Review of The Raid 2 (2014) by Andrewmakatsari — 02 Mar 2017

Picking up almost immediately where the first film left off, our protagonist Rama finds himself a target for both the various mafia organizations in Jakarta as well as the increasingly corrupted state of the police department. To bring both sides to justice, Rama embarks on a mission to infiltrate one of the major gangs in the city as an undercover cop to lure the big fishes out to dry. No badge, no rules. The story in Raid 2 is far more complex and enticing, as there are many upon many characters revealed and developed, all of them having hidden meanings and unique features that make them stand out as well as being integral parts of the story that gives every one of them a part to play in a puzzle drenched in blood. The worries for Rama's survival are retained from the original, as we get more scenes involving him trying to reconnect with his family, that he is forced to abandon for years, but just when it feels like it'd get too soapy, Evans gladly concentrates on other characters as well, in fact one of the most captivating and entertaining parts of The Raid 2 is seeing how so many different characters get their time to shine, and most of them are quite compelling by the end of the film, in fact many of them you start to care about from seemingly small figures such as Assassin Prakoso(played by the previous film's Yayan Ruhian aka Mad Dog) with his own problems and issues in life and family, to big timers such as Indonesian gang leader Bangun played stoically and honorably by Tio Pakusadewo and his arrogant and ambitious, yet understandably so son Uco(Arifin Putra), among many, I mean MANY. The run time of 2 hours and a half is both a great marketing tool for the action but also for this very well-told narrative, that flows as well as all the action.

Speaking of action, there's a LOT more of it here, in fact as indicated by a youtube compilation of all fight scenes featured in the film, there's about an hour of them, HALF OF THE MOVIE basically. And glorious it is, with once again excellent choreography by Uwais and Ruhian as they vary and establish different fighting styles for different characters. Two of my personal favorites being Baseball Bat Man and Hammer Girl, both get terrific introductory action sequences to show of their skills, and it's here where the picture really shines, focusing on the individual characters and building up their personality during the fights, a brilliant little piece of visual storytelling. The other amazing aspect of the film is something that makes it stand over the original's action is the variety of the action found here. From fights in small bathroom cubicles, to massive prison riots, to nightclub dance battles, to **** CAR CHASES WITH FREAKING FIGHTS INSIDE THE CARS, and the epic seemingly never-ending and wishfully never-ending finale showdowns. Evans' direction is once again nothing short of stunning and kinetic, mixing long takes and fluid camerawork, with precise editing to match the pace of the fight and induce gut-wrenching, and jaw-dropping reactions to every bone-break, throat slash, hammering and just annihilating bevy of punches and kicks. Pencak Silat has never looked so brutal, pummeling and fast, while at the same time being graceful and absolutely beautiful, there's something great about the film's approach to violence, it may deter some but for the lookers of vicious, hard-hitting action insanity, The Raid 2 delivers and then some. The final battle between Uwais and Cecep Arif Rahman's Assassin is to this day ONE OF THE BEST final fights I've seen in cinema history, a kitchen and kerambit knives have never been used this creatively for sure, Joe Trapenese and Fajar Yuskemal's score is energizing to the point of an action movie meltdown, just awesome use of drums, and orchestra, that when viewed on its own lasts the length of the fights themselves, meaning every hit is choreographed not only in the performance but also in music, the culmination of the kitchen battle is nothing short of masterful, kerambits cross, stomachs, arms and legs get opened and the score just keeps on rolling like it's cheese trying to carve its way into a hamburger, one that is already tearing its own **** as well. That may be the weirdest and the most graphic food making description you've possibly ever heard, but what can I say, dinner is best served cold and sliced open.

The Raid 2 is simply a masterpiece, a sequel that feels both fresh and true to the original, that makes everything that it did well even better and evens the odds for the things that the original was criticized for, this is something I'll be showing to anyone who ever asks me what my favorite action films of all time is, cause while I can think of many great ones, The Raid 2 always is the best one, for being a combination of everything. A 10/10.