Product Description

Agent neil shaw is called out of retirement when his long-time martial arts mentor is murdered. Shaw is framed for a plot to assassinate a group of senators. Shaw goes undercover to save himself and to find out who is behind the evil plot. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 01/27/2009 Starring: Wesley Snipes Run time: 103 minutes Rating: R Director: Josef Rusnak

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24395 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2008-08-12
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Cantonese, Chinese, English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Portuguese, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 103 minutes

Amazon.com
Wesley Snipes makes a far more persuasive action hero than his straight-to-video compatriot Steven Seagal; lean and fluid, Snipes makes you believe he could kick some butt with his martial arts moves. Unfortunately, that's about the only good thing to be said about The Art of War II: Betrayal, in which retired covert agent Neil Shaw (Snipes) gets drawn into an incomprehensible plot involving super-duper bullets, a blackmailed movie star, bribes to congresspeople, and the hitherto unknown daughter of a cross-dressing sensei from Shaw's youth. The movie has many allusions to characters from Shaw's past, none of whom appeared in The Art of War; the only connection between the two films seems to be the main character's name. Even the action scenes are poorly lit and clumsily edited (oddly enough, the only extra on the DVD is a series of "alternate" versions of the fights--most of which are easier to follow and hence more exciting than the versions they used in the movie itself). The movie is named after the tactical guidebook of the ancient Chinese warrior-scholar Sun Tzu; you might think the point would be that the hero makes deft use of Sun Tzu's advice. You would be wrong. What happened to Wesley Snipes? Once or twice he gives a brief flash of the charisma that flourished in Jungle Fever and White Men Can't Jump, but he spends most of the movie looking like he's had his whole face Botoxed. Action movies may have made Snipes a lot of money, but they've drained his charm. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

TSU & SNIPES TOGETHER AGAIN
I've been stunned by the career of Wesley Snipes. Forget the whole IRS issue from this past year. It has nothing to do with his acting ability or star power. But for someone to rise from bit parts to starring roles and then suddenly find himself in direct to video films, one has to question...what happened? Especially when he turns in a decent movie like THE ART OF WAR II: BETRAYAL.

Snipes returns as agent Neil Shaw, having gone underground at the end of the first film. Shaw receives word that his mentor and martial arts instructor, Mother, has passed away. At the funeral service, Shaw and the rest of those gathered meet the daughter no one knew Mother had. Heather (Athena Karkanis) talks with Shaw, blaming him for Mother's death only to change her mind later.

From there, Shaw goes to work as a consultant on a movie set where he has become friends with the star, Garrett (Lochlyn Munro). Invited to his boat, Shaw learns that Garrett is about to run for the Senate. It is then that he asks for Shaw's help with an apparent blackmailer. But as with all good spy/thriller films, nothing is what it seems.

As Shaw begins to dig into the possibilities, he also comes into contact with a Senator Carlson (Rachel Hayward), running once more for office and under observation by Shaw's old nemesis, Becker (Eric Brecker). It seems that there is an assassination attempt in store for the Senator and Shaw is on the case, unofficially of course, searching for not only the killer but the person behind the sanction.

Following up on leads, Shaw shows at a political cocktail party to question another Senator. Unfortunately for Shaw, the Senator has been murdered and he has been set up to take the fall. Downloading material from the Senator's computer, he escapes and heads out to get the help of a computer whiz kid friend to find out just what he's come across.

The information provided puts Shaw back in harms way as well as his friends. While Shaw continues to search for the person who set him up for murder, Becker and his crew begin searching for Shaw through his friends beginning with Heather. On the lam with Heather in tow, Shaw cautiously puts together the pieces, linking the Senators to an arms developer named Sallas (Michael Phenicie). The question remains, who is behind Sallas?

While the movie at first seems to wind around different roads in search of something to pull them together, in the end it all becomes clear. The leads that Shaw finds make sense and come closer together with each new clue. What appears to be at first confusing makes perfect sense by films end.

Action is what Snipes career is all about since he starred in PASSENGER 57 and the BLADE films. And those looking for the typical Snipes action are in for a treat. The fight sequences seen here are not only well put together but filmed to advantage as well. The entire look of the film is top notch.

It's been 8 years since Snipes played the character of Neil Shaw. His abilities have not dwindled in that time. This takes us back to the initial question I had. What happened to Snipes career? Why has he gone from top billing on the big screen to direct to DVD features that show he is as competent as always? Perhaps only those in power in Hollywood have the answer. In the meantime, we can still enjoy the product Snipes offers, delivering the goods with each outing.

nice action movie
I liked this actually i thought it may have been maybe somewhat dull like the contractor but it was better than that, not as good as the first art of war, the fights were cool, nice action flick overall.

Bond & Bourne-Style Action from Wesley!
I was pleasantly surprised by Art of War 2. This movie flew under my radar in the theaters somehow. I didn't even hear about it until now (Dec 2008). For those reasons, I didn't expect much but I'm glad I was wrong. Wesley is a cool character in a role similar to the Bond and Bourne movies. Action is always around the corner with lots of stunts and martial arts. There is a heavy dose of martial arts as it seems everyone he fights knows it and knows it fairly well. I highly recommend Art of War 2 for anyone looking for more Wesley Snipes movies or something along the lines of Bond or Bourne action.