La redada 2

Having watched and enjoyed the first film, also with all its hype i heard, I excitingly went to watch The Raid 2: Berandal this afternoon. In the first 5 minutes, there're some shocks especially for the viewers who've watched the first film. The aftermath of the 1st film was told in brief to give the background plot for Rama the protagonist character. So it's basically recommended for the viewers to watch the first film before watching.

With quite many characters're being involved, to make it less easier for the viewers to identify the characters, most of them only have short names and unique names (although it got me confused a little at some time till i was finally able to know them all). The most important key throughout this film's its violent top-notch fighting choreography which's jaw dropping and breath-taking. Also the view take (cinematic technique) in this film's simply marvelous, one which i really enjoyed's the car chase scene. It's such a superb performance to take those kinds of angles. I tell you, the story's a bit much equivalent with as if a mixing of "The Departed" + "The Godfather" + Gory Martial Arts, so in my opinion it's unwise to miss watching it.

Furthermore, this sequel is indeed a confirming proof that Gareth Evans's undoubtedly an experienced and adept action film writer-director whom i think should be eyed and wanted by the Hollywood producers to direct/write decent action movies, with martial arts but perhaps less violent. Iko Uwais, although his total screen-time percentage's less (reduced because of the more complicated story n characters) compared with the first film and the role of his character is, didn't lose his hero persona, he constantly showed off his skills in the martial arts by fighting tons of enemies, got a bit improved in his acting (thanks to the story with its more dialogues).

I urgedly forbid any parent to bring their young little children to watch this movie. Also for the viewers with weak-stomachs (anti-violence) definitely might want to reconsider and avoid watching this film, because it's utterly quite gruesome. After the film ended, you might find yourselves asking about some things which're left unsure and dubious. So gotta keep your eyes out for the continuation in the next last film of the planned trilogy which i reckon must've not come out yet at least not until 2017.

A must-see film for the action movie fans.

9/10

Okay so where do I begin I saw the first one and It blew me away. I watch so many movies no matter the genre. So while I was watching this sequel my heart was beating very fast and the adrenaline was pumping. It takes place 2 hours after where the first one ended. Swear to god every time there was a fight on I felt it and I kept shaking. The scene that had me pumped was the train scene and the prison fight. There is a lot of martial artist involved in this film which makes me love it even more because they use real stunt men and this movie just requires skill. This is by far the best action movie sequel ever produced and I hope it gets noticed by everyone around the world. Best one on one showdown in the end. If you love action movies and would love to turn your brain off for a moment then this is your candy. My favorite action movie ever, sorry Bruce Lee. 10/10 MUST SEE!

This sequel is better in every conceivable way.

The action might take up a little less screen time percentage wise, but is more brutal (way more), even better choreographed, varied and memorable. I think this movie has the greatest overall collection of fight scenes in the history of action cinema, and a fantastic car chase too. Obviously I haven't seen every movie in existence, but I have never seen anything with such a collection of incredibly well done and brutal fights.

Characters have depth to them, even if on a comic book level, and are well cast and well played. Story is fairly intelligent, and more than services the action.

Everything else; filming, editing, sound design, stunts, special effects are stellar. There are quite a few "how the hell did they do that?!?" moments.

The Raid: Redemption was such a success and regarded by many people as one of the best action movies of 2012, and the sequel is likely to end the year 2014 as the best action movie of the year. It's pretty much different than the first movie, in this one there was actually a story. This movie is a great combination of a gangster flick with a very well coordinated martial arts.

The director Gareth Evans is masterful at filming incredible action sequences, probably better than ANY Hollywood directors working right now. It is inspiring how he managed to make such unbelievable fight scenes, and car chase in a such limited budget. The cast were good in delivering the good, the dialogue was fairly good, the choreography were Spectacular! Not to mention the unforgettable cinematography that was brilliantly managed by people who knows what they're doing.The only downside is perhaps the running time which could have been shortened 15-20 minutes, but you will still always be entertained while watching this movie.

Overall, The Raid 2 is arguably one of the best sequels ever, and even one of the best martial arts movies ever. It's superior to its predecessor in terms of story telling, considering the running time, and the choreography was also quite a bit improved from the already unforgettable moves in the first one. It had more action and violence than the previous one, although less action percentage-wise. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. It has everything a perfect martial arts movie has to have, and it deserves to be regarded as one of the best in its genre. I hope that the director Gareth Evans would make more films with a higher budget to showcase to the world his true potential as a director, and it'd be great to have it featuring Iko Uwais, that could be an icon for years to come.

The first movie 'The Raid: Redemption' set the bar for action movies. With its fast paced action and believable fight scene choreography whilst not being over the top with an aim for realism that would diminish the combat's entertainment factor.

With 'The Raid 2: Berandal', we are brought back into the gritty world of the first movie directly following where the story left off. The viewers are introduced to an entirely new perspective on the world where the first movie is set. In the first movie we are locked in the one perspective of Rama and his battle through the building, whilst in the sequel we learn that this all takes place as part of a much larger setting. We find out that realism is not the aim of the series and instead its a world of gangsters, villains and corruption.

Evans is able to introduce new characters like the 'Hammer Girl' and the 'Baseball Bat' guy without making them seem totally over the top and ridiculous. We also get to watch them fight and are able to enjoy their unique styles rather than the usual, 'this character is a bad guy' scenes to barely introduce them.

The fight scenes are excellently choreographed and the way they are shot is spectacular, a lot of imagination and ingenuity is used to really throw the viewer directly into the action. The gore and violence level reflect far more realistic outcomes considering the brutality of both the scenarios and the weapons.

When I try to compare this to the usual Hollywood blockbuster action movies reduced to PG13 to get more people in to watch it, its impossible. The movie delivers far more in the way of action and fight sequences whilst maintaining a sensible and cohesive plot.

If you are expecting(for some bizarre reason) to see an amazing plot to compare to The Godfather or The Departed you probably are expecting the wrong things. If you are expecting to see a amazing fighting / martial arts movie with a believable plot you wont be disappointed. The movie reminded me a little of a Tarantino film with its characters, something like Kill Bill. But instead with way way way better fight scenes and frankly, a better plot as well.

Overall considering where this movie is from and the cast involved etc any negative rating is totally undeserved. Whilst not everyone's cup of tea as far as martial arts / action movies go this movie will be impossible to top in 2014, and frankly its probably the best action movie I have seen in the last decade, it will be on the top of my list for a while.