After her brother is trampled to death by some very bad men a young girl gets hooked up with a blind bounty hunter and asks him to get revenge for her.
When you go into EYE FOR AN EYE 2 you have to understand a couple of things. First is that while there is a bunch of action, the film is largely about the relationship between the two main characters. Things are focused on the two characters interacting. Yes some of it is expected, but some of it is not. And even the expected stuff some times has a sting in the tail. As a result the plot line is related to the pair interacting and getting to the point where the final show down with the bad guy happens...
...and about that bad guy, he's fricking evil. Not only does he trample a young boy to death (graphically), he kills a dog by kicking it to death (mostly off screen). Since he isn't on screen much the filmmakers want you hate him and you do. You will be chomping to see him die.
The action is stunning. Yes, its stylized, but it works. I love that is not rapid-fire close ups but full figure clashes. Sure, there are cuts, but it's not rapid-fire pieces of action. You feel everyone is actually engaging and not just fighting for that one shot.
And that's another thing I love about the film- the use of the frame. The images are both natural and deliberate. You can see how they the framing gives you more information. I didn't realize it at first but there was a moment where suddenly the Lieutenant literally went over to the girls side and I realized the film had been doing it all along. The film also uses split screen to great effect a couple of time.
How is the film over all? I really liked it. To be certain it does play as a kind of Zatoichi meets Lone Wolf and Cub at times, but you really won't care because the the two leads are so strong. It's absolutely a variation on a theme, but its so well done you won't care. I think this is going to play best on a second and third viewing when you see the film for itself and not what you think it should be.
One of the great finds of 2024
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