Review of The Raid 2 (2014) by Keenan S — 30 Dec 2014

HELL YES. The Raid 2 is a shining pinnacle of action film sequels: bigger, badder, and even more fun than a predecessor. The Raid: Redemption was already a brilliant action film, even though it followed the strict philosophy of, "all thrills, no frills," since it was more about about ass-kicking action scenes as opposed to storytelling, which did annoy some people who found it to be empty and shallow.

Despite a handful of naysayers, the film earned very positive reception among critics and audiences, and for good reasons because it was easily one of the most thrilling and fun action films to come out in years. Now, we get The Raid 2, which upped the ante significantly by adding even crazier action scenes, a surprisingly solid storyline, and turning itself into a full-blown action epic that is a dream come true for action fans.

Shortly after the events of the first film, Rama is forced to become an undercover agent in the dangerous crime world of Jakarta. It is also during this time that Rama learns that his brother was murdered by a gang leader named Bejo for his actions in the first film, and fearing for his family's life, Rama reluctantly agrees to go undercover with the constant fear of death looming over him.

He infiltrates a gang led by a man named Bangun, whose son, Uco, is in prison. Rama decides to prove himself to Uco and his father, which not only includes beating up the son of a politician who wronged Uco, but also saving him during a brutal and bloody prison riot.

Two years later, after his release, Rama is invited by Uco and Bangun to join their organization, which he agrees to by becoming a henchman to the gang and also hanging out with Uco, who wants to have a bigger role in the organization, but is seen as too brash and immature to take on such a responsibility, which angers Uco.

Only a short time of being part of the gang becomes incredibly dangerous for Rama once Uco begins associating with rival gang leader, Bejo who wants to gain more territory, and the two devise a way to accomplish this by starting a gang war, which not only drags in Bangun's gang, but also the Goto family, leading to an all-out bloodbath Rama finds himself caught up in which he not only intends to put an end to it, but also get revenge against Bejo for the murder of his brother.

The first film was criticized for its rather simplistic storytelling. I didn't mind, especially with the brilliant action scenes, but it was an undeniable fact. The Raid 2 takes a bold leap forward in storytelling by not just being an action film, but it also encompasses crime thriller and drama with surprising results. While it's not the greatest crime flick you'll ever see, it's still a damn good one that takes time to expose the inner workings of such an organization, while also dissecting troubles within a crime family through elements like power struggles and betrayal. The film also takes more time to explore the character Rama and provides him with more of a soul this time around as he is caught in such a vicious world. Even the side characters have interesting stories behind them, which is a definite plus. I was extremely surprised by how much the story was upgraded for this sequel and the film-makers managed to pull it off. Even when wild action scenes weren't occurring, I was still very engaged.

The acting has also been upgraded this time around. Mind you, I do think the acting in the first film was pretty solid, but this sequel improves upon the performances. Iko Uwais was great as Rama and it was interesting to see more range in his acting abilities since he has more dialogue and storytelling to work with this time around. I was also impressed with Arifin Putra's performance as Uco (He also eerily reminded me of Brandon Lee, not only in looks, but when he spoke in English at one point, he even sounded like him. Weird...) since he did a great job as the power-hungry son willing to do anything to get what he wanted. Alex Abadd as Bejo was also impressive to watch and made for a rather intimidating and diabolical crime boss. There are also a number of other impressive performances, including minor characters. You don't see this level of quality acting in action films that often - it's that good.

When it comes to action, this film doesn't disappoint. The action is not only more bloody, but it is also taken to a much grander scale of ass-kicking. The hand-to-hand scenes are even more brutal this time, there are kick-ass chase scenes including one of the best car chase scenes in recent memory, awesome weapon fights, and more. Words will never properly describe the action, it is something to take in, behold, be thrilled, and be awestruck by in their awesomeness.

The Raid: Redemption is one of my favorite action films, but The Raid 2 manages to best it in every way. The story is well written, the acting is terrific, and the action scenes easily make this film one of the best action films of this century. If you are an action fan, you are cheating yourself out of something great if you don't check out the films in this franchise. I can't wait for The Raid 3 (And I also hope Hollywood doesn't fuck up the American remake)! It's a glorious thrill ride from start to finish and should be viewed as a textbook example of a great action film sequel.