HARDBOILED 2: THE LAST BLOOD isn't actually a sequel to the John Woo movie - it came out two years BEFORE that film. However, it is heavily indebted to the director's THE KILLER, and the hospital set-piece climax may actually have influenced the Woo movie in turn. What is a surprise is that THE LAST BLOOD turns out to be a great addition to the 'heroic bloodshed' genre in itself, featuring fast-paced comedy, lots of snappy dialogue and jokes, and some relentless, high-octane action set-pieces.The villains in the film are simple: a Japanese 'red army' faction, determined to kill a holy man visiting Singapore. The heroes are a mixed bunch, including desperate Triad Andy Lau, whose girlfriend needs a blood transfusion; comic relief Eric Tsang, a blood donor; veteran cop Beardy; plus straight man Alan Tam. The narrative is full of chases, assassination attempts, bloody shoot-outs, and murder, and it never pauses for a second, offering exceptional entertainment value from beginning to end. It might well be Wong Jing's best film...

This is a solid Heroic Bloodshed drama with some EXCELLENT scenes of stunt work and gun play. The plot doesn't cover anything memorable, however it has a fast pacing so the run-time will go by fairly quickly. A high religious figure visits Singapore with full knowledge of a planned terrorist attack, although he entrusts the local police to protect him if anything awry should go down (which it most certainly does). The movie follows a group of ragtag men who try to save the religious figure's life after it becomes endangered and on-the-line in a local hospital. A terrorist group wishes to have the figure killed, and many waves of enemies confront our group of ragtag heroes in the midst of assassination attempts. There's a multitude of great action present within the movie, and a couple scenes should surprise you in terms of WOW.. If your a fan of over-the-top action movies then this should be a satisfying watch. - 7/10

Like in every HK action franchise you can never know whether movies are actually connected.As I reckon this movie`s only tie to famed `Hard Boiled` is the title given by money-lovin` producers. Anyway,two ideas keep Woo`s movie connected with this feature.First of all,main characters are a detective and the `golden hearted` mobster.Second similarity is that plots and final showdowns of both movies have something to do with hospitals. Each movie contains energetic and rampaging shootouts. While Woo`s original had all main landmarks of his opus (Scorsesian and Melivillian influence),the sequel shows that it was made by eminent HK director Wong Jing.His landmarks are `Looney Tunes` pacing,speeded up action and plotting derived from 1980s Hollywood action fare.The difference is quite obvious. This movie works remarkably well and it doesn`t disgrace the `Hard Boiled` franchise.Of course it works well on its own since Woo`s and Wong Jing`s styles are barely comparable. If you overrule the input of dumb HK comedy `Hard Boiled 2` is highly enjoyable.Wong Jing provides us with enough razzle-dazzle that makes this movie a must not just for HK action afficionados but even for weekend fans of the genre that look for recognizable HK fare.If you like high-calibre gunplay,high bodycounts and Eastern Heroes this feature may scratch your itches. Interesting aspect of the movie is its explicit anti-communist orientation because characters joke a lot with the Red China.

This one is no sequel, since it was shot a year before John Woo's breath-taking "tour de force", it just ends in an hospital ; but believe your Phaithful Phrog, it's one of Hong Kong's best, with all the incredible action and beautiful ideas you expect from them - but one or two notches better. The plot's idea - trying to fond a blood donor against a bunch of terrorists - is simple but well-heeded and gives out some brains as well. This ain't got the brains of a Tsui Hark movies or the guts of John Woo, but comes very, very close.