Ring of Fire 2: Blood & Steel [DVD] [1992] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

RING OF FIRE II: BLOOD AND STEEL is without question Don "The Dragon" Wilson's best film ever. Those disappointed by the fact that he only had one major fight in RING OF FIRE will find that he more than makes up for it here.

In fact, so does everyone else. While I was disappointed that Gary Daniels was not in BLOOD AND STEEL, most of the rest of the kickboxing cast from RING OF FIRE are back, and it is evident that everyone was determined to make a kung fu maovie so action-packed that it would be almost impossible to dislike.

And as far as I'm concerned, they have. Don particularly shines in the film. Never has he been faster, tougher, or more determined to kick ass. And everyone one of his martial art compadres (Eric Lee, Ron Yuan, Vince Murdocco, Dale Jacoby) get their oppurtunity in the spotlight as well, and they do not disappoint.

And to top it off, the film's head villian, Kalin, is played by non other than everyone's favorite kickboxing tough guy, Ian Jacklin. He and Don have a fantastic climactic duel that will blow you away.

If you hated every single other movie that Don "The Dragon" Wilson has been in, RING OF FIRE II: BLOOD AND STEEL is the one to see. If you loved all of his other movies, RING OF FIRE II: BLOOD AND STEEL puts them all to shame.

Wow! "Ring of Fire 2" takes an entirely different route than the original. The first installment was a Romeo and Juliet type of romance set against a backdrop of a cross-culture martial arts fued. Don "The Dragon" Wilson was the romantic lead and left most of the fight scenes to his capable co-stars.
The sequel, on the other hand, is a non-stop action film. Don, reprising his role of Johnny, and his buddies go underground(literally!) in search of the gang leader who kidnapped his fiance(Maria Ford, reprising her role- but with a different hair color!).
The plot is totally contrived, but this is just such a likable knucklehead of a movie that it's hard not to like it. Don the Dragon gets plenty of fight scenes this time around. Wise move.
"Ring of Fire 2" is solid action entertainment. Just remember to leave your I.Q. at the door and you'll love it.

If the race issue of the original Ring of Fire was too weighty for you, check out this sequel. If it bugged you that Don Wilson didn't fight that much in the first one, consider it another reason to indulge. If the first film was just too down-to-earth and realistic for your tastes, then step up to "Blood and Steel" for your dose of out-of-this-world weirdness, because this one ranks as one of the strangest Wilson has ever done. For the abovementioned reasons, I consider "Ring of Fire II" inferior to the original in terms of general quality, but its cinematic oddities makes it entertaining nonetheless and single-handedly earn it its three-star rating. Fans of the original aren't missing anything of the same by sitting out on this one, but hey, halfway-decent Don Wilson movies are tough to come by, so why not give it a look?

The story: when Julie (Maria Ford, The Key to Sex), the girlfriend of Dr. Johnny Woo (Wilson) is kidnapped by a vengeful underground gang leader (Ian Jacklin, Death Match), he and his comrades must enter a subterranean realm he never knew existed beneath the streets of Los Angeles to rescue her by the power of his fist and feet.

Fans of Maria Ford will be disappointed that her role has been drastically reduced from the first movie: all she generally gets to do is sit bound to a chair while Ian Jacklin molests her. Likewise, the characters played by Dale Jacoby (No Retreat, No Surrender), Vince Murdocco (Kickboxer 2), Ron Yuan (White Tiger), and Eric Lee (Weapons of Death) have been minimized: apparently they've forgotten their long-standing racial hatred and are all buddies now. Considering that the original film was one of the few Don Wilson movies with any legitimate dramatic worth, these aspects are disappointing, but the flick does retain some theatrical quality via the satisfying performance of Sy Richardson (Repo Man) as a Vietnam vet who fled the dead ends of normal life for an underground existence; he acts as Johnny's guide and therefore gets plenty of opportunity to prove himself as the dramatic highlight of this movie (but of course, this isn't high praise).

These dramatic concessions have been made to accommodate a hearty smorgasbord of fight scenes. Fourteen hand-to-hand brawls and a pretty neat car chase easily make this one of the most action-packed Wilson pictures ever made...but sadly, said action is not all that great. Making up for the first film, Don hogs the majority of fights by taking on one group of garbage-garbed weirdoes after another, and while these brawls are fun in an absurd way, the tight camera angles, perpetually dark lighting, and questionable choreography keep them from reaching their full potential. The rest of the kicking cast includes B-movie dragons Evan Lurie (Hologram Man) and Ken McLeod (Deadly Target), but aside from not getting in on the action until roughly halfway into the movie, the only two who have matches of any merit are Dale Jacoby and Eric Lee, with Lee's being exceptional for his impressive use of the three-sectioned staff. The eventual showdown between Wilson and Jacklin was better than I expected it to be, but that's not really saying much. Overall, it feels like a minor waste of talent.

The perpetual weirdness of the movie's premise and setting makes it feel more sci-fi-ish than its producers may have intended, but the obvious fun the writers had with the script is conveyed well and permeates the film entirely. "Blood and Steel" is one of the few martial arts movies wherein the actual martial arts don't have to be great to make it worth watching, and for this, I add it to the list of Don's top ten with confidence. Viewers who continually compare 'The Dragon' unfavorably with Van Damme or Seagal won't be won over but will have to admit that their heroes rarely did anything as recklessly enjoyable as this.

Well... what can I say? It's fun... if you let it be fun. It's filled to the brim with well-choreographed fight scenes that are executed to perfection by professional martial artists... That seems to be the most true and innate value of this romp. The story seems to have been put in place primarily as a vehicle to get from one fight scene to another. Some moments of decent acting by the supporting cast will sneak up on you... as will some comedic moments provided by the comic relief. (The comic relief - physically - the smallest martial artist in the movie and naturally... portrayed in the film as the MOST girl-hungry!)

The score is fine but the film has a very fun soundtrack that winds up being featured on an underground radio station within the parameters of the story.. If you like this genre of movies you'll like this one as much as you would any other...

Too bad they didn't sell the soundtrack!

Ring of Fire 2 goes in a completely different direction than the first Ring of Fire, concentrating more on fight action than story. The best thing about ROF2 is many of the retruning cast members from the first movie, and this time, all fighting on the same side instead of against each other.

Here is an example of some of the martial arts cast list in this movie, enough of a reason to own ROF2:

Don Wilson (Bloodfist series)

Dale Jacoby (No Retreat No Surrender, Bloodmatch)

Vince Murdocco (Kickboxer 2, To Be The Best)

Ron Yuan (To Be The Best, White Tiger)

Eric Lee (Talons of the Eagle, Fists of Iron)

Ian Jacklin (Death Match, Kickboxer 3)

Evan Lurie (Tiger Claws 2, American Kickboxer 2)

The story is so simple, that the action pretty much is the story. Bad guy gang (led by the Ian Jacklin and Evan Lurie charcaters) take Johnny's girl (Maria Ford) to the underground, and the good doc and his 4 buddies from the first Ring of Fire movie, go in to find her. From there on out its one action scene after another, battling their way through. The only positive element of the story I found was the Sy Richardson character, ex army man, who explains his views and opinions of the world above while trying to survive in the world below.

Most of this movie is cheesy as heck, with underground garbage gangs and shadow warriors dressed in costumes from the carnival. The only entertaining fights are those in the Ring of Steel (yes Steel, no Fire in this movie) put on by the villains. Don Wilson gets to fight Evan Lurie in the ring, and then finally a several minute final showdown against Ian Jacklin above ground that is basically an average fight.

Lots of action is the theme of this movie and a good cast, but no story and the fights are just average. Unfortunately, the skills of some of these guys - Ron Yuan and Vince Murdocco for ex. - are not used to their fullest.