Movie Review: The Raid 2

Movie Review: The Raid 2

Originally titled The Raid 2: Berandal, Gareth Evans’ latest film chronicling the thug-obliterating lifestyle of rookie S.W.A.T. team member Rama takes us into the more intense, albeit more brutal side of the Jakarta crime world.

The Raid 2 opens without much time having elapsed since the events of its prequel The Raid: Redemption. Rama (Iko Uwais) is recruited by Bunawar (Cok Simbara) to join an intimate, elite undercover unit focused on rooting out ranking corrupt officers within the police force. At first unwilling to accept Bunawar’s offer, Rama soon is faced with no choice but to work undercover in order to protect his family.

In comparison with its prequel, The Raid 2 comes up a bit short in terms of a clear, direct storyline. In The Raid the objective is simple and gradually becomes more and more complex and tangled as we followed Rama up and down the floors of Jakarta’s tower of terror. And while the sequel’s storyline also contains that element of simplicity it gets overcomplicated by the web of big characters. For much of the middle of the movie Rama is not present, or only so in the background; his development as a character stops in order to make room for a tedious fleshing-out of all the local crime lords, their families and their associates. That wonderful emotional incentive of familial protection Rama enters into the underworld with, that inherent distrust of his superior officers is never developed beyond a thematic device.

Where the movie suffers most is indeed in its emotional development. Rama’s story is put on hold to create the overly-ambitious son subjugated to his seemingly complacent father’s will dynamic, which again never feels much more than a convenience of the plot. Uco’s (Arifin Putra) animosity towards his father Bangun (Tio Pakusodewo) seems like a mere means to bring an extra forty-five minutes of fight sequences into the movie.

However, while The Raid 2’s character portraits are not as neatly composed as its predecessor’s, the sequel far outweighs the prequel in action, which is what both movies are at their core: sleek, contemporary, martial arts flicks that do not disappoint. When I saw The Raid for the first time I was amazed by the martial grace and prowess of the cast, how Evans could weave together such talent so seamlessly into a coherent storyline. Watching The Raid 2 left on the edge of my seat, tightly gripping whatever my hands could find every time Rama made eye contact with some thug(s). While the novelty of Uwais’ mastery as a martial artist is absent this time the speed, intensity, and progression of each fight scene is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

The huge success of the action is due in large part to Rama’s isolation in the criminal underworld, perhaps the one aspect of his character that Evans developed which enhanced the movie as a whole. Rama embarks this time with neither the security of his team, nor advantage of automatic weapons, nor even the small benefit of his S.W.A.T. gear; his most difficult assignment is the one he must make alone.

The Raid 2 is a must-see movie for any and all fans of beautifully executed action movies.

Overall Rating: 8.8 out of 10