I'm not going to waste any time.
In The Raid 2, we pick up immediately after the events of The Raid, with Rama (Iko Uwais) being recruited by the only non-corrupt police boss in town, Bunawar (Cok Simbara), to go deep undercover in one of the two mobs that controls his city. It's all in the attempt to root out the other corrupt cops and put an end to he two mobs reigns of terror. First, Rama is sent to prison for two years, where he has more than enough time to gain the trust and friendship of Uco (Arafin Putra), who's father is Bangun (Tio Pakusodewo), the head of one of the big mobs in the city. Released after his two year stint, Rama is quickly initiated into Bangun's mob where he learns that Uco is teaming up with Bejo (Alex Abbad), a young gangster, in the hopes of igniting a turf war so he can get rid of his dad and take control of the mob.
The Raid had a simple plot that was fairly easy to follow, the focus was more on the action. In this second outing, the focus is definitely more on the plot, and there's more of it. There is more action as well, but it's spaced out this time and there are long stretches of dialogue and exposition in between. Surprisingly, the script and acting is pretty top notch. The best acting here goes to Arafin Putra as Uco and Iko Uwais as Rama. Arafin is perfectly slimy but still likable as the P.O.S who looks to shake things up and Uwais is still ever the bad-ass as Rama (who gets the shit beat out of him quite a bit in this one, but still manages to stay on top nontheless) even though he's not the only one doing the fighting this time around.
Some memorable bit roles in The Raid 2 are Julia Estelle as Alicia (aka Hammer Girl), Oka Antara as Eka, Cecif Arif Rahman as "The Assassin" (who's weapons of choice are dagger-like objects), and Very Tri Yulisman as "Baseball Bat Man" who uses a baseball bat as his weapon of choice. All get memorable fight scenes, and are pretty damn memorable. Back from the first film is Yayan Ruhian, although he's not Mad Dog this time around. In Raid 2 he plays a bit role, named Prakoso and he's still bad-ass and impressive here though I still say he made more of a lasting impression in the first Raid.
The action in The Raid was insane, and somehow master action director Gareth Evans manages to make the action/fight scenes in Raid 2 even more insane, brutal and bloody than before. I will say there is a good deal of shaky cam here, and sometimes that makes it a bit hard to make out what's going on, unfortunately. However, there are still a good deal of action scenes (I count 6 that really blew me away, but that's just one man's opinion. There's probably a grand total of around 12-13 action scenes in The Raid 2) that manage to recapture the brutality and fun of the action in the first film. The highlights this time around are the opening fight in a prison bathroom, an all-out prison riot, a fight in a subway car featuring Hammer Girl, a street fight featuring Baseball Bat Man, a fight on the roads (in cars), and the final 3 fights where it's essentially Rama vs. the rest of the mob. As I said before, while the action/fight scenes are more spaced out here, the action that does ensue will still make you cheer, make your head spin, and will leave you absolutely breathless in the best way possible.
By expanding the world of The Raid 2, we lose the claustrophobic and tense atmosphere of the first film (as I said before though, there are still some action scenes that feel tense), and by spacing out the action scenes and upping the run time ( a whopping 150 minutes), this sequel ends up feeling less tight and focused. The plot is fairly strong, as is the script and acting. The Raid 2 is pretty different from The Raid, I'd say The Raid 2 works better as a film than as a pure action film. There's definitely more meat for us to chew on here. If you go in expecting the film to be the same thing as the first Raid, you'll be satisfied but a bit disappointed, so it's best to adjust your expectations accordingly. By taking this film in a different direction than the first, but staying true to what made the first film great (them action scenes) The Raid 2 manages not to be better than the first outing, but just as good as it's predecessor was although in different ways. Both films are masterpieces, and any die-hard action fan would be wise to seek BOTH of these films out. Expect to walk out of The Raid inspired to go forth and kick-ass, and expect to walk out of The Raid 2 feeling beaten and bruised, but rejuvenated and ready for more.
5 STARS
Think of The Raid 2 as almost more of an art film
Watching as a whole flock of teenaged girls leave The Raid 2 near the end because the action is too bloody and brutal for them.....PRICELESS (also, how the hell did they even get in there to begin with?)
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