‘Wolf Warrior 2’ Delivers the Action, Nothing Else

The action sequel from director and star Wu Jing, Wolf Warrior 2, takes an everything and the kitchen sink approach to action filmmaking. Over the two hours of this hyperactive piece of chop-socky cinema, Wolf Warrior 2 features plenty of hand-to-hand combat, fights on the high seas, gun battles, car chases, and even a duel between tanks. Written by Jing, Dong Qun, and Liu Yi, Wolf Warrior 2 allows the action to thrill even when the overstuffed plot is trying to subvert the more exciting aspects of the film.

Wu Jing plays Leng Feng, also known as Wolf Warrior, a special forces solider with a skill set that is unparalleled. When we first see Leng Feng, he dives headfirst into the sea when pirates attack a ship he’s aboard. Underwater he subdues and bludgeons pirates only to emerge from the water to place a perfect headshot on an approaching enemy. He returns to his homeland disillusioned and soon relinquishes his role in the military, opting for an easier life in an African country. However, that African nation is in the midst of an Ebola-like plague as well as an emerging civil war. When bureaucracy and political protocols prevent the Chinese military from intervening to save a Chinese doctor working on a cure to the plague, Leng Feng volunteers to take on the mission alone, where he’ll battle the mercenary forces led by Big Daddy (Frank Grillo), all of whom are relentlessly ruthless.

The plotting and dialogue of Wolf Warrior 2 aren’t particular brilliant or witty in any particular way, often leaning heavily on tropes that have been well-worn since the ‘80s. But this is a movie that’s selling point is entirely in its action, and that action has a consistent presence in the movie from its opening scene. The body count in this violent piece of schlock is seemingly endless, with a steady stream of anonymous bad guys mowed down by our faithful heroes. It’s a movie that simply provides those basest thrills that action fans are looking for, and it’s that non-stop intensity with a barrage of spectacle that prevents the middling plot from getting in the way.

If you’re looking for something more than just visceral violence that has CGI that isn’t shoddy and characters that aren’t paper-thin, you just might want go ahead and skip Wolf Warrior 2. If you’re able to just sit back, relax, and enjoy Wu Jing kicking all sorts ass in a variety of ways, then you’ll be pleased with this mindless chop-socky.