Hot Shots! Part Deux, or Hot Shots! Part Ducks as I fondly remember everyone calling it at school (British education, best in the world!), attempts to give the Rambo movies the same treatment given to Top Gun in the original. So, where last time we had the gleefully deadpan hero of the piece Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) darting around in fighter plane, this time he sports an over-sized mullet, has bullets strapped to every visible body part, and racks up a death count consciously putting anything in Robocop or Total Recall to shame.
Other than the new setting and the slightly different choice of target (Saddam Husseins the villain, though I couldve sworn he got bumped off in the first film) its basically the same routine as last time which means another gag marathon, some working, most not.
Lloyd Bridges, on red hot form last time round as a senile naval Admiral, returns as the President (a dotty old nutcase for Pressie? Thatd never happen in real life!), and again gets to deliver a hefty chunk of the flicks best moments. Also back on board is Valeria Golino as Toppers irksomely non-committal love interest she seems to have improved on her comic timing in the two years between this and the first one, and bloke viewers will also be chuffed to hear that this film represents probably the best shes ever looked on the screen.
Essentially though, this is a fairly dull follow-up to what really wasnt that great an original in the first place. Theres a good opening, and a marvellous Apocalypse Now-referencing cameo from Charlies dad Martin, but on the whole it just isnt funny enough to gain this reviewers recommendation. Weve just seen it all done before and better.