street Date: April 14, 2015
Copyright: 2015 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Numbers: 63142653 / 63142589 (CDN)
Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes / 1 hours 31 minutes (Unrated)
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Rating: R for strong bloody violence throughout / Unrated
Technical Info: English, Spanish and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles
TECHNICAL INFORMATION – DVD
Street Date: April 14, 2015
Copyright: 2015 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Numbers: 63142654 / 63142587 (CDN)
Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes / 1 hours 31 minutes (Unrated)
Layers: Dual Layers
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Rating: R for strong bloody violence throughout / Unrated
Technical Info: English, Spanish and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French.
All photos and videos are courtesy and property of Universal Studios.
Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital HD cover for The Man with the Iron Fists 2
FTC Disclosure: A press copy of the Blu-ray™ + DVD + Digital HD release was provided to Beantown LLC for the purpose of this review.