Gareth Evans' The Raid is without question one of my favorite movies. The hand-to-hand choreography is some of the best you'll ever witness and the kills are ruthless yet cheerworthy. The plot, though? Well, it was about as basic as it could get, but the beyond stunning fights and pacing compensated for that and then some. The Raid 2 still has everything that's thoroughly awesome about the first movie and then adds a legitimately solid plot and throws a crazy amount of creativity into its action scenes and the directing. So yeah, that quote on the The Raid 2's poster ("one of the greatest action movies ever made") is something I most definitely agree with.
Taking place shortly after the first movie's ending, Rama (Iko Uwais) is assigned to go undercover and infiltrate a crime family in Jakarta. He grows close to the crime lord's son, Uco (Arifin Putra), and from there he must gather evidence to help save the city from these not-so-kind people. While the first movie only had a handful of characters that mattered, this one opens the flood gates by incorporating a huge cast and establishing a much bigger world.
The first film had a simple formula. There was a little bit of set-up and then it jumped back and forth between battles and tension. The Raid 2 is roughly 2.5 hours long and doesn't repeat that formula. Don't worry, there's still more than enough superb action to enjoy, but it also implements a whole lot of character-driven scenes. The plot isn't going to blow your mind or anything, but it's honestly attention-grabbing and certainly had me emotionally invested at quite a few points.
There's some seriously clever directing in this film. Sure, a few parts go a bit overboard with the use of shaky camera, but that's massively countered by how many brilliant shots and transitions there are. Somehow, Evans is able to take small settings (e.g. a toilet stall, the inside of a car) and craft a fight scene that completely puts other movies to shame. And it's not just the action scenes, either. Even something as simple as Rama making a call is original. Needless to say, I have nothing but praise for the way this movie is directed.
The brawls are insanely impressive and absurdly entertaining. Not only is there plenty of vicious and exciting hand-to-hand combat, but this movie has a ton of variety with its action. From one of the most brutal and fun car chases you'll ever see to watching characters who specialize in baseball bats (and baseballs!) and hammers, the action is simply unparalleled and never repetitive. No amount of words will justify how truly astonishing the final stretch of action is. I can say with total confidence that it is easily one of the best action sequences you'll ever witness. No doubt about it whatsoever. And it shouldn't really need to be said, but if you're not the biggest fan of blood, this one obviously isn't for you.
The Raid 2 is phenomenal and absolutely a must see if you love R-rated action/martial arts movies. The choreography and directing is incredible, and the movie does a fine job expanding The Raid's world. It's very ambitious and I wanted to watch it all over again once the credits began to roll. Considering it's a 2.5 hour movie, that's saying quite a bit.
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