Director: Gareth Evans
Stars: Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Tio Pakusodewo, Oka Antara, Alex Abbad
After the events of the first film Rama (Uwais) is told that the people he dealt with were merely small fry and the corruption goes much higher up the food chain. He’s forced to put aside his own family and his own life as he goes deep undercover in the criminal word in order to work his way up the hierarchy and cut off the head of the snakes that poison his world.
The Raid 2 expands on its predecessor in scope. The story is much more expansive and as such much more convoluted. The initial setup is fairly simple – Rama has to go undercover in order to take down the criminals as well as get to the person responsible for his brother’s death. Yet in execution the sprawling film loses focus, and while it’s still enjoyable I lost track of the main thread of the plot. I actually forgot what Rama was supposed to be doing until I was reminded of it by the film. There are some emotional moments but it does feel like the story has a lack of attention and could have been much more sharper and streamlined.
But the action, wow, so incredible. I was completely hooked and on the edge of my seat. The story may not have involved me but the action certainly did. Much of it was mind-blowing and there were points when I was so caught up in it that I had to take a deep breath. It was thrilling.
So while not every part of the film was successful the action certainly is, and I think if you enjoyed The Raid then the sequel will leave you satisfied. It is more bloated than the first, but the action is amazing.
