Released in 1987 following the unexpected success of  NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER the year before, which happened to include the theatrical debut of Belgian screen actor, martial artist, and fight choreographer Jean-Claude Van Damme and also directed by Corey Yuen, NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER 2 was intended to be a direct sequel to the first film but actually began life as a different film called RAGING THUNDER. When the original film’s stars chose not to return, the story and characters were altered to form a completely new narrative. Even though no elements of the story remained to connect it to the original film, the title was changed to NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER 2, or NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER 2: RAGING THUNDER. The film was also released in parts of the world as KARATE TIGER 2.

The story begins in Vietnam, where American college student Scott Wylde (Avedon) arrives looking for his former teacher and best friend Mac (Thayer). A former lover of Jarvis’ named Terry (Rothrock) tells Scott that Mac is likely in Patpong, a seedy area of Bangkok, Thailand. After dinner with his fiancé Sulin, a gang of tough types crash into Scott’s room kidnapping Sulin. Scott is detained by local authorities and sent to the airport to board a plane for Singapore. He escapes and heads to Patpong, where he locates and recruits Jarvis to help him invade Cambodia to rescue his fiancé. Scott learns that Sulin’s father was a famous Vietnamese general who, for the sake of his family, reneged on a lucrative deal with the Soviet militia. The next day Scott and Jarvis are ambushed by Thai police; however, Terry swoops in and rescues the pair in a helicopter. Scott, Mac, and Terry arrive in Cambodia threatening all out war in hopes of rescuing poor Sulin.