Shock Wave 2 is a 2020 Hong Kong action thriller film about a bomb disposal expert with PTSD who gets caught up in a terrorist plot. Also known as Shock Wave: Hong Hong Destruction
Directed by Herman Yau (The Sleep Curse; Ebola Syndrome; The Untold Story), the Alibaba Pictures Universe Films Distribution Company production movie stars Andy Lau, Sean Lau (Call of Heroes), Ni Ni (The Flowers of War), Philip Keung (Sheep Without a Shepherd) and Sebastian Mok.
Plot:
When a bomb went off unexpectedly during a police operation to disarm it, Poon Shing-Fung, a bomb disposal officer, got caught in the blast and thus lost one of his legs. Poon decided to leave the police service.
Three years later, the police suspect Poon, who was found in a coma at the spot of a terrorist bombing attack, of being involved in several bombing attacks in the past two years. Poon can hardly remember his past and even his own identity due to Post Traumatic Amnesia. He plans to escape to find out the truth.
Meanwhile, knowing the terrorist organisation’s plan to destroy Hong Kong landmarks, Poon, as the key person between the police and the terrorist organisation, could possibly save or destroy the lives of the innocent civilians in the city…
Reviews:
“Andy Lau carries the film with absolute bravado. He still refuses to age, but he keeps maturing impressively. His intense commitment, both physically and emotionally, helps sell (or at least make tolerable) even the most ludicrous plot turns. Lau Ching Wan is somewhat underutilized in a static role that often stays lateral to the plot…” Asian Film Strike
” …relies heavily on CGI during some of the major set-pieces, which in turn, looks spotty even with a bigger budget at his disposal (no pun intended) this time around. And yet, this standalone sequel is surprisingly entertaining enough, thanks to Yau’s fast-paced direction and Li Chung-Chi’s energetic action choreography that at least able to distract me from overthinking the movie’s shortcomings.” Casey’s Movie Mania
“In Shock Wave 2, Herman Yau ratchets up the pace and allows the pot to boil over, multiple times, with action goodness, artfully conceived and masterfully executed. Andy Lau is suitably frenzied; he looks great and he’s actively angry much of the time, which I think always enhances his performances.” Screen Anarchy
” …this standalone sequel happens to provide enough dramatic tension and entertaining moments, which justified its two-hour length. Yau does a good job maintaining his movie mostly at a brisk pace while Li Chung-Chi’s (replacing Dion Lam from the first movie) action choreography features some well-staged foot-chase and shootout moments. It’s just a pity that Yau’s over-reliance of middling CGI during the major explosion scenes dilutes the visual intensity of the movie.” Screen HK
” …there is so much here for genre fans to savour, it’s easy to look beyond the overwrought story. Shock Wave 2 races through bomb disposals, a manhunt and multiple shoot-outs in public places, suspenseful undercover action, and an explosive finale to match the first film’s. Yau does not do subtle…” South China Morning Post
” …the real draw for a film like this are the action scenes and Shock Wave 2 delivers plenty of them. Andy Lau deserves a lot of credit for doing many of his scenes with a prosthetic leg and his real one strapped up out of sight […] The scenes of explosions and mass destruction are done with CGI and the quality is very uneven […] However enough of Shock Wave 2 works and works well enough to make it one fans of large scale Asian action films like The Raid 2 and Kill Zone 2 happy.” Voices from the Balcony
“Robbed of his memories, Fung’s anger dissipates allowing his natural capacity for selfless heroism to resurface along with a healthy desire to reflect on his own behaviour, at least as much as can he rely on the sometimes duplicitous vagaries of memory both his own and that of others as he searches for the truth of himself and his “vendetta” with the world.” Windows on Worlds
Release:
Shock Wave 2 is released in China and Singapore on 24th December 2020.
In the UK, Trinity CineAsia releases Shock Wave: Hong Kong Destruction on Blu-ray and DVD on 7th June and on Digital 14th June 2021.
Cast and characters:
Andy Lau … Cheung J.S.
Ni Ni
Jai Day … Mercenary Leader
Sebastian Mok … Mercenary Captain
Jaysen Lai … Terrorist (as Jason J Lai)
Liviu Covalschi … Terrorist Keno
Harry Oram … Harry O
Sean Tierney … Big Yank
Angie Aveestar … Tourist (uncredited)
Original title:
拆弹专家2
Trailer:
Clip 1:
