Crocodile Dundee II (1988)

The Crocodile Who Walks Like a Man. After the coinage and all round good will generated by the first Crocodile Dundee movie, the sequel was inevitable. This time the formula is reversed as Mick Dundee (Paul Hogan) is forced to take his lady, Sue Charlton (Linda Kozlowski), back to the wilds of Australia in order to protect her from gangsters. There, Mick, with all his Outback skills, starts to pick the gangsters off one by one. Nah. I don't need a gun. I got a Donk! Within the plot structure there are numerous occasions for Dundee inspired jokes and scenarios, where although they are not as strong as in the first movie, they are amusing and not straining for the laugh factor. The genuine chemistry between real life couple Hogan and Kozlowski is evident and keeps the film grounded in warmth. Hogan is such a likable guy, he's a natural at playing the rugged adventurer type, and it's his charisma that rightly drives the picture forward. He throws a great punch as well, very believable. Returning characters like Wally and Donk are reassuring presences, while Charles Dutton as Leroy Brown provides solid comedy foil for Dundee during the New York part of the plot. The Northern Territory of Australia is once again the visual bonus (cinematography again by Russell Boyd), though we never really get the sweeping shots the setting deserves, and Peter Best once again provides an appropriate musical score for the two continent setting without pushing anything new on us. Problems elsewhere? There's a raft of stereotypes, particularly with the Ernie Dingo led villains, while the unoriginality of the story (a rehash of the first film) is a touch frustrating. Not exactly great and not deserving of the ill advised second sequel that followed 13 years later, part 2 of Mick and Sue's adventures is none the less still a fun way to spend an afternoon. 6.5/10