If you’re looking for someone to helm a completely unrelated sequel to a minor action-packed success, then director Roel Reiné is your guy, with Hard Target 2 one of just many spiritual successors the VOD journeyman has brought to life over the years.
As well as his completely unconnected follow-up to the 1993 cult favorite starring Jean-Claude Van Damme – in what also marked the Hollywood debut of the legendary John Woo – Reiné has also called the shots on such luminaries as The Marine 2, Death Race 2, The Scorpion King 3, Death Race 3, 12 Rounds 2, The Condemned 2, and The Man with the Iron Fists 2.
Not exactly a barnburner for the ages, then, but Hard Target 2 does at least benefit from the presence of Scott Adkins in the lead role, who can always be relied on to dispense some glorious roundhouse kicks to the faces of his opponents while giving his best scowl. Rhona Mitra is also good value for money as the female lead, and the dynamic duo have combined to propel the unnecessary second chapter towards the very top of the Netflix charts.
As per FlixPatrol, Hard Target 2 currently ranks as the eighth most-watched feature on the streaming service’s global viewership rankings, having instantly entered the Top 10 in a mighty 27 countries since being added to the content library in countless markets less than 48 hours ago.
The story revolving around Adkins’ retired MMA fighter coming out of retirement to discover he’s actually been handpicked as the prey for a human-hunting expedition is bonkers, but that’s quite clearly part of the unsung ass-kicker’s charm among the Netflix customer base.