Martial Law II: Undercover

Director - Kurt Anderson (Dead Cold, The Killing Grounds)

Starring - Jeff Wincott (Sons of Anarchy, Alfred Hitchcock Presents), Cynthia Rochrock (China O'Brien, Lady Dragon), and Paul Johansson (The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, Berserker: Hell's Warrior)

Release Date - 1991

Genre - Action/Crime

Tagline - "Urban warriors with a badge.  Their bodies are their weapons"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     When it comes to direct to video action movies you can usually find several dozen cheesy ones that are fun to watch but are pretty terrible.  However, if these terrible but fun movies makes a dollar you can expect a sequel to follow.  Martial Law was a solid martial arts action flick that apperatnly made a buck because a sequel was released a year later.  This 1991 film is included in the VSA release from Vinegary Syndrome with the first film.  Once I made my way through the first flick it only made sense to toss in the sequel.

     The film once again follows Det. Sean Thompson (this time played by Jeff Wincott) who is transfered to another department.  Soon a fellow officer and friend of his dies in an automobile accident from allegedly drunk driving.  He doesn't beleive this and starts investigating the accident where he uncovers police corruption and an upcoming business man looking to make a profit no matter the means.

     Movies like this was the reason I started writing reviews.  Horror has been and always will be my beloved genre but I grew up watching 70s and 80s action flicks with my dad.  Over the years a lot of these direct to video action films would go forgotten if it wasn't for boutique labels like Vin Syn to breathe new life into them.  Sure, they are pretty bad but you can't deny how much fun they are.  Cheesy fun which was also my nickname in high school.  Martial Law was solid and this sequel delivers more of the same but with a little bit more to the story.  Both scored 3 out of 5 with me but I think the sequel is just a little bit better.  The acting in this one was exactly how the last film was.  The cast was solid but there was a little hint of cheese.  Not like some of the other action films of the early 90s that I love but just enough to make the viewer occasionally giggle.  With that being said, I found myself laughing so fucking hard at Paul Johansson's "serious" performance.  His cold and calculating demeanor was pretty bad ass at first as the film's main antagonist but as the film progressed I found myself laughing at this.  The serious tone just came across as forced in a few of the scenes.  The story for this one is not as straight forward as the first film but it's still pretty cliched.  We once again follow Sean Thompson who loses someone close to him at the hands of a crime boss.  This time we get more of Cynthia Rothrock and her character who goes undercover.  At this point the film does have a few side stories and more characters added than the first.  It was fun and adds a few layers to a rather cliched story.  Finally, this one has similiar deaths as the first film.  A small glimpse of blood but nothing that a horror fan would remember.  Overall, Martial Law II: Undercover is a perfect pairing with the first film.  Some cheese, unlikable characters, fight scenes, and action makes this one a fun on.  It may not have replay value but you will enjoy it for the first time watch.  This transfer is just as amazing as the first film.  Vin Syn did an amazing job with this VSA release.