The Raid 2 Review
Posted by Stephen Lambrechts - 14/3/2014
The Raid 2, sequel to the near-perfect action classic that is The Raid, has a gargantuan level of expectation behind it. The first film’s success banked on its single location, all killer, no filler execution; a film of bone-breaking, knuckle busting action movie purity that left audiences the world over breathless. It’s a movie that gave us only as much story as was necessary to drive us from one amazingly choreographed shootout, knife-fight or martial arts battle to the next.
The entire film took place over a single day, so what happens when writer/director Gareth Evans takes the film’s sequel (subtitled Berandal, meaning ‘delinquent’ or ‘thug’, in certain markets) into the realm of the gangster epic, setting the film over a period of several years? Does it retain the urgency of the first film, and does it manage to bring the action to heights that surpass the original? Not only does the film manage to do so with ease, it also completely blows the original out of the water. With this, his third theatrical film, Evans has turned The Raid into an action crime saga with shades of Johnnie To’s Election films, Lau & Mak’s Infernal Affairs trilogy, and John Woo’s blood operas. What we didn’t expect is for Evans to have already outclassed these legends this early in his career.
The film begins directly after the events of the original. Rama (Iko Uwais), one of the only surviving members of a SWAT team tasked with taking down an apartment building filled with gun and machete-wielding gangsters, thinks he’s going to go home to his pregnant wife and leave the events of this horrendous day behind him. If only things were that easy, for the head of a task force whose goal it is to completely dismantle organised crime in Jakarta immediately greets Rama on his return. With his family now in the sights of crooked cops and the criminal underworld, Rama is forced to go undercover in a Jakarta prison to secure their protection. His task is to gain the trust of Uco (Arifin Putra), a crime lord’s son who’s serving time, and then infiltrate his gang upon his release.
Rama, now going by the name Yuda (a nod to the character Uwais played in Merantau, Evans and Uwais’ first collaboration), saves Uco’s life during a huge scale prison riot. When Rama does eventually get out (after a much longer stint than originally anticipated), Uco welcomes him into his crime family with open arms. He is introduced to Uco’s father, Bangun (Tio Pekusodewo), whom Uco greatly respects but is frustrated with for not giving him more responsibility. Bangun has a delicate truce with the Japanese Yakuza, and when Uco’s frustration reaches boiling point, he attempts to instigate a war with between the two organisations that leads to some extremely dire consequences. Now, the undercover Rama is stuck in the middle of an incredibly violent situation with an extremely low survival probability. Can he make it out of this gang war more or less intact?
Evans has always been a stylish filmmaker with complete command of the frame, but The Raid 2 sees his visual style elevate to an ambitious new level. There’s a sleek, operatic elegance to the film this time out, with its grander scope playing host to several eye-catching and well executed shots and set pieces. Couple this with themes of family and betrayal and it’s not hard to see why many have declared The Raid 2 as a martial arts version of The Godfather. An opening wide-shot of a cane field slowly builds tension as we the audience start to notice all of the small details in the frame. We observe luxury cars approaching in the distance, and before long we notice the freshly dug grave that has been prepared in the middle of nowhere. Anxiety rises as we start to wonder which character from the first film is likely being led to his final resting place. Don’t let its status as a ‘martial arts’ movie come as any sort of detraction; this is an A-class crime film that just happens to have many spectacularly choreographed fight scenes scattered throughout. Evans displays confidence in his drama by showing restraint in quieter, tension-filled moments.
In my review of the original film, I noted its stripped down plot and lack of character development as my only real quibbles, however The Raid 2 renders these points moot. The film is filled with well-defined characters with changing motivations and real emotional struggles. Uwais gets to delve much deeper into his role this time out, with the mounting pressure of his attempts to maintain his cover looming over him, and the immense weight of his desire to see his family, which he hasn’t seen for years. Equally compelling is the character of Uco, played by Putra with a sense of smug entitlement, but also a sense of regret for stepping way over the line with his reckless actions. Speaking at one point in flawless English, expect the Brandon Lee-esque Putra to be one of The Raid 2’s breakout stars.
Even the film’s smaller side characters each get a moment to shine. Actor/ fight choreographer Yayan Ruhian, who played the villainous Mad Dog in the first film, returns in a different role, this time a sad and lonely hitman named Prakoso who gets one of the film’s best big scale fight scenes. Also thrown into the mix is the brother and sister assassin team of Hammer Girl (Julie Estelle) and Baseball Bat Man (Very Tri Yulisman) – try and guess which tools they use for their trade. Most frightening of all, is The Assassin (Cecep Arif Rahman), a man who looks average enough, but turns out to be Rama’s toughest opponent yet. Watch out for him in an extremely bloody and graphic fight scene involving Kerambit knives (curved Indonesian blades).
Just when you think that Evans and co. can’t possibly top the action scene you’ve just witnessed, they go ahead and prove you wrong with the next. Each set piece brings an escalating level of awesome to the table, whether it be a mud-splattered prison riot featuring 150 fighters (filmed in long, roving camera takes), a ferocious multi-level nightclub brawl against dozens of assailants, a girl absolutely decimating a train car full of henchmen with a pair of claw hammers, or a car chase destined for classic status (featuring an in-car fight scene, filmed from directly above as if the roof of the car were invisible), action fatigue never sets in. Just like the first film, The Raid 2 has rewritten the book on action cinema, albeit this time with stronger characters and story. No wires, no CGI, just bloody, bone-breaking bliss. This is the perfect action movie.
★★★★★
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