The Art of War II: Betrayal (2008) (V)

User Rating:

4.1/10   

Director:

Josef Rusnak

Writers:

Jason Bourque (writer)
Keith Shaw (writer)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

He's Back... And He Wants Revenge

Plot:

Agent Neil Shaw is called out of retirement and finds himself in the midst of a plot to assassinate several leading Senators with himself set-up to take the rap for a recent killing.

Plot Keywords:

Betrayal | Corruption | Murder | Violence | Part Of Trilogy

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Wesley Snipes	...	Neil Shaw
Lochlyn Munro	...	Garret
Athena Karkanis	...	Melina Cruz
Winston Rekert	...	Reverend Tim
Ryan Mcdonald	...	Alex
Rachel Hayward	...	Carlson
Scott Heindl	...	Graham
Michael Ryan	...	Senator Phillips
Olivia Cheng	...	Geena
Paul Bae	...	Stan
Clifford W. Stewart	...	Mom
Anna Mae Routledge	...	Tammy
Eric Brecker	...	Becker
Kenneth W. Yanko	...	General (as Kenneth Yanko)
Dean Redman	...	Team Leader

Also Known As:

L'art de la guerre II - Trahison (Canada: French title)
Operation Espionage (Canada: English title) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:103 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | Japan:G

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Hollywood Media Bridge

Trivia:

The "L900 Battle Rifle" is in fact the M-950/Liberty III Pistol from Calico Weapon System.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the opening credits a gun is fired in a closeup. The muzzle fire is visible, but the gun never cocks back.

Movie Connections:

References Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Even sequels to better known films can't save Wesley now...

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

Special Agent Neil Shaw (Wesley Snipes) is called out of retirement when his former mentor and close friend is found murdered. Seeking to catch those responsible, he hooks up with an old friend with his own personal agenda to go looking. But as he does, he finds himself framed and on the run for a political murder he did not commit and as he digs deeper into the truth, he finds he can trust no one in the shadowy world of espionage.

This sequel to the decent 2000 flick The Art of War, also starring Snipes, arrives out of nowhere straight onto the DVD market. Still rooted deep with the philosophies of the ancient Sun Ztu book the title is derived from (regarded as the best war strategy book ever written) lead star Snipes maintains his calm, zen persona he had in the original in favour of the wild, zany style he used for characters like Simon Phoenix in Demolition Man. Whether he's just matured or whether the material just doesn't excite him, he can't help but appear disinterested in the project. The tepid, overly complicated plot involving political conspiracies, arms deals and revenge motifs as well as an obviously low budget may be a sign of why. This may be a sequel to a theatrically released Snipes film, but beneath the surface, there's nothing to make it stand apart from all his other straight to DVD clunkers. **