Cat Run 2 (2014)

Number Rolled: 69

Movie Name/Year: Cat Run 2 (2014)

Tagline: The chase is on!

Genre: Action & Adventure

Length: 96 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Lleju Productions

Producers: Bill Perkins, Bic Tran, Keith Perkins

Director: John Stockwell

Writer: Andrew Manson, Matt Manson

Actors: Scott Mechlowicz, Alphonso McAuley, Winter Ave Zoli, Vanessa Branch, Leonardo Nam, Gregory Alan Williams, Brittany S. Hall, Maria Rogers, Lawrence P. Beron, Thomas Tah Hyde III, David Maldonado

Anthony and Julian have settled in New York and are working on getting their restaurant right, though they still have their private detective business on the side. Julian enters Anthony into a cooking competition in New Orleans as a way to get the money to refurbish the building, and they head south to take part. There, they are hired to help one of Julian’s family members clear his name.

Selina’s Point of View:

When I wrote about the first Cat Run, I explained my distaste for the word “derivative.” I still hate the word. Plenty of films are like other films or TV shows. Kids watch their favorite movies and grow up to want to honor the writers or directors. How many films are inspired by, or are out-right imitating, something made by someone like Steven Spielberg (Schindler’s List, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark) or George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Land of the Dead)? We don’t need a word that makes people feel bad that they’re influenced by the greats.

The first film was a lot like a very R-rated version of Psych (2006-2014), but the sequel seemed to come into its own.

There was still that buddy-cop Psych-flavored dynamic between the two main characters, but there was less emphasis on the observation skills of Anthony. This is one of those ridiculously rare moments when the sequel is better than the original. It still feels like a near-parody of the cop dramas we’ve come to know, but it adds a touch of other genres and it dials up the humor.

I will say this is not the kind of movie you want to watch when you’re in the mood for a hardcore action film or something more on the serious side. It is very much right on the line between comedy and parody. It doesn’t quite step over into parody, though. It’s a great film to watch if you just want to turn off your brain after a hard day of work and laugh.

Like the first one, the R-rating has to do with a ton of sexual scenes. There’s a thread of plot dedicated to stripping/strippers. Needless to say that leads to a LOT of nudity. Then again, if you see the R-rating and let your kids watch it anyway, what they see is your fault.

There were less plot holes in the sequel than the original and I found myself completely engaged by the film while I laughed my ass off.

Cat’s Point of View:

I remember liking the first movie, and had high hopes for this next installment. I think it fell into the sequel-trap a bit, though. While familiar cast members returned, and hilarity was abundant – it just didn’t seem to have the same spark as the original did.

Now don’t get me wrong, the movie was entertaining.

The action scenes were on point and interesting. The martial arts sequences had me pondering whether or not Winter Ave Zoli (Trust Me, Reservations, The Pagan Queen) had some prior experience and training, or if she just had some great stunt choreography and good preparation.

As a side note, I spent a good chunk of the movie trying to figure out where I’d seen her before. I nearly face-palmed when I realized she was Lyla on Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014).

Scott Mechlowicz (Peaceful Warrior, Eden, Demonic) and Alphonso McAuley (Pride, Walk of Shame, The Submarine Kid) remained an interesting duo. While some of the situations in the film were just silly, they generally made up for it in other areas.

I think one of the things I found funniest in this movie was the subtitling for David Maldonado (The Texas Triangle, 99 Homes, Zipper). He plays a good ol’ boy from South Louisiana that has one of those slurry ‘Cajun’ dialects. (Think Farmer Fran from The Waterboy [1998].)

As a native of Louisiana, with family ‘in the south,’ I can generally understand such things unless someone’s speaking really fast. That being said, the subtitles were hilarious for me because they sterilized what the character was saying. For example, he called himself a ‘coonass’ and it read ‘Cajun.’

I think the first film was far better, overall, but this one wasn’t bad. If someone twisted my arm, I’d watch it again.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 17%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 2/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3.5/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 2/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3/5

P.S. The final scene continues after the first few seconds of credits.

Movie Trailer: