73
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91The Film StageThe Film StageStylistically free but still cleanly delineated in character and crime-film structure, there comes a clear direction for the 21st-century action film.
- 88RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsRogerEbert.comSimon AbramsDon't let the tacky American-friendly title of Kill Zone 2 fool you: the martial arts genre's next big thing is here, and it is way meaner, more technically accomplished, and more exciting than its disappointing marketing strategy implies.
- 83The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyThe A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyCheang builds flourish upon flourish with a ballsiness that recalls Brian De Palma in his prime.
- 70The New York TimesAndy WebsterThe New York TimesAndy WebsterIf there’s one rewarding thing about many Hong Kong action directors, it’s that they rarely dawdle in getting to what fight fans have come for: bracing shootouts and high-impact fisticuffs and footwork.
- 70Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayLos Angeles TimesNoel MurrayMostly, just as “SPL” did with Yen, this sequel serves as an ideal showcase for talented martial artists. Kill Zone 2 watches with awe as Jaa and Wu move with balletic force. There’s grace within their violence.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterElizabeth KerrThe Hollywood ReporterElizabeth KerrFar from being the convoluted mess it could have been, incoming director Cheang Pou-soi (Yip serves as a producer) crafts a tight, swiftly paced action yarn that ensures viewers won’t be pining for the presence of the first film’s stars, Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung.
- 70Screen DailyJames MarshScreen DailyJames MarshA sequel in name only to Wilson Yip’s 2005 film, Soi Cheang’s SPL2: A Time For Consequences nevertheless recaptures the exhilarating energy of the original.
- 70VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonHelmer Cheang and action director Li Chung Chi offer an impressive array of rock-’em-sock-’em setpieces — including a battle royale at a cruise ship terminal, and grand finale in a Hong Kong high-rise — and the performances, especially those by Wu, Koo and Zhang, are thoroughly attuned to the movie’s overall tone of fever-pitched martial-arts noir melodrama.
- 60Village VoiceAaron HillisVillage VoiceAaron HillisDizzily entertaining when the knives, bullets, and feet are flying, and sometimes painfully melodramatic during the interim exposition.