Review of The Raid 2 (2014) by Douglas G — 12 Jul 2014
"The Raid 2: Berandal" is off the chain. I thought that the original "Raid: Redemption" was intense but this one as the saying goes 'went to the next level'. This is a modern martial arts movie along the lines of John Woo's gangster films so there isn't just hand to hand, but firearms and car chases also.
What really surprised me is that this Raid has more story and character development. Really. There was a complexity of motivation and relationships beyond pure fighting. This time Rama (again played by Iko Uwais is an undercover cop - deeper than planned because of an emotional act of vengeance.
The fight scenes were just too long they could have easily taken 20 minutes off the movie but cutting the action sequences in half. The three dimensional fighting that is a characteristic of Indonesian styles.
That being said, the action was better than anything this year - and that includes Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It starts off with one of the best bathroom fight scenes ever, best use of a hammer (sorry "Oldboy"), and Baseball Bat Man who could have taught The Furies a trick or two.
One of the BEST MODERN ACTION movies you will ever see.
This review of The Raid 2 (2014) was written by Douglas G on 12 Jul 2014.
The Raid 2 has generally received very positive reviews.
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