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Strong follow-up to the original
Eye for an Eye 2 was a loose sequel to the original with Xie Miao reprising his role as the blind swordsman Cheng. This time around he ended up with a vengeful pint-sized sidekick bent on revenge.
Zhang Xiao Yu and her brother Cao are saved by Blind Cheng. When Cao later meets an untimely death, she dogs Cheng until he agrees to help her avenge her brother. The demon swordsman is none too happy about the determined child and tries numerous ways to rid himself of her.
Gender note: I’m going to refer to Xiao Yu as she/her because the character was played by a girl and Xiao Yu looked like a typical crossdressing girl in Chinese dramas and films despite what the synopsis says and it literally makes no difference story wise.
You can absolutely watch this film if you haven’t watched the first film. Much as in the first film, Cheng was a cranky blind swordsman who made his living as a bounty hunter. Xiao Yu found ways to assist him in hopes he’d teach her how to kill the object of her hatred-Li Jiu Lang. Cheng was once again forced to summon the demon within as he battled hundreds of warriors at one time. And much like Fezzik from The Princess Bride, he only stumbled when fighting one man.
The story slowed down long enough to have some cute moments with Xiao Yu acting as Cheng’s eyes while hunting his bounties. In one of the few scripted "humorous" moments, it emphasized the weakness of the film's premise. Xiao Yu rearranged the furniture causing Cheng to bump into things and fall when he never had a problem in completely strange environments fighting bad guys.
The smaller fights were better choreographed. Despite Xie Miao being a martial artist, wires were used prolifically. His skills definitely helped sell the moves though. The large fights were less entertaining as they were sped up and filmed up close. I suppose it made the outrageous odds Cheng faced better able to swallow. As I said in my EfaE1 review, if you can buy into a blind swordsman bounty hunter, fighting 300 men single-handedly wasn’t much of a stretch. This film wasn’t afraid to lean into the bone crunching and slicing sound effects.
I enjoyed Eye for an Eye 2. It might not have broken any new ground, but the slow build of Cheng and Xiao Yu’s relationship was fun to watch and the actors had a nice rapport with each other. And Cheng certainly knew how to make an entrance when Xiao Yu was in need. If you enjoyed Eye for an Eye 1, this is definitely worth a try.
10 September 2026
Trigger warnings: Child murder and pet murder. As expected, numerous bloody impalements.
Zhang Xiao Yu and her brother Cao are saved by Blind Cheng. When Cao later meets an untimely death, she dogs Cheng until he agrees to help her avenge her brother. The demon swordsman is none too happy about the determined child and tries numerous ways to rid himself of her.
Gender note: I’m going to refer to Xiao Yu as she/her because the character was played by a girl and Xiao Yu looked like a typical crossdressing girl in Chinese dramas and films despite what the synopsis says and it literally makes no difference story wise.
You can absolutely watch this film if you haven’t watched the first film. Much as in the first film, Cheng was a cranky blind swordsman who made his living as a bounty hunter. Xiao Yu found ways to assist him in hopes he’d teach her how to kill the object of her hatred-Li Jiu Lang. Cheng was once again forced to summon the demon within as he battled hundreds of warriors at one time. And much like Fezzik from The Princess Bride, he only stumbled when fighting one man.
The story slowed down long enough to have some cute moments with Xiao Yu acting as Cheng’s eyes while hunting his bounties. In one of the few scripted "humorous" moments, it emphasized the weakness of the film's premise. Xiao Yu rearranged the furniture causing Cheng to bump into things and fall when he never had a problem in completely strange environments fighting bad guys.
The smaller fights were better choreographed. Despite Xie Miao being a martial artist, wires were used prolifically. His skills definitely helped sell the moves though. The large fights were less entertaining as they were sped up and filmed up close. I suppose it made the outrageous odds Cheng faced better able to swallow. As I said in my EfaE1 review, if you can buy into a blind swordsman bounty hunter, fighting 300 men single-handedly wasn’t much of a stretch. This film wasn’t afraid to lean into the bone crunching and slicing sound effects.
I enjoyed Eye for an Eye 2. It might not have broken any new ground, but the slow build of Cheng and Xiao Yu’s relationship was fun to watch and the actors had a nice rapport with each other. And Cheng certainly knew how to make an entrance when Xiao Yu was in need. If you enjoyed Eye for an Eye 1, this is definitely worth a try.
10 September 2026
Trigger warnings: Child murder and pet murder. As expected, numerous bloody impalements.
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