Set some months after the events of the previous film, Yuri Boyka (Scott Adkins) is a free man, making a good deal of money from underground fighting competitions. Things take a turn for the worse when he accidentally kills someone he is fighting, which leads him to seek out the family of the deceased, attempting to make amends. Alma (Teodora Duhovnikova), the widow of the man killed by Boyka, is indebted to a crime boss, Zourab (Aloni Moni Aboutboul). Refusing any help from Boyka, the fighter takes it upon himself to offer his talents to Zourab in order to gain Alma's freedom. He has to survive a number of fights, but Zourab can always try to change the rules to ensure that he doesn't lose out.
Considering how well he handles the action on display here, I am now very keen to see the other films directed by Todor Chapkanov. Because this feels on a par with some of the work from Florentine, and I was surprised to be reminded that he didn't direct this instalment. Writer David N. White seems to have less on his plate this time around, with the plot even slimmer than any of the previous movies, leaving time and space for even more fights. They're nicely spaced out, leading up to a third act that delivers some absolutely top-tier bloodshed and pain. If you want something to satiate an urge for some hand-to-hand combat in a style akin to the "halcyon days" of the Van Damme years (which also gave us treats from Mark Dacascos, Don "The Dragon" Wilson, and many others) then this is just about the best movie I could think of.
Despite it being shown briefly in a flashback montage, the continuity of the damage that Boyka has endured seems a bit off by now, which is a minor complaint. He's gone on a journey from villain to hero in need of rehabilitation, and now is the absolutely bulletproof fighter needed to allow the fights to get as wild and entertaining as possible. And Adkins is still brilliant in the role, dubious accent and all. I've seen a few of his movies now, and I am struggling to think of one in which he is in more astoundingly perfect physical condition than he is here. His muscles have muscles, and the moves he pulls off show every way in which he can punch, kick, and spin around opponents. Duhovnikova has to look in need of rescuing, in a vulnerable and pretty way that will draw our hero more quickly into his journey, and she does. Then you have Aboutboul, being fine, if not that intimidating, as the crime boss used to getting his own way.
The plotting is ridiculous, there's no attempt to ground things in reality, the mix of accents is wild, and you know how this is going to end from the very beginning. And none of that matters when the action is happening onscreen, which elevates this to absolutely perfect popcorn entertainment for those after a macho movie night.
9/10
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