"Hot Shots! Part Deux" takes up where "Hot Shots!" left off. While the first film skewered "Top Gun," this one takes aim at the "Rambo" series of films, among others.
Topper Harley (Charlie Sheen) is now in a Buddhist monastery. He is called back into action by Colonel Walters (Richard Crenna) and sexy CIA agent Michelle (Brenda Bakke) to rescue the captured squad of soldiers who went in to rescue the captured squad of soldiers who went in to rescue a captured squad of soldiers from the Persian Gulf War. Bumbling President Biden...um, Benson... (the hysterical Lloyd Bridges) is in charge of the operation, when he can figure it out. Harley is still pining for lost love Ramada (Valeria Golino), and finds out why she left him at the station instead of boarding the train with him to Honolulu. Along with Commander Harbinger (Miguel Ferrer), communications expert Williams (Michael Colyar), and explosives expert Rabinowitz (Ryan Stiles), Topper parachutes into the Iraq/Iran border jungle, eventually running into Saddam Hussein (Jerry Haleva) himself.
Director Jim Abrahams and co-writer Pat Proft have delivered an almost perfect spoof film. It does not equal the brilliance of "Airplane!", but it is still a five-star film. "Hot Shots! Part Deux" is hilarious. This film is violent, but it is cartoonish violence and actually makes an anti-war statement. It has some very funny sex scenes and references. It makes light of people, but not in a mean-spirited way. The cast plays this deadly serious, and that is part of the comedy. Many films are spoofed: "Lady and the Tramp," "Basic Instinct," "No Way Out," and more. The special effects are cheap and foolish-looking, again, because it's funny. The screenplay rockets along, barely letting the viewer catch their breath. This is not predictable or boring. The filmmakers do take the low road here and there, going crass and vulgar, but it still works and still had me giggling.
I only wish another "Hot Shots!" sequel would have come out, but this will do.
