An unlikely sequel to a lacklustre Van Damme vehicle, ‘Kill ‘Em All 2’ is slightly more entertaining than its predecessor thanks to some nice locations and (just) better action but is still a rushed product with Van Damme strictly on autopilot.

Picking up after the events of the first film, Van Damme’s Philip has fled the States after surviving the attack on the hospital he was in and killing evil bad guy Petrovic. Now holed up in Italy looking for a property to settle down in with the daughter he’s recently reconnected with (Jacquline Fernandez), some heavily armed bad guys make an attempt on his life disrupting his peace. It seems Petrovic’s equally insane gangster brother Vlad (Andrei Lenart) is out for revenge. Shoehorning in a returning Stormare who teams up with Philip and his daughter, they form an unlikely alliance as they set out to take down Vlad and his criminal empire.

The original ‘Kill ‘Em All’ was no great shakes, and this belated sequel only slightly improves on the first film thanks to some nice location work and a modicum of half decent action. Proceedings are far too rushed and hastily cobbled together diluting any tension and making the should-be threatening bad guys come off as over-the-top silly. Despite some obvious doubling the action isn’t bad with some creative choreography and hard-hitting impact. Unfortunately, it’s marred with the incessant need to shake the camera to create faux intensity and like the rest of the flick, it’s all far too rushed and should have been allowed to breathe.

Van Damme looks particularly tired and disinterested here, with the bulk of the non-action heavy lifting going to the likeable Jacquline Fernandez and the hamming-it-up Peter Stormare. They’re featured much more than Van Damme and the makers even manage to work in an also returning Maria Conchita Alonso for a couple of scenes.

With some decent ingredients, it’s a shame ‘Kill ‘Em All 2’ isn’t more of a tasty meal. Entertaining for the less judgmental and offers a quick action hit but much like the first part, this is strictly for die-hard Van Damme fans.