Though I was incredibly pleased to discover The Man from Macau had a sequel, I also wondered why neither Mr Tse or Ms Tian, from the original film, made an appearance - did they purposefully choose to opt out, or were they never invited back? Either way, as much as it pains me to say it, perhaps it was for the best. Don't get me wrong - From Vegas to Macau 2 has everything an entertaining Chinese blockbuster ought to: an outstanding cast, plenty of action sequences, moments of hilarity, emotional sequences, a heroically themed soundtrack, some impressive stunts, and a cameo by Mr Andy Lau himself. However, over the course of the feature, even Ken Magic Hands (Chow Yun-Fat), as amazingly magical as he proves himself to be, is unable to pull a rabbit out of a hat to save this particular film.
Although several of the action scenarios are clearly borrowed from other films, and despite Ken's ninja card throwing trick becoming a little stale, the comedy is sure to impress. Much like The Man From Macau, the humorous sequences offer the viewer ridiculous, slapstick scenes, that would probably never work in any other film but this. The deranged robot is especially hysterical, though a game of mahjong, and a wrestling match, additionally offer comical highlights.
Moving on, the film's opening is especially dazzling, and prepares the viewer for a series of fantastically bright visuals. Ken is thinking about settling down with his best friend Victor (David Chiang), when his former protégé, Vincent (Shawn Yue) appears, requesting Ken's assistance. An agent with Interpol, he desperately needs Ken's help in order to take down the remaining forces of DOA, the villainous agency from the former feature. After several run-ins with vicious assassins, many of whom are unbelievably beautiful women, Ken, who initially adamantly refuses, finds he has little choice but to assist.
Mark (Nick Cheung) a DOA accountant, has absconded with 15 billion US dollars, fleeing with his daughter (the adorably cute Angela Wang), the agency he once proudly served hot on his trail. Aoi (Jin Qiaoqiao) has taken the reigns of the organization after it was dealt a severe blow in the previous feature, Purple (Michelle Hu), Aoi's lead assassin, and DOA lead enforcer (Wu Yue), being two dangerous foes, who lead an unrelenting number of highly armed troops.
It is seldom explained how DOA manage to locate the protagonists, every time they do, a series of explosions taking place. The unrelenting nature of the fireballs that cloud the screen do become a little too much, the effects, though entertaining, being deprived the glamour of a Hollywood budget. Moreover, the continuous felling of enemy agents seems unrealistic, while the heroes scrape by with barely a bruise, none of the characters, who appear on the surface to be expertly trained, ever using believable tactics. Though the film sometimes is little more than an explosive marathon, the film does manage to hide a few surprises up its sleeve, despite its occasionally predictable story-line.
Requiring his testimony to take DOA down, Interpol, with the help of Ken, try to acquire Mark, who wants nothing to do with the police, though, for the sake of his daughter, discovers he has little choice. What follows are a number of chase sequences, explosive firefights, a gangster casino, and a wrestling match, most of which has little to do with the story at hand, and appears to instead be inserted less for quality, and more for quantity.
The primary story-line is however forgotten the moment Ken is swept away on a love-struck adventure with his former paramour Molly (Carina Lau), who appears to make an entrance at the most unexpected of times. Their rekindled relationship, which required extra padding to be efficiently portrayed, seems to be inappropriately inserted into a script unable to cater for it, which unfortunately, could be said for much of the sub-plots. Occasionally, From Vegas to Macau 2 appears to be a series of short stories, all thrown into one film, none of which ever properly connects, the film's conclusion being as equally vague.
The young Ms Wang, alongside Yuan Quan as Mark's wife, deliver the most emotionally powerful scene in the film, however, the saddest part about the movie is the screen time many of the actors are deprived of. Mr Yue, for a time, is entirely forgotten, with Ms Lau only ever appearing intermittently, and Kimmy Tong, as Ken's daughter Rainbow (one of the few cast members from the previous film), appearing no more than twice, Mr Yun-Fat and Mr Cheung stealing the show.
When I reviewed The Man From Macau, I referred to it as 'good, but not great'. From Vegas to Macau 2 is perhaps a step down from that - though occasionally good, for the most part, it is simply alright. When director Jing Wong next creates his sequel in this franchise, perhaps he could focus on creating one story, rather than one hundred.
Although several of the action scenarios are clearly borrowed from other films, and despite Ken's ninja card throwing trick becoming a little stale, the comedy is sure to impress. Much like The Man From Macau, the humorous sequences offer the viewer ridiculous, slapstick scenes, that would probably never work in any other film but this. The deranged robot is especially hysterical, though a game of mahjong, and a wrestling match, additionally offer comical highlights.
Moving on, the film's opening is especially dazzling, and prepares the viewer for a series of fantastically bright visuals. Ken is thinking about settling down with his best friend Victor (David Chiang), when his former protégé, Vincent (Shawn Yue) appears, requesting Ken's assistance. An agent with Interpol, he desperately needs Ken's help in order to take down the remaining forces of DOA, the villainous agency from the former feature. After several run-ins with vicious assassins, many of whom are unbelievably beautiful women, Ken, who initially adamantly refuses, finds he has little choice but to assist.
Mark (Nick Cheung) a DOA accountant, has absconded with 15 billion US dollars, fleeing with his daughter (the adorably cute Angela Wang), the agency he once proudly served hot on his trail. Aoi (Jin Qiaoqiao) has taken the reigns of the organization after it was dealt a severe blow in the previous feature, Purple (Michelle Hu), Aoi's lead assassin, and DOA lead enforcer (Wu Yue), being two dangerous foes, who lead an unrelenting number of highly armed troops.
It is seldom explained how DOA manage to locate the protagonists, every time they do, a series of explosions taking place. The unrelenting nature of the fireballs that cloud the screen do become a little too much, the effects, though entertaining, being deprived the glamour of a Hollywood budget. Moreover, the continuous felling of enemy agents seems unrealistic, while the heroes scrape by with barely a bruise, none of the characters, who appear on the surface to be expertly trained, ever using believable tactics. Though the film sometimes is little more than an explosive marathon, the film does manage to hide a few surprises up its sleeve, despite its occasionally predictable story-line.
Requiring his testimony to take DOA down, Interpol, with the help of Ken, try to acquire Mark, who wants nothing to do with the police, though, for the sake of his daughter, discovers he has little choice. What follows are a number of chase sequences, explosive firefights, a gangster casino, and a wrestling match, most of which has little to do with the story at hand, and appears to instead be inserted less for quality, and more for quantity.
The primary story-line is however forgotten the moment Ken is swept away on a love-struck adventure with his former paramour Molly (Carina Lau), who appears to make an entrance at the most unexpected of times. Their rekindled relationship, which required extra padding to be efficiently portrayed, seems to be inappropriately inserted into a script unable to cater for it, which unfortunately, could be said for much of the sub-plots. Occasionally, From Vegas to Macau 2 appears to be a series of short stories, all thrown into one film, none of which ever properly connects, the film's conclusion being as equally vague.
The young Ms Wang, alongside Yuan Quan as Mark's wife, deliver the most emotionally powerful scene in the film, however, the saddest part about the movie is the screen time many of the actors are deprived of. Mr Yue, for a time, is entirely forgotten, with Ms Lau only ever appearing intermittently, and Kimmy Tong, as Ken's daughter Rainbow (one of the few cast members from the previous film), appearing no more than twice, Mr Yun-Fat and Mr Cheung stealing the show.
When I reviewed The Man From Macau, I referred to it as 'good, but not great'. From Vegas to Macau 2 is perhaps a step down from that - though occasionally good, for the most part, it is simply alright. When director Jing Wong next creates his sequel in this franchise, perhaps he could focus on creating one story, rather than one hundred.