The only ways to watch “Samurai Cop 2” is with a stern tongue in cheek, or on the basis that you’re a hardcore fan of the original schlock classic. Though a few of the original cast members have come and gone, director Gregory Hatanaka does his best to channel the nineties vibe that the original film was oozing with. Despite taking place in modern times, “Samurai Cop 2” is still very much a nineties action film with the tough sergeant, obligatory sex scenes, Joe Marshall’s long hair, and ninjas galore. There are even ninjas dressed in business suits for some reason.
In 1991 after the end of “Samurai Cop,” hero Joe Marshall went off in to the sunset with his beautiful wife (Kayden Kross). After she’s viciously murdered, Joe retires from the force and goes in to a self imposed exile. While he’s gone, a large mob war has ensued that has Joe’s ex partner Frank and his new partner Higgins (Laurene Landon) running around trying to make sense of it all. As a matter of fact, you might have a hard time making sense of it all, as “Samurai Cop 2” is hopelessly convoluted. There’s a mob war between three Asian gangs, and stuff about soul sucking robots. There are assassins, double agents, something about medallions that connect to Joe, and a gauntlet named “The Complex” that Joe and Frank work on infiltrating to garner answers about the war, and hopefully put an end to it. Joe is put back in to action when ninjas infiltrate his safe haven, prompting him to don the badge and samurai sword once more.
A lot of “Samurai Cop 2” is delightfully tongue in cheek, prompting a slew of hilariously goofy and absurd moments. Villainous Bai Ling has a good time chewing the scenery as Dogge Sakamoto, while she runs around screeching blowing people up and indulging us in a ménage a trois with co-stars Lexi Belle and Melissa Moore. The latter two also seem to having a ball playing decidedly wonky assassins that play dress up and don’t mind slashing a baddie or two. Everyone in the cast are either way over the top or wooden, with director Hatanaka not really demanding too much from the original film’s co-stars. They’re about at the same level of tolerable as we saw them in the original movie, which makes this sequel all the more entertaining. Original star Matthew Karedas commits hardcore to the role of Joe Marshall, engaging in a lot of brooding, tightly choreographed sword fights, and even a few surreal dream sequences here and there.
Cult film fans will also have a blast watching Joe Estevez tear up the screen, as well as cult director Shane Ryan who plays all Japanese speaking hench man Mr. Leonard. Ultimately, “Samurai Cop 2” is a mixed bag of treats, as it’s a film that often entertained me and sometimes absolutely dropped me with boredom. Even at ninety minutes, the trio of writers seems to have a difficult time stretching the narrative in to the entirety of the film’s run time, and I’m still not sure why the climax unfolds during the film’s closing credits. That said, the former is forgivable when you take a gander at the sadistically terrible performance by Tommy Wiseau who is wisely in the film for a total of five minutes, delivering some of the most unintelligible and cringe inducing dialogue I’ve ever heard. “Samurai Cop 2” isn’t perfect, but it’s a definite guilty pleasure with some memorable moments of action, grue, and gorgeous scantily clad women.