Customer Reviews

U.S. Seals 2

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Okay, let's get this out of the way first: If you are looking for a typical shoot-em-up military movie THIS IS NOT IT! But, if you like your action in the Hong Kong -Yuen Woo Ping- Jet Li-John Woo style this will make your day. Nu Image did the film a big diservice by promoting it as a military film as this is probably one of the best American made Chop Sockey films in a long while.

A simple and sometimes flawed plot (but who cares) takes a crew of rag-tag SEALs to an island where one of their own (Damian Chapa) has kidnapped a nuclear scientist (Kate Connor) and snatched a few mean looking missles pointed towards the States. The SEALs carry no guns as the island is surrounded by combustible gases so the action is hand to hand all the way (There is one big gun battle in the opening for you Gun-Fu fans).

The film stars Michael Worth, who is probably the only "real" actor in the genre that can also move like the big boys and does not disapear behind a stunt man when the action starts. He also adds much needed vunerability to a genre so overloaded with testosterone. He is surrounded by other recognizable and capable faces such as Marshall Teaugue, Hakim Alston, Sophia Crawford and Karen Kim. The film actualy makes an attempt to create empathy for the charactors making the film work even better. Director Isaac Florentine seems to have blended John Woo and Sergio Leone together here giving the film at least a sense of style. He definately knows this genre.

Remember, this is no SAVING PRIVATE RYAN but then it doesn't try to be. If you like the independant action films ( you know, a few un intended laughs) and enjoy the stylish action from the Hong Kong School Of Filmmaking, than this DVD is worth the purchase (or at least rental)

Okay, getting out of the way that we all know what kind of film we are watching, I will approach it from there....

The film definately has some of the better fight scenes from the low budget (and even higher budget) American action films. The choreography, as well as the actors themselves, is all top notch. The only thing that kills it though is the VERY over thte yop sound effects. They work fine during a fight, but when someone moves a finger and we hear the same sound....that's a problem.

Actor Michael Worth (Ghost Rock) carries the role well, even if he may seem a bit young to be a retired SEAL leader. The writing left him little to do with dialouge, but he makes it his own and remains charming. He seems to be one of those actors that has not quite been noticed by the studios yet but probably will be soon. His co stars Karen Kim and Marshall Teague all work well together and make a good team.

The fights are very Hong Kong in style and should be the main point of interest for this film since the premise is all to set up the action.

Not much gunning or SEAL tactics, but plenty of spin kicks and some battling babes if that is to your liking.

"U.S. Seals II" is unique for a DTV movie: while other films of this genre either vehemently repel viewers (like Seagal's The Foreigner) or attract an underground crowd via some unsung stroke of genius (like Van Damme's In Hell), this little opus can do both in the blink of an eye. You see, the action is good - damn good, even - but just about everything else about the film is fit to line a cat's litter box with. "Seals II" defines the action movie archetype by delivering big thrills at the consummate expense of drama, plot, and to a lesser extent, production values. It's a movie you must love martial arts for and watch with low expectations if you want to get a good experience out of it, and for that, I like it.

The plot: Casey (Michael Worth, Acapulco H.E.A.T.) was the leader of an elite team of Navy SEALs before his friend and teammate Ratliff (Damian Chapa, Blood In, Blood Out) betrayed the squad by murdering one of their sensei's daughters and going AWOL. Several years into his disgust-induced retirement, Casey is approached by his former superiors with a request to form a new team of Seals to infiltrate a newly-risen Ratliff's fortified island, where he has taken a kidnapped military scientist (Kate Connor, Snake Island) so she may build him a nuclear warhead to further his terrorist schemes. Casey accepts, and dynamic action ensues.

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. For starters, if you're such a snob that you need a well-planned storyline, professional acting performances, and thoughtful dialogue to have a good time, you're watching the wrong movie. Just look at the cover of the film - looks as though it could've been Photoshopped together on your own computer, right? Well, that's the general quality of the picture: the cinematography is decent and Michael Worth does what's expected of an action hero, but that's it: the rest of the cast perform with the cumulative talent of a roomful of porn stars, the production is bare-bones until it attempts something it's completely incapable of (e.g. a CGI rocket launch), and little things like logic and character consistency have no place in this one. Oh, and then there's the trend of each hand motion, nod, and head-turn being accompanied by a whooshing sound effect, like in "Power Rangers".

But let's forget about that - who watches action movies for that stuff, anyway? If you can endure two rather silly shootouts, you're treated to a half-dozen weapon-based fights that completely put to shame everything that Hollywood has done for the last half-decade. In addition to tang soo do expert Michael Worth, Karen Kim (The Silent Force), Sophia Crawford ("WMAC Masters"), Andy Cheng ("Rush Hour 2"), Mitch Gould ("Ultraviolet"), Dan Southworth ("Power Rangers Time Force"), Marshall Teague (Road House), and Hakim Alston (Mortal Kombat) light up the screen with their amazing talents that have yet to be realized by image-obsessed big-name studios. Imagine a battle royal between Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jeff Speakman on a caffeine binge, Tony Jaa following a Bruce Lee movie marathon, Lucy Liu's and Cynthia Rothrock's love children, a young Chuck Norris had he grown up watching Jet Li, and Donnie Yen if he traded in his wushu moves for ninjutsu: that best describes film's action content for those of you who don't know what to expect. Seriously, the DTV stigma of shoddy fight scenes does not apply here: while the cinematography slightly hampers some of the spectacle, the fighting itself is on-par with any big Hong Kong picture, with plenty of sword-, staff-, and chain-fighting and a reduced amount of slow motion and wire-fu.

I wish I could do better justice to the fighting, since it's literally all there is keeping the film afloat. This certainly isn't director Isaac Florentine's (Undisputed II - Last Man Standing) strongest film, but nonetheless a strong showing of both what he's good at and what he's not so good at. Rest assured, this is a film for serious action fans only, for folks who care about awesome martial arts and not much else. Take it or leave it, but don't complain.

I am a huge Michael Worth fan. This was not just one of the best karate movies I have ever seen, but it also had a very good story to it. The only thing that would have made it better is if the nuke that exploded had caused casualties. The amount would not have mattered, but the point of the threat would have been better emphasized. The action sequences were very good. Excellent choreography. Mingling in a little more romance for Worth's character would have been nice. If you want action from beginning to end, with a very good storyline that keeps you on your toes , this is the movie for you. Yes, there are about a 75 people who get killed, but not grotesquely, expect for the main antagonist who deserves his manner of death. Would recommend to any karate, action fan.

I have watched many karate movies. This one is one of the better among the best.

'US Seals 2' is your ordinary direct to TV action movie. The story is about a US Seal turned traitor who plots to hold America hostage with a big missile. He wants a billion dollars or else America goes up in ashes. So, a group of elite soldiers are sent to take him down. Excuse me for giving away just about the entire movie, but that is seriously all that happens. There is no real character development, and the plot holes never end. What sets this movie apart is director Isaac Florentine. Florentine is pretty good at martial arts himself and his movies always feature outstanding action. The problem in this is the action scenes come in chunks 10 minutes long, but the plot doesn't even pretend to exist. When a fight scene starts, there is no telling when or if it will end.

The fights are really the only thing to talk about. There is a point made early on that no guns are allowed since there is a gas leak or something at the bad guy's hideout. All I need to hear is "no guns" and I get excited. I was hoping for a lot of hand to hand and maybe some weapons combat, and I actually got more of the weapons. The most amazing part of the movie is all of the cast members appear to be good athletes, and 4 or 5 are incredible. The stunt work is top notch, and so is the editing. Unlike Hong Kong style action, there is a lot of rapid cuts. Actors are only shown doing up to 3 or 4 moves per shot, but the editing actually helps the fights flow together, unlike recent movies such as 'Bourne Identity' and 'Batman Begins'. I love those 2 movies, but it is a bit disturbing how hacked up the fight scenes are. Isaac Florentine is not a brilliant storyteller, but he makes sure the action looks as good as possible. This is something I wish American directors could comprehend, but maybe they will realize it when Florentine's movies hit the big screen.

While the fights are tons of fun, there is no plot. 'The Marine' recently came out on DVD and is sort of a replica of this. No story, just action. The big difference is that 'US Seals 2' has good action. 2.5/5

The DVD from City Heat Productions doesn't even have a chapter menu, but the picture quality is very good. Sound quality is fine, but the sound effects had way too much time spent on them. You'll see what I mean.

I read all of the reviews before and most of you made some really good points. while I agree with the one person who hated the movie, just remember this is a low-budget-chop socky-military slightly based action movie. it is fun, a joke and best of all a total popcorn movie. everyone!?----sit back put your brain on hold and enjoy. I have seen some really wretched movies but at least this was fun.

I think when people dislike these movies, I always figure they must have thought they were renting something else. But, when you pick up a film called US SEALS 2 in which the story is about a group of renegade SEALs that must go infiltrate an island unarmed to stop an ex team member, what are you looking for? Let's get this straight, it's a low budget action film, but you get a lot out of it.

This should not be billed as a military film as it is more of a Hong Kong action flick. So, if you like a lot of gun play, this is not it. There is one shoot out in the beggining to make sure we know these guys are really SEALs (in movie land of course) but the rest of the film is all hands, feet and swords. I am a fan of the Hong Kong films and this is definately one of the best American atempts at that style. The choregraphy is done by Jackie Chan Stunt Team Member Andy Cheng so you can see why it looks good.

The film also stars Acapulco HEAT heart throb Michael Worth. Of course, he is much more of an actor than most in these kind of films, but he can still move like the best of them. He doesn't reduce the roll to that of a cardboard cut out. I hope to see him in some bigger films.

Karen Kim plays the lead female. She is great to look at and a good actress to boot (literally!). Damian Chapa from Blood In, Blood Out plays the bad guy. Though I don't think he is a real martial artist, he still carries off the fight scene with Worth pretty well.

Anyway, there is ALOT of fighting in this film and the plot is pretty thin. But, we all know for these films plots are more of an excuse to see people kick.... So, I give this 5 stars based on the fact that the film pays off at what it promises. I do fault it only as far as their video art work is concerned. This is no GI JANE, or PLATOON. But, you want to get carried off on a cartoon adventure for 90 minutes... CHECK IT OUT!

First and foremost this is not, I repeat NOT, a textbook realistic depiction of our SEALS at work.
Not even close.
In fact, it's quite unfortunate that this film is part of the US SEALS series, because it seems that many viewers are upset that it isn't a documentary. These people completely miss the point.
This is a flat-out Action Flick filmed in an outrageously over-the-top fashion. Everything that happens on screen is gloriously dynamic: characters movements, gestures and even nods are accompanied by whip-crack sound effects. Even a hard stare leaves an aural vapor trail in this movie.
The elaborately choreographed battles, stunts, and jaw-dropping body count will please martial arts and action fans in search of a vigorous cheap thrill.
This is one of the most enjoyable beer & pretzels movies I've seen this year. And any film in which the villain gets vertically bisected by a katana can't be all bad.
Can it?

This movie is awful. Not just a little awful, but powerfully and compellingly awful. For many years, Plan 9 From Outer Space held the dubious honor of being the "worst movie ever made". Now along comes this turkey to make Ed Wood like like an inspired cinamagraphic artist by contrast.

Almost immediately, the sheer annoyance of swooshes made by such exciting shlock as characters turning their heads or moving their hands wore thin. The brutal banality of the plot and the nonsensical dialog moved me to tears... the type that come when having boils lanced!

This movie is total tripe, and perhaps the comparison is an insult to tripe! Why would anybody in their right mind produce such an incredibly stupid flick? When we consider "films that just had to be made", one wonders why this one was.

I base my opinion on any given movie by the degree it entertained me. This one missed by miles. It is a travesty of film making that will go down in the annals of movideom as having all the allure and charm of a glass-bottom boat in a sewage treatment plant.

Most infuriating, is that the Navy Seals are a noble and fierce arm of our military. They are highly tuned warriors who can perform combat operations that would stagger the mind of most people, and most of their work is done in total secrecy. This movie is an insult of towering proportions to an elite combat unit that has distinguished itself around the world.

My best advice, if you are reading this is to buy something else. Anything else. You will unlikely stumble across anything in video that can match the idiocy of this terrible film.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll kiss whatever you spent for this dog goodbye.

I have to admit, I was pretty wary of another US Seals movie, was disappointed in the first. But I decided to check this one out anyway, and am glad I did. The credits reveal a new cast and crew (including a new writer), and the change worked out great. Great action, and great fun, can't wait for US Seals III!