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★★
Directed by: #MarkLakatos
Written by: #MarkLakatos
Starring: #SzilárdTopánka, #AndreaNagy, #MárkNagy
Despite intentions to be a slick action thriller, The Siege 2 is, unfortunately, a forgettable affair except for the shows of promise in director Mark Lakatos’ ability to craft action sequences. Following from Lakatos’ 2020 short film The Siege, this second instalment certainly, aims to be bigger and bolder, as the death of kingpin Péter Kuruc ignites instability and opportunity for the criminal underworld. Operating through parallel storylines on both sides of the law, Zalán Barta, a tough cop on task force taking on the criminal element and Áron Székely, son of a slain crime boss seeking to regain his rightful place.
The film resembles a standard crime revenge film; lots of shootouts, dealings, power plays, but nothing really stands out in Lakatos’ film besides the use of physicality. Like the 2020 film, the action appears to all be done through the technique known as Krav Maga. There are plenty of sequences where the cast wonderfully showcases their impressive skills in this form; the fight choreography in the film is impressive and is where Lakatos’ direction really takes form. At times it can feel awkward, some moments make it feel as if the audience is watching a demonstration of defence moves than a fluid realistic fight. However, when the elements click into place, the fight scenes can be quite effective; a sequence with Csaba Horváth’s Rózsa, and the final fights with Szilárd Topánka’s Batra being standouts. Lakatos’ eye for action will only improve with time but the film is held back by its generic story and characters.
Most of The Siege 2 has the issue of verisimilitude in limbo but there is definitely a passion on and off the camera. Obvious foley sound effects and the imitation weapons and body armour does hit the ability to buy into the story and stakes. The actors are giving their all in these scenes, effectively showing their skills as martial arts performers but the acting and structure of the script leaves little to remember beyond these displays. That isn’t to say there aren’t smaller moments to enjoy such as a nighttime bout involving masked assailants featuring one wearing a Jason Voorhees’ hockey mask, another a replica of the infamous Onibaba mask. One of my favourite scenes was an actual in-story demonstration of knife disarming which ends with a smug trainee being put in their place.
Overall, The Siege 2 is another standard low budget action film but its use of Krav Maga probably helps it stand out from a visual standpoint but all other elements keep this in mediocrity. Enjoyable in places, Lakatos and his team’s enthusiasm doesn’t let this turn into a slog but the lack of creativity in the screenplay and performances really dampens its impact.
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