Review of the film “J2: Retribution” (J2: J Retribusi, 2021) from Yuri Dudin

22.12.2021Yuri Dudin

INTRODUCTION

The review was written specifically for the summing up project results of combat cinema on FFI Judging by the feedback, most people like this project and, thanks to it, many people will learn about all the released films, upcoming projects and branches of the fighting genre. But there is a serious gap in summing up the results, which I would like to eradicate or reduce to a minimum. As you know, the results of action films are summed up in the context of voting, where people choose the best representatives of the genre and, you see, this is not entirely objective when a film receives more votes only because more people watched it, and not because it truly the best by objective criteria. The remaining nominees undeservedly remain unnoticed by the majority, due to weak advertising or a later release. So, for those who want greater objectivity in summing up the results, I suggest that you slowly get to know the candidates, be more active, watch films and vote. In this case, we will talk about a Malaysian action movie "Jay 2. Retaliation".

As you know, three analogues were released this year "Die Hard", and two of them are almost complete clones of each other. And an action movie "Jay 2" was not given due attention as the film was poorly advertised compared to the Indian one "Psycho: Hope Under Siege" (Sanak) и "The Fall of the Castle", which did not need advertising at all. If you looked "Psycho" and you liked him, then "Jay 2. Retaliation" is also a must-see, as it is the most similar analogue. But despite all the similar aspects, there are still differences. It is in the context of comparing these two militants that this short review will be.

REVIEW

To begin with, a little criticism. Generally, "Jay 2" и "Sanak" - these are straightforward films that are identical in narrative style and structure. A 15-20 minute easy introduction to the characters and getting into the “plot” - all these smiles, jokes, kisses, hugs in Indian style with standard acting are included. Next, terrorists penetrate the building and the hero begins to resist. In the end, the hero wins, everyone celebrates the victory, jokes, and utters banal phrases. That's all the screenwriters' powers are. There are no surprises, everything is according to strict standards: not a step to the right or left, no morality, meaningfulness, or attempts to bring at least something new, at least in the manner of storytelling, in the denouement. It feels like both films were made by the same people, and I'm starting to get confused about which one I'm writing about.

The main antagonists in both films are also like clones: villainous villains who want all the money in the world and kill everyone who gets in their way for the slightest offense, or kill just like that, because that’s what villains do. Moreover, it doesn’t look scary, like in "Rambo 4", it looks banal and inappropriate, especially their affected behavior at these moments. The murders do not evoke any emotions at all, there is no logic, and their speeches are banal. Some dialogues go something like this:

• Find this bastard!
• When we find him, I will personally finish him off.
• Yes... You and only you will kill him!

By the way, local stupid or banal dialogues, as well as cliched plots, are typical for Indian, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Thai cinema. They are as far away from the Koreans or Japanese as from the Moon. So to "Jay 2" In this regard, you can’t really find fault. Well, what can you expect from a Malaysian clone action movie?

Both films are not watchable at the same time; there are noticeable sagging. The predictability periodically makes you bored, although it would seem that the dynamics do not subside. If these films had come out 20 years ago, of course, they would not have seemed so mediocre, but such films with a similar plot are made two or three a year! It is extremely difficult for experienced action movie fans to look at this clumsy disgrace with an open mind. Moreover, with such an extended timing, with such a trivial plot, predictable development of events and execution. A banal example of a cliché: the main villain orders his henchman to kill someone, and this scene is drawn out as much as possible and artificially, all these extra words, cocking the trigger in slow-mo, a long wait for the main character to quickly come to his senses and intervene. Or when characters start fighting for no particular reason so that the viewer doesn’t get bored.

One thing about old Hong Kong action films was that the villains and their bodyguards were always charismatic, both in form and content. The main characters definitely had an interesting fight with them. IN "Sanake" и "Jay" this is completely missing. The opponents in these action films are physically well prepared, but are complete no-names with no charisma, and some of them resemble models from cologne advertisements, not terrorists. They simply wordlessly attack the hero and rob him without waiting for the climax of the film. But these are questions for the writers and no one else.

Another thing that Malaysian and Bollywood films have in common is their emotionally fused endings. In the best years of Hong Kong cinema, the climax of any action film was given special attention, after which it left the right aftertaste of saturation. The action scenes were lengthy and the fights with the main opposition were competitive. In the case of “hard nuts” clones, this is not the case. By the end of the film, there is already a certain fatigue from constant action, and in the best representatives of the genre, on the contrary, all the most interesting things are increasingly left for the end. But this is another hello to the scriptwriters. The action must be dosed and balanced with other aspects, only then will there be balance.

But is there anything good in "Jay 2"? Yes, same as in "Psyche" there are more or less pleasant main and supporting actors and their characters, on which the entire film rests. In the Malaysian action film, the main character is teamed with a pretty hotel receptionist and a taekwondo bodyguard who provides some cool scenes. The girl - the daughter of the main character's boss - is also not annoying, she plays normally. But of course, characters alone are not enough, there must be some kind of relationship between them, but here everything is extremely simple and not sufficiently developed. The main advantage "Retribution" - this is an action game.

ACTION

"Jay 2" contains as many action scenes as "Psycho". They differ in that the Malaysian fight scenes are a little closer to realism, especially in the scenes with the main character (Zul Arifin). He fights like a commando and uses boxing, holds, judo sweeps, clinch and throws. There are no visual show-offs, but at the same time everything looks very good and realistic. And paired with a Korean taekwondo player (Chen Yiming), they make a good team and their different fighting techniques create an interesting contrast. For comparison - in "Sanake" fight choreography is more artistic, has nothing to do with reality, completely copying the style Jackie Chan. They feature a lot of inventive stunt work and interaction with the surrounding interior and various objects, as well as simultaneously attacking bandits. By the way, the fights in the Indian action film were choreographed by a member of the Jackie Chan Stuntmen Association - Andy Long Nguyen with his German team. As for the Malaysian film, the shooting scenes look better here, more real pyrotechnics are used, unlike "Psycho", in which almost all the damage from the shooting is drawn on the computer or there is none at all. The production quality of the sequel "Jay" Throughout the film, it is unstable: some fragments look very good, and some look very bad due to camera shake and frequent editing. But overall, the vast majority of scenes look good and are easy to read. For them, this action movie is definitely worth watching! The action is no better or worse in either film - it's just different.

SUMMARY

There are two types of action films: the first is when the story is written for the action, the second is when the action is written for the story, that is, when an interesting plot is in the foreground, and the action scenes are strictly written at the appropriate moments. Like in South Korean films "The Man from Nowhere" и "Bitterness and Sweetness". The action films mentioned above belong precisely to the first type, where stuntmen and fight choreographers are given the main job, and the plot is created as a justification for their activities. This is why the simplest plot is taken about the seizure of a hospital by armed criminals, or in the case "Jay 2" hotel, where another bodyguard with tough nuts in his pants must save his boss and his little daughter. A Malaysian action movie is a movie “about fights,” as they said in childhood. And Indian "Psycho" - it's about Vidyut Jamwala and only on him and his physical skills does the movie rest.

To me personally "Jay 2: Retaliation" By and large I liked it. Lovers of good action are strictly recommended, but lovers of good cinema are advised to turn off their heads for an hour and a half, because they will be bored. But this is the opinion of someone who has watched almost all the action films released over the last 40 years, who is difficult to surprise with such simple plot structures. But most viewers will likely enjoy it much more. Watch and don't forget to vote!

Home » Reviews » Review of the film “J2: Retribution” (J2: J Retribusi, 2021) from Yuri Dudin
Tags: J 2: Retribusi, Sanak: Hope Under Siege, Vidyut Jamwal, Zul Arifin, Chen Yiming

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