Crime Hunter 2: Bullets of Betrayal

Supercop Joe and his bandana return for the first of two sequels, released only a few months after part 1. This time he takes up arms against rogue cop Cash, whose undercover mission has resulted in Stockholm syndrome and turned him into a dangerous criminal.

As before, the plot is by-the-numbers action fare and plays out among similar lines to the first Crime Hunter film, as Joe (or “Joker”, as we learn here) finds himself up against his superiors as well as a roster of evildoers. Replaying the first film’s wavering alliances – in which good guys turn out to be bad, and bad guys turn out to be allies – lends a welcome touch of ambiguity, but the draw here are the action scenes. These are executed more deftly than in the previous film, with the scene of a call girl firing an M202 four-tube rocket launcher (which Arnold Schwarzenegger later used in Commando) becoming an iconic image encapsulating the appeal of early V-Cinema.

Actors from the first film return as different characters, enhancing the feeling of an enclosed universe, which would extend into the third and final instalment. The blurring of cultural boundaries continues as well, with the peculiar addition of Eric Douglas (Kirk’s other actor son) in the role of Cash.

– Tom Mes

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