One of the better Rothrock–Norton outings – the so-called Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers of martial arts movies – which forms the apex of their onscreen partnership. Australian stunt coordinator and director Guy Norris plays to their individual strengths, offering them the mutual respect they deserve. He delivers straight and stocky B-movie action with a no frills approach, but it’s still a damn sight more convincing than the first film, even if this is the kind of movie where characters think out loud and brainy people wear glasses.

Rothrock returns as Kris Fairchild, a governmental Special Ops enforcer sent undercover in Jakarta to root out shady deals at the city bank. The manager has been laundering cash for top crim’ Buntao (Tunbuan) until a new, mysterious super crook calling himself Dazzo starts to muscle in on his turf, threatening to jeopardise a highly lucrative diamond deal.

Norton reprises Preston Michaels as an obligatory Australian bartender and kickboxing instructor now conveniently residing in Indonesia after retiring from the force, who reunites with Kris via new pupil Tommy (Starship Troopers‘ Muldoon) before helping with her investigations.

The training sequences between Norton and Muldoon are the most genuine parts of the film and stand out for their authenticity and as a showcase for Norton’s physical dominance, making the subsequent cartoon fisticuffs even more hokey in comparison. But this is a sturdy double header for both leads and a pleasingly innocuous slice of violence not without its own idiotic charm.