The Raid 2 Reviews

Much better than the first movie, I mean a lot seriously. Many people liked the first, but I was not because it was not my type. There was no story in it, but a game style of presentation which focused mainly on stunts and I had seen better than that. For a sequel to that, I mean this movie was no chance to complain about in any level. The story, stunts, performances, direction all were top notch and easily can surpass to grab the title for 'this year's best martial art/stunt movie'. I had no expectations before a watch and after a watch got so excited for having it.

After completing somewhat a successful rescue mission that took place in a tenement run by a ruthless gangster, now Rama is assigned to a new undercover operation. Temporarily says goodbye to his regular life and to his wife. To get in a position it takes months of hard work and he successfully makes into one of the members of the gang that he's after. Soon the ideas vary like to initiate new techniques to rule the underworld makes crack within the mob family. So the clash happens randomly to take over the top position from one another. In between the cop's role and the final stand brings the result to this story with plenty of awesome stunt sequences.



Worth to spend our time for this 150 minute long movie, especially if you are the greatest fan of the mixed martial arts then you got a solid reason to go for this. For every 10-15 minutes there is one stunt sequence, all I can say is it was very well patterned in a decent story. Yes, the story was not a brand new, it was what we have already seen many times in the Japanese Yakuza, Hollywood, European et cetera undercover cop stories. But to see the new cast from the new region of the earth's surface it was fantastic. I have not seen many Indonesian movies, so probably this could be the best movies from there to the international standards. This country should take cues from this movie to make consistent from now on like what Tony Jaa's movies did for Thai movies.

We may be after the same thing...
...But I'm not going to follow the path as you to get there.

Regarding the undercover cop theme, the lead character Rama was not the superior, but individually, many characters had produced incredible equality by exhibiting breathtaking stunt skills. Truly to say Rama vanishes in between all these guys. He's used only for the opening and the end portions, that's it. So that means this movie is beyond his presence that will definitely surprise the viewers. The gore was very strong, focused too deep details like ripping skin, breaking bones, smashing heads, hammering. Definitely there is going to be another sequel and my expectations rose high for that. There should be no 'I missed it' or 'not seen yet' in the mouths of movie fanatics because it is a must see.

I have been dying to see this for awhile now and have heard great things about it. I loved the first one so I am hoping this will be great as well. I think this one upped the ante from the last one. Yes it isn't the claustrophobic action thrill ride that the first one was, but this one has more of a story line. The action is pretty brutal and you get more of it since it's more spread out than the previous installment. There are some amazing fights throughout, but the first hour is mostly setting up the story. The last hour of the movie is relentless bloody violence which is what The Raid fans will be most excited about. It was such a powerful manly sequel to that surpassed it's predecessor in my opinion. There are really awesome characters. My favorites of which were Hammer Girl, Eka, and Baseball Bat Boy. The ending was perfect. I can't wait until the next one!

"It will be a few months. You can't know where I am. And I can't be seen anywhere near you."

Sequels to hit motion pictures are always a dubious proposition, especially action sequels which very rarely live up to their predecessors, let alone surpass them. 2014's The Raid 2: Berandal is one of the rare exceptions to the rule, however. Written and directed yet again by Gareth Evans, this sequel to 2012's The Raid: Redemption confidently raises the bar for contemporary action movies, with astonishing scenes of martial arts that most likely will never be topped. Whereas its predecessor was a small-scale action fiesta, Berandal is closer to The Departed (or Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong film which spawned it) as it's imbued with a denser story and it's much bigger in scale. Nevertheless, it feels like an organic continuation, and it delivers the type of bone-crunching fights and breathtaking action beats that the niche audience expects to see.

Picking up mere hours after the events of the previous flick, police officer Rama (Iko Uwais) is recruited to take part in a covert undercover operation that hopes to expose the city's corrupt police. Sent deep undercover as a prison inmate, Rama wins the trust of Uco (Arifin Putra), a pretty-boy gangster whose father heads a powerful crime family. Rama serves two years behind bars, after which he's accepted into the Bangun crime family alongside Uco. Rama's incredible fighting skills render him a valuable asset, and, before long, he's at the centre of the family's criminal machinations, struggling to maintain his integrity along the way. As a war burgeons, Uco becomes increasingly unstable and unpredictable.

Berandal actually started life as an original film, intended to be produced not long after Evans' 2009 feature Merantau. However, after funding fell through, Evans opted for a smaller project which became The Raid. Subsequently, Evans possessed the clout that he needed to finally produce Berandal, retooling the screenplay to follow on from The Raid, therefore justifying the movie's existence beyond mindless cash grab. It's a massive credit to Evans that Berandal is as smooth as it is. There's a dense narrative at play here, with plenty of story to work through over the gargantuan two-and-a-half hour runtime, yet the film at no point feels like homework. Evans perpetually maintains a glorious pace, deploying action sequences when necessary to give viewers a jump-start before boredom can set it. Even more laudable is that it's surprisingly easy to keep tabs on the sizeable ensemble, ensuring that you'll never mistake one character for another. It is a bloated effort, and at least one or two subplots feel indulgent (especially one minor character who's given his own subplot for no compelling reason), but the movie nevertheless comes together and works well enough.

Despite the bigger scale, Berandal is permeated with the same tone and style as its predecessor, with similar digital photography and grimy locales. Without the constraints of a single building, the action feels unconfined, allowing for plenty of hand-to-hand combat in a variety of settings, and there's even a stunning car chase for good measure. Production for this follow-up was ongoing for the better part of eight months, with the final fight scene alone reportedly taking up to six weeks to choreograph and shoot. As a result, Berandal contains arguably the greatest scenes of martial artistry in cinematic history, stylishly photographed by cinematographers Matt Flannery and Dimas Imam Subhono. To be sure, the camera movements are a bit on the jittery side as fists, blades and feet fly, but it's easy to discern what's going on, and the style results in heightened intensity. Evans employed dozens of talented fighters and put every single one of them to good use. There is not a single punch or kick that looks fake, and there are so many painful falls and brutal deaths that one must wonder if any of the stunt guys landed in the hospital as a result.

Berandal is a vicious movie, convincingly earning its R-rating before the five-minute mark with the image of a shotgun blast obliterating a human head. Also outstanding is a lengthy kitchen brawl in which Rama goes toe-to-toe with a fighter of almost equal ability, resulting in violence so visceral and merciless that you'll be on the edge of your seat the entire time. Evans likely used minor digital effects to depict various wounds as he did with the original movie, but once again it's more or less seamless. Berandal also benefits from a stellar cast, with Uwais showing himself to be both an awesome fighter and a solid leading man. However, it's Putra as Uco who dominates the movie, coming across as a suave, psychopathic villain. Other outstanding new additions include Julie Estelle and Very Tri Yulisman, who play a brother and sister duo with incredible fighting abilities. Estelle wields dual hammers in ways that make Oldboy look tame, while Yulisman uses an aluminium baseball bat to hugely painful effect. It's spectacular.

Although there's no denying the jaw-dropping competence of the fight scenes, a number of the conflicts do grow repetitive, and more variety to the action could've catapulted the movie into the stratosphere. Sure, there is a breathtaking car chase, but shootouts are all too rare, which is completely baffling considering that these gangsters should have an arsenal of guns, and it'd be a lot easier for them to just shoot Rama when he engages in fisticuffs with them. This aside, The Raid 2: Berandal is a home run that doesn't fall victim to usual sequel pratfalls. It may be bigger and better, but it doesn't lose sight of what made The Raid a cult success in the first place.

7.8/10

"It will be a few months. You can't know where I am. And I can't be seen anywhere near you."

Back in 2009, Welsh director Gareth Evans made the Indonesian martial arts film Merantau, starring new talent Iko Uwais, who was working as a deliveryman for a phone company. The film registered positively with both critics and audiences, and gave Evans a chance to pursue a more ambitious project. Evans had planned to direct a crime saga he had written called Berandal, but due to a lack of budget, he put that on hold and made The Raid: Redemption. With Uwais again as the lead star, The Raid: Redemption became a cult hit when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. This gave Evans the opportunity to finally direct Berandal, which would serve as a sequel to The Raid: Redemption. With a significantly larger budget than the first film, The Raid 2: Berandal may prove to be an instant classic. It improves on everything we saw in The Raid: Redemption, from story, production value, cinematography, and of course the action sequences.


After fighting his way out of a building filled with gangsters and madmen, rookie Jakarta cop Rama (Iko Uwais) thought it was done and he could resume a normal life. He couldn't have been more wrong. Formidable though they may have been, Rama's opponents in that fateful building were nothing more than small fish swimming in a pond much larger than he ever dreamed possible. And his triumph over the small fry has attracted the attention of the predators farther up the food chain. His family at risk, Rama has only one choice to protect his infant son and wife: He must go undercover to enter the criminal underworld himself and climb through the hierarchy of competing forces until it leads him to the corrupt politicians and police pulling the strings at the top of the heap. And so Rama begins a new odyssey of violence, a journey that will force him to set aside his own life and history and take on a new identity as the violent offender "Yuda." In prison he must gain the confidence of Uco (Arifin Putra), the son of the local kingpin Bangun (Tio Pakusadewo), to join the gang himself, laying his own life on the line in a desperate all-or-nothing gambit to bring the whole rotten enterprise to an end.

Early in the year, I posted a list of my most anticipated movies of 2014 (Link here). The Raid 2 was right at the very top. I couldn't wait to see this film, and when the film opened with rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival this year, I was expecting something spectacular. Having finally seen it, I can say I was not disappointed in the slightest. The Raid 2 is simply spectacular. Many have compared it to The Dark Knight and Terminator 2, as it proves to be a sequel that's a huge improvement over the original. While The Raid: Redemption had a really simple premise, The Raid 2 is an epic crime saga in the vein of The Godfather. Written by Evans, the screenplay is solid throughout the film. It's a classy mobster story, with twists and betrayals. Some have criticised the plot for being too complicated, but I completely disagree. While it's got more going on in terms of story than the first film, The Raid 2 is still easy to follow. The screenplay is still suitably simple, as the story is really just an excuse for the action sequences.


While The Raid: Redemption wasn't interested at all in character, the sequel is filled with different heroes and villains alike. There are so many characters in The Raid 2, and Evans has handled them all well. While Rama is the hero of the film, a lot of the focus is on Uco, who develops in the course of the film in really dark ways. Bangun is a memorable mob boss, while the villainous Bejo, a gangster who is trying to gain control of the criminal underworld, is a great bad guy. If I had one gripe about the film, it would be that some of the characters have no personalities whatsoever. I'm basically nit-picking at this point, because this is The Raid we're talking about. However, it comes to the point where you really don't care what happens to these characters. This really falls onto the Yakuza characters. From the trailers, it suggested that Japanese gangsters would play a huge part in the film, but in all honesty, they're only featured in three scenes and have little to no lines. The same applies to Bunawar, the cop that put Rama in the undercover unit - has very little screen time, and thus we really don't care about him. I get the impression that Evans wanted these characters to play a bigger part in his film, but with a 2 and half hour running time with action taking up most of it, these characters were kind of left aside. With all this being said, these are merely supporting characters. Essentially the focus is on Rama and his recruitment into Bangun's gang.

When I went into The Raid 2, I wanted one thing: action. It gave me exactly what I was looking for. I honestly think this is one of the most action-packed movies ever made. As a I left the theatre, I heard an audience member complain that the film was too slow. It shocked me because to me the film was never dull in the slightest. The pacing is brisk throughout the film, and it really kicks into gear during the second half. The Raid is known for basically not-stop action, and this sequel delivers on that. Choreographed by Uwais and Yayan Ruhian and edited by Evans himself, every martial arts fight sequence in this film is brutally violent and enjoyable. Shot with creative energy by cinematographers Matt Flannery and Dimas Imam Subhono, the fights always keep you on the edge of your seat, and deliver on the same brutality that The Raid: Redemption had already established. A truly memorable sequence involves Bejo's assassins doing his dirty work, where a girl with claw hammers fights her way through a subway train, and another killer uses a baseball bat and ball as a weapon. While The Raid 2 is mainly focused on martial arts action, the film also serves up some great shootouts, and an amazing car chase sequence that rivals anything Hollywood can spit out at the moment. A warning though with the action - it's very violent. The man sitting next to me in the cinema actually walked out halfway through. I really do think that this is the most violent action movie I've ever seen, and while I love bloodshed in my films, it may prove to be too much for some movie-goers. Still, I love that Evans has opted for an R rating and all throat slitting and skull crushing is truly gleeful fun.


As I mentioned earlier, the production value has definitely improved since The Raid: Redemption. While that film was confined to an apartment building, The Raid 2 takes us to grand locations, from a prison to one of the classiest restaurants I've ever seen. Shot with RED Epics and Scarlets, the film looks magnificent, using much more slow dolly and crane shots when there isn't a fight erupting on screen. Lastly, the cast is terrific. Uwais is still a true badass as Rama, delivering the emotional and physical requirements of his role. Newcomers to the franchise are also solid, from Arifin Putra's over ambitious Uco to Tio Pakusadewo's calm and collected Bangun. A true standout is Julie Estelle, who plays Hammer Girl, a ruthless assassin who fights using claw hammers. Delivering a performance with intensity and a touch of innocence, she's sure to win over audiences. Fight Choreographer Yayan Ruhian, who played Mad Dog in the original film, appears this time as Prakoso, one of Bangun's loyal assassins, and he also does a great job here, both with his acting and fighting.

I really can't imagine anyone not liking The Raid 2, apart from those with a weak stomach. It basically delivers on everything you could want in an action movie. There's variety in the action sequences, from fights to car chases, and at the centre it's got a great gangster story. While I do think some characters were really underdeveloped, especially the Yakuzas, I do think Evans will give them a bigger role in the future as The Raid 3 has already been announced. It's hard to see Evans topping The Raid 2 though, as every single action sequence here is pretty much nothing you've ever seen before. While it's no surprise that Hollywood has already started developing an American remake, I can't imagine them re-doing The Raid 2 successfully. What more can I say at this point? The Raid 2 is an action movie masterpiece! Any fan of the genre must see it!