Crocodile Dundee II

Starring: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon, Ernie Dingo, Steve Rackman, Charles S. Dutton, Stephen Root, Luis Guzman, Tatyana Ali
Directed by: John Cornell
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
1988

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Mick (Paul Hogan) travels to Australia with Sue (Linda Kozlowski) to escape deadly South American drug lords.

Review:

Tim: I was a huge fan of the original Crocodile Dundee, so I was pretty interested to see the sequel. The first movie offered a nice blend of adventure and comedy, but it worried me a little for the sequel- there's not a ton of great comedic sequels out there. While others may not agree, I had a lot of fun with Crocodile Dundee II and while it's not as good as the original, it's still a solid film.

The biggest attraction for this film is Paul Hogan. He was born to play Crocodile Dundee and he does a terrific job of bringing him to life. He's the perfect blend between being naive and being incredibly wise. He gives a charismatic, infectious performance. It's just fun seeing him in this likeable role. He plays Dundee with effortless charm. Linda Kozlowski might not be a great actress, but she's good as Sue. It was fun seeing these two characters interact once again. I'm glad they brought Kozlowski back- it made this feel like more of a continuation of the story, rather than an overt money grab. The supporting cast is good, and it's fun seeing Charles S. Dutton, Stephen Root, and Luis Guzman in early roles. The supporting players are important, but this movie is really all about Hogan and Kozlowski.

This sequel asks even more of its audience, as the storyline is a bit farfetched. Sue's ex gets caught up in a South American drug syndicate, who want the evidence he has against them. He sends it to Sue (smart move, buddy) and so South American drug dealers want her dead. It really does require you to just go with it, but it creates some tense moments. This part of the film felt like a bit of an excuse to get our leads back to Australia (they go there to hide), but I was okay with. It might not be the most believable idea for a sequel, but I've seen far worse.

The movie does have a few fun moments before heading Down Under. Although ridiculous, it was fun seeing Dundee's rescue attempt at the drug lord's mansion. It's incredibly goofy to think his friend would get a gang to help him, but the movie presents it in such a lighthearted way that I was okay going with the absurdity of the situation. There's also a good scene where Dundee hangs a guy upside down out a skyscraper window to get information. The story really picks up when Dundee and Sue get to Australia. This is Dundee's backyard and while it's incredibly predictable, it's fun to see him use his vast knowledge of the dangerous terrain to his advantage.

I did have some issues with the scenes in Australia. Yes, it was great fun seeing Dundee outsmart the villains in a vast number of ways. That's one of the best parts of the movie. However, it makes no sense how nonchalant he appeared about this whole situation. Very dangerous killers were tracking them down with the sole purpose of killing them and he treats the whole thing like a big game. I get that that approach aligns with his character, I would have liked to see him take the situation a bit more seriously. Ridiculous but fun is a good way to describe these scenes.

I was a big fan of Crocodile Dundee. While this film isn't as good as the original, it's not a wholly unworthy sequel. It continues their adventures and while it loses some quality, it does maintain a lot of what made the first film so much fun. Sequels are hard to pull off, and while this film should have been better, I still had fun with it. I'd consider Crocodile Dundee II a solid sequel.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Crocodile Dundee