The Raid 2

Following on from the original, The Raid 2 had a lot to live up to. The Raid was a breath of fresh air in the action movie genre, so how would a sequel go? More of the same or another leap of originality? Well, it is a bit of both. I think it keeps the best parts of the original and adds more substance to it.

SPOILERS

I found the opening a bit confusing. We see someone being executed beside a shallow grave in the fields outside a city. I thought the victim looked like Rama's brother from The Raid but I wasn't sure. Wasn't he a powerful gangster? How come he's being taken out in the first few minutes? Even more confusingly we then cut to Rama and Bowo in what looks like the immediate aftermath of the first film.

At this point I was worried that The Raid 2 might be a muddled disappointment.

Things do gradually get clearer. It was Rama's brother being killed and a secret task force want Rama to infiltrate the gangs responsible to destroy them and the corrupt police officials who are in league with them.

Rama initially refuses but later accepts when his family's safety is threatened. He was right to be suspicious though: beating up a minor villian to get a few months in jail to get close to Uco (son of one gang leader) actually turns into 2 years in jail!

During that jail time Rama saves Uco's life in an assassination attempt which explodes into a full blown riot. That's after Rama had already attracted Uco's attention by seeing off 15 of his supposed bodyguards.

The violence is just as explosive as in The Raid. Brilliant choreography and expertly executed by  Iko Uwais and all his opponents. And because there is so much more "quiet time" between action scenes here than in the original, the action feels even more explosive when it comes around.

There is more variety in the action too. The original was restricted to what could be done in a tower block, but in the sequel we have the action in the prison, out in the open, in a car and in a train... as well as in various buildings.

The fight in the train is between Hammer Girl and several gangsters. At the same time we have Baseball Bat Boy fighting some other gangsters. Trust me. I know this sounds like something from Kill Bill or a bizarre Japanese manga comic, but it works.

At 150 minutes The Raid 2 is a lot longer than the first film. The story isn't that complex but the time is well spent developing all the characters. And I think the gaps between the action scenes are about right to maximise the impact. The final battle is pretty damned gratuitous and leaves you thinking "wow".

You can see the progression from part one to part two. Well done to Gareth Evans for achieving that rare thing, an action sequel which is as good or better than the original.