Mikey James is back and this time, he’s in a tough situation and must rely on both friends and old enemies in this sequel to the 2017 urban action drama.

Since losing his wife Sofia in a shootout due to the rift between the Gods and the Fassano family, Mikey James, his brothers Keith and Casey, and son Lil’ Homie have been in hiding. Mikey finds a new love in Reggie, but still is racked with guilt about losing Sofia and Pops in the melee. He decides to return to Chicago, but to do so, he must make amends with his former brother-in-law Anthony Fassano, who is now the head of the family.

Anthony is in a bit of a bind himself as he owes a debt of one million dollars to two rival bosses, Frankie Spinella and Florian, the son of the Irish mob. He asks Olympus for help, who in turn makes a deal that if he agrees to help, the James Brothers will get to return. Anthony reluctantly agrees and the once broken factions must work together to pay off the debt. However, old bad blood continues to boil and soon enough, a wave of events is determined to break this renewed partnership forever.

Mykel Shannon Jenkins returns to the role of Mikey James six years after of The Gods. It is clear this was the intention as the original film left on a cliffhanger. It is great to see a connection between the original and this sequel, as also written by Jenkins, as we see Mikey hanging on a thread as he is still reeling from the events of the first film and the loss of the love of his life. However, he knows the only way to make things right is to make amends with the last person ever, even if he himself still has beef with Mikey.

Kevin Interdonato once again goes over the top in the role of Anthony, who now leads the Mafia family and has a new crew. As it pertains to Mikey, we see the return of Nicoye Banks as hot-headed brother Keith, Casey Ford Alexander as the sometimes reluctant brother Bobby, and Bryce Clyde Jenkins as Lil’ Homie, who has a bit of a subplot with lightning striking twice. Lil’ Homie gets himself involved in a forbidden romance with the daughter of an assassin of a Mexican cartel and this causes major friction between the hitman and Mikey.

There are new characters that prove to be more sinister than even Anthony. One such member is Phantom, who only joins Anthony’s crew to seek revenge for the death of his brother Ghost, who was involved in the first film. There are a few new members of the Gods, but they don’t offer as much impact as Mikey and the brothers. There are some shocking twists as the film goes on with the factions attempting to work together but it becomes a bit predictable.

The Gods 2: The Dark Side is a pretty good and longer sequel that relies well on its twists and turns with Mykel Shannon Jenkins and Kevin Interdonato once again shining as the rivals who must team up to face more threats before they may kill each other.

WFG RATING: B+

Echelon Pictures presents a Safe House Productions Film. Director: Mykel Shannon Jenkins. Producers: Mykel Shannon Jenkins and Tracy Marie Villamarette. Writer: Mykel Shannon Jenkins. Cinematography: Ace Fillmore. Editing: Nicholas Larrabure.

Cast: Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Kevin Interdonato, Ernest Thomas, Nicoye Banks, Casey Ford Alexander, Bryce Clyde Jenkins, Kira Omans, Guy Nardulli, Francisco Antonio, Aaron Groben, Aaron Phifer.