Genre: Action
Director: Gareth Evans
Plot: After the events of the first film, Rama is tasked by Internal Affairs to go undercover and infiltrate a criminal organisation to bring them down and the corrupt cops protecting them.
The gist: Remember how you felt when you watched The Matrix Reloaded and noticed how different it was compared to its predecessor? That's the feeling I got after watching The Raid 2.
While The Matrix was much more cohesive than Reloaded, and therefore the better film, The Raid 2 outshines the first, most obviously in the action department. Unlike the Wachowskis, Gareth Evans certainly knows how to make things bigger and better.
Evans has choreographed some of the best action sequences ever here, and in order to keep the film flowing, he throws in a storyline that is reminiscent of Hong Kong's Infernal Affairs. Granted, at times the story doesn't work so well and seems to only serve the plot and connect one action sequence to the next, but Evans' ass kicking moments are so good, you won't really care.
Although, like The Matrix Reloaded, it doesn't quite gel with the first film, it still works well enough to be entertaining overall. Credit must be given to Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian for the excellent fight choreography, as well as all the people involved in every fight sequence.
The good: Action sequences, all of them, are executed to perfection. From a fight in a toilet cubicle to a prison yard brawl, to a hellacious car chase sequence and more, it's all a sight to behold. The final 50 minutes of the film are the most memorable.
The bad: Lapses of logic, like why are there no cops when they start fighting on the streets? Or why the bad guys choose to attack Rama one by one instead of simultaneously?
Verdict: The Raid 2 is brutal to a tee, but it's brutal for a reason. Ass kicking has not been this good since the early days of Jackie Chan. Highly recommended for action fans. (4/5)
Good points. The analogy between this series and the Matrix sequels is well made, although thankfully there wasn't a huge dip in quality (if any) in R2 compared to R1. You also point out that this film doesn't quite "gel" with the first, and I agree because it's fairly obvious that Berandal was written before the Raid 1 ever made it big and was then later retrofitted to bridge as a sequel to that film. It's why they eliminate every major character from the first film except for Rama in the first five minutes :(
ReplyDeleteStill, Evans took a bigger budget (4X the original but still chump by mainstream blockbuster means) and used it well. It didn't "corrupt" him or make him lazy. You give this guy lemons, he turns that shit gold :D