410 reviews
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 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.
It is hard to believe but this movie is bigger AND better than the first one. I will say it has ambition in opening up this world into a mafia drama rather than another claustrophobic thrill-ride. The mob aspect of the plot might be generic and cliched at times but overall that part was surprisingly more engaging than some American movies of that kind. But we watch this for the action and it was insanely savage! We are talking level-11 sh-t here; high-speed pacing, masterful choreography and brutal as hell. Fight sequences that put most action movies to shame!!
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THE RAID 2 QUOTES
You Apologize to them in their languages, in our land. Where is your honor!
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 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.
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!
- Haider-kazmee
- Jan 30, 2014
- Permalink
- Crazyeddie1232000
- Jan 26, 2014
- Permalink
I was lucky enough to catch a limited release screening of this film here in Australia as I was in high anticipation to see it after more than enjoying the first Raid film and in no way was I disappointed with this film. This is honestly, by far, one of the best sequels in existence today. The isolated first film is completely removed of all boundaries and expanded it to this ultra-violent masterpiece. First the possible negatives for some people; this movie is very long and structured differently to the first (Beginning Story - Action Centre - Ending Story) this film follows a back and forth style of (Story - Action - Story - Action) so the accumulation of story is quite large meaning a lot of reading for English viewers. Another possible negative is the fact this film feels almost nothing like the first film, the first being like an action survival story while this film is an action, espionage, martial arts film filled with gangs and all different personalities though in my opinion this gives the film a fresh style for viewers. If you were expecting same old style you may be disappointed but there is an American remake of the first film in production. The final possible negative is the vast amount of brutal and graphic violence throughout the film, this is one of the most violent action films I have ever seen but I enjoy the extreme violence side of cinema but those with a light stomach may find this film difficult for the sheer amount of blood there is in this movie in comparison to the first. These negatives in my eyes are strong points for the film in my eyes but to others might not be. To the positives which there are plenty of, firstly and most important; the action. As you probably would've expected the action in this film is the greatest bone crunching action you will most likely see in your whole life, its gritty and incredibly well planned style makes it like a form of bloody art. Gareth Evans knows exactly what he is doing here. One of my favorite aspects of the films was the direction. The slow pans and zooms Evans uses to build suspense as well as a perfect use of slow motion, not over the top in any way, just give the film an added visual style which boosts it even further. Evans also knows exactly how to build up an action scene, one of my absolute favorite fight scenes in the film in the prison yard fight which is so incredibly well choreographed whilst having this dark and suspenseful build up to the fight. This film try's a lot of new things and all of which work for example are car chase scene which is one of the best I've seen in any movie. The story in this film delivers what the first film was lacking, putting characters in the flesh and making you care a lot more, even for the villains. And with good story and characters of course comes excellent acting which is often rare in action films, these actors are absolutely teeming with talent, all of which can act and can fight. As I read the credits I could only see two stunt doubles for the whole film which is saying something. This is an absolute must see for any action film fan, it is nothing short of a masterpiece and needs to receive the credit it absolutely deserves
- MrBenzene33
- Apr 4, 2014
- Permalink
I was lucky enough to attend a special screening of 'The Raid 2' in Sydney last night, it was a big crowd for a small event with everyone excited for the film to begin. I can honestly say that myself, my friend who tagged along and the audience were very very entertained!
The plot continues 2 hours after the events of the first film, it places our hero into another intense mission to stop the baddies by going undercover for a special unit and blending in with the mob who's on the verge of war with their rivals. All I can say that follows is a orgy of brutal, bloody and intense arm-breaking, leg-snapping, hammer stomping, bat swinging, blade slashing, head blowing, bullet-loaded and arse kicking violence in a dash of Tarantino and Scorsese story-telling in its plot. The choreographed fights are all intense and realistic with the climatic showdown towards the last half hour of the film being the best sequences filmed on camera.
Overall, its a bloody amazing film to be released in 2014 and its a definite return for the genre too! I'm definitely keen to see this again when its out officially later this week!
The plot continues 2 hours after the events of the first film, it places our hero into another intense mission to stop the baddies by going undercover for a special unit and blending in with the mob who's on the verge of war with their rivals. All I can say that follows is a orgy of brutal, bloody and intense arm-breaking, leg-snapping, hammer stomping, bat swinging, blade slashing, head blowing, bullet-loaded and arse kicking violence in a dash of Tarantino and Scorsese story-telling in its plot. The choreographed fights are all intense and realistic with the climatic showdown towards the last half hour of the film being the best sequences filmed on camera.
Overall, its a bloody amazing film to be released in 2014 and its a definite return for the genre too! I'm definitely keen to see this again when its out officially later this week!
- nick-sultana
- Mar 23, 2014
- Permalink
Having watched "The Raid" for the first time a couple of months ago, it seemed like a perfect time to give its sequel a go. Whilst it's not as immediate as the first film, nor anything like as tight it's still got some remarkable action scenes.
Rama (Iko Uwais) agrees to go undercover in a prison to get close to Uco (Arafin Putra) the son of Bangun (Tio Pakusadewo) an organised crime kingpin, trying to keep a handle of various factions within Jakarta. After two years in prison, Rama is released and embraced into the organisation. Uco feels it's time to take on greater responsibility, though his father disagrees. Frustrated, Uco makes a deal with Bejo (Alex Abbad) another crime boss looking to expand his reach, to take his father's territory and share it out.
It's not particularly surprising to read on the Wikipedia page for the film that this was not supposed to be a sequel to "The Raid" but was retrofitted to be one, once that film was a success. It feels like a very different film, closer to something like "The Departed" in its scope and plotting. Whereas the first film was almost one long action scene, this is very talky and takes it's time to build towards an enthralling last twenty minutes. There are some strong action scenes earlier in the film, but it's really only in that final reel where it becomes as relentless as the first film. Gareth Evans brings back his signature style to the action, which is intricately plotted out and edited.
I do think that at two and half hours, it's probably a little bit too long and could do with perhaps losing a secondary villain to declutter the plot. By virtue of being a sequel it's not as revolutionary as the first one was but the dramatic performances are good and overall, I enjoyed it again.
Rama (Iko Uwais) agrees to go undercover in a prison to get close to Uco (Arafin Putra) the son of Bangun (Tio Pakusadewo) an organised crime kingpin, trying to keep a handle of various factions within Jakarta. After two years in prison, Rama is released and embraced into the organisation. Uco feels it's time to take on greater responsibility, though his father disagrees. Frustrated, Uco makes a deal with Bejo (Alex Abbad) another crime boss looking to expand his reach, to take his father's territory and share it out.
It's not particularly surprising to read on the Wikipedia page for the film that this was not supposed to be a sequel to "The Raid" but was retrofitted to be one, once that film was a success. It feels like a very different film, closer to something like "The Departed" in its scope and plotting. Whereas the first film was almost one long action scene, this is very talky and takes it's time to build towards an enthralling last twenty minutes. There are some strong action scenes earlier in the film, but it's really only in that final reel where it becomes as relentless as the first film. Gareth Evans brings back his signature style to the action, which is intricately plotted out and edited.
I do think that at two and half hours, it's probably a little bit too long and could do with perhaps losing a secondary villain to declutter the plot. By virtue of being a sequel it's not as revolutionary as the first one was but the dramatic performances are good and overall, I enjoyed it again.
- southdavid
- Oct 21, 2024
- Permalink
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.
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.
- hugo-armstrong
- Mar 28, 2014
- Permalink
Occurring mere hours after the end of The Raid, this sequel sees the main character Rama agreeing to head undercover in a prison for a 2-year sentence in order to protect his family and himself from retaliation. This puts him into a situation where he is between gangs and split loyalties within gangs, all of which provides a plot which is not hugely detailed, but has enough to it that once you add the many action sequences to it, produces a film that is 150 minutes long. With the first film, I did think that perhaps it struggled to carry almost an hour less than this, with its rather base plotting, so I was ready to say that Raid 2 has no business being so long. However – it does and it easily makes the time fly.
Although some films make great use of enclosed locations and struggle to perhaps make things work once given more freedom, the open world given to The Raid 2 seems to have greatly benefited it. In terms of narrative we get a bit more actual development and structure to it, with the main character much more involved than simply fighting his way up to the boss level like a video game; this drew me in a bit more but it also serves as a very good frame for plenty of action sequence. What it also does is open up an endless variety to these sequences – where the first film benefited and was limited by the tower block location, this film has car chases, prison riots, nightclubs, massacres on trains – a lot of different locations and characters that really do prevent it feel repetitive even if it is ultimately mostly action.
One thing that is easy to miss while being caught up in the action is the reason why you are caught up in it – and that is the technical delivery. I'm no filmmaker (probably didn't need to be said) but I watch a lot of films and I can appreciate when things like sound and camera work are well done. In the case of Raid 2 it is astonishing what the camera does; whether some of it is CGI or not I do not know but the movement of the camera in and around the action makes it feel like the position of the steadicam operator was as important in the fight choreography as the position of the actors. The film doesn't leave it long for you to discover this, because the prison riot is tremendous, with brutal action but hugely impressive camera movement and coordination. This continues throughout the film and I really did love the sweeping camera movements in and around the action.
In terms of the action, it should be said that it is violent – incredibly violent. I am not one of these people who get upset because an action movie got a low rating and start mumbling about selling out etc, however I did watch this film a few days after going to see Expendables 3 and, while the latter was distractingly noisy, it did make me wonder why on earth Stallone wouldn't want his film to be as good as Raid 2? I not only watched this impressed by the filming of the action sequences and the choreography of them, but the sheer intensity and, yes, blood and violence of them also grabbed me. I watch many action movies as a passive affair since they require little thought and generally allow me to do chores at the same time; for this one though I was regularly engaged and gasping at the action (well – cursing more than gasping). It isn't that bloody violence made this a good film, but it really does make it that much more impacting.
Raid 2 is long and this can be off-putting, but it mostly carries its running time very well, justifying it with plot and, mainly, action. The many sequences are fast, brutal, brilliantly choreographed and filmed with a fluidity and engagement of the camera that even laymen such as I will be impressed. The film has flaws but ultimately you came for an action movie and in Raid 2 you get an excellent one.
Although some films make great use of enclosed locations and struggle to perhaps make things work once given more freedom, the open world given to The Raid 2 seems to have greatly benefited it. In terms of narrative we get a bit more actual development and structure to it, with the main character much more involved than simply fighting his way up to the boss level like a video game; this drew me in a bit more but it also serves as a very good frame for plenty of action sequence. What it also does is open up an endless variety to these sequences – where the first film benefited and was limited by the tower block location, this film has car chases, prison riots, nightclubs, massacres on trains – a lot of different locations and characters that really do prevent it feel repetitive even if it is ultimately mostly action.
One thing that is easy to miss while being caught up in the action is the reason why you are caught up in it – and that is the technical delivery. I'm no filmmaker (probably didn't need to be said) but I watch a lot of films and I can appreciate when things like sound and camera work are well done. In the case of Raid 2 it is astonishing what the camera does; whether some of it is CGI or not I do not know but the movement of the camera in and around the action makes it feel like the position of the steadicam operator was as important in the fight choreography as the position of the actors. The film doesn't leave it long for you to discover this, because the prison riot is tremendous, with brutal action but hugely impressive camera movement and coordination. This continues throughout the film and I really did love the sweeping camera movements in and around the action.
In terms of the action, it should be said that it is violent – incredibly violent. I am not one of these people who get upset because an action movie got a low rating and start mumbling about selling out etc, however I did watch this film a few days after going to see Expendables 3 and, while the latter was distractingly noisy, it did make me wonder why on earth Stallone wouldn't want his film to be as good as Raid 2? I not only watched this impressed by the filming of the action sequences and the choreography of them, but the sheer intensity and, yes, blood and violence of them also grabbed me. I watch many action movies as a passive affair since they require little thought and generally allow me to do chores at the same time; for this one though I was regularly engaged and gasping at the action (well – cursing more than gasping). It isn't that bloody violence made this a good film, but it really does make it that much more impacting.
Raid 2 is long and this can be off-putting, but it mostly carries its running time very well, justifying it with plot and, mainly, action. The many sequences are fast, brutal, brilliantly choreographed and filmed with a fluidity and engagement of the camera that even laymen such as I will be impressed. The film has flaws but ultimately you came for an action movie and in Raid 2 you get an excellent one.
- bob the moo
- Aug 15, 2014
- Permalink
I love 'The Raid' - it was the hard-hitting kick-in-the-guts the action genre needed. I'm a little less in love with 'The Raid 2' - when it's good, it's very good, but it stalls a little bit too much to be a classic. Still, it is a very entertaining watch for action and martial arts junkies.
The good bits: the fight scenes and action set pieces are majorly ramped up from the first film. More than likely, this is what most of us came to this film for and they do not disappoint. The fight choreography is great, and the sights, sounds and overall feeling of impact during the action is amazing. The camera whirs around at a frenetic pace in places which may be a deal breaker for some, but it suits the action perfectly. There is also some impressive technical shenanigans going on for some of the close quarters stuff. In fact, the film looks brilliant overall: vibrant and stylish in places, gritty and decaying in others but always nice to look at.
The not-so-good bit: for me, the story didn't fit so well within the film. There were just too many strands to the narrative and consequently this killed the pacing for me. I can see what director/writer Gareth Evans was going for but I think there were just too many ideas for one film - it was begging for a shorter, sharper narrative. The police corruption and international underworld crime elements seemed more suited to a Kang Woo-suk, Johnnie To or Martin Scorsese film than here. Having said that, I would be interested to see Evans tackle something in this vein in the future as there is an inkling here that he could handle such a story.
Overall, 'The Raid 2' was a little bit less than what I was hoping for but not to the point of disappointment and I still had a good time. If you enjoyed 'The Raid' you will enjoy 'The Raid 2' - it's bigger and louder than its predecessor which both helps and hinders it as an action film.
The good bits: the fight scenes and action set pieces are majorly ramped up from the first film. More than likely, this is what most of us came to this film for and they do not disappoint. The fight choreography is great, and the sights, sounds and overall feeling of impact during the action is amazing. The camera whirs around at a frenetic pace in places which may be a deal breaker for some, but it suits the action perfectly. There is also some impressive technical shenanigans going on for some of the close quarters stuff. In fact, the film looks brilliant overall: vibrant and stylish in places, gritty and decaying in others but always nice to look at.
The not-so-good bit: for me, the story didn't fit so well within the film. There were just too many strands to the narrative and consequently this killed the pacing for me. I can see what director/writer Gareth Evans was going for but I think there were just too many ideas for one film - it was begging for a shorter, sharper narrative. The police corruption and international underworld crime elements seemed more suited to a Kang Woo-suk, Johnnie To or Martin Scorsese film than here. Having said that, I would be interested to see Evans tackle something in this vein in the future as there is an inkling here that he could handle such a story.
Overall, 'The Raid 2' was a little bit less than what I was hoping for but not to the point of disappointment and I still had a good time. If you enjoyed 'The Raid' you will enjoy 'The Raid 2' - it's bigger and louder than its predecessor which both helps and hinders it as an action film.
((From: http://thinmanmoviereviews.wordpress.com/)) In 2011, Welsh director Gareth Evans gave us "The Raid: Redemption" – one of the best pure action films of the last decade – and hinted at his potential to be a new and exciting presence in the writer/director realm. The action was hard-hitting, lightning fast, supporting a simple, contained story of one man fighting against an entire tower of enemies in a way that was reminiscent of classics like "Die Hard". Well, if "The Raid" was one of the best action films of the last ten years, Evans' follow-up film "The Raid 2″ has now set the standard for the next twenty. In fact, I'm going to make a bold statement that you can feel free to quote me on:
"The Raid 2″ is the best action movie ever made.
Where sequels are concerned, this film does absolutely everything right. It takes the frenetic energy of the original, contained within the twenty-story drug den in which it took place, and lets it loose across the urban sprawl of an entire city teeming with warring crime syndicates, corrupt police officers, and the civilians often caught in the crossfire. No longer contained to just one address, the fight scenes in "Raid 2″ cover car chases, cramped subway trains, muddy prison yards, night clubs, and city streets, and every action set piece hits all the right notes. Every punch thrown and bullet fired is made even more effective by the fact that all of the action is done practically. In an era where so much of the action that we see on screen is dominated by the CGI-centric explosion extravaganzas of Michael Bay and the like it's incredibly refreshing to see highly trained stunt professionals being pushed to their limits to deliver a collection of the best action scenes in modern memory. Much of this work is shouldered by the film's lead, Indonesian-born Iko Uwais, the returning star of the first "Raid". Uwais is reminiscent of a younger Jet Li or – dare I say it – Bruce Lee; moving with such self-assured speed and practiced precision that every move deserves multiple looks to take in all the details. The comparison to Lee is bolstered by "The Raid 2″'s finale, which plays out like the final gatecrashing act of "Game of Death", in which our hero has to slug his way through opponents of increasing lethality. Unlike "Game of Death", "The Raid 2″ lets us see our villains in action almost as often as our hero, and it's a credit to Evans as writer/director that each of these characters is absolutely dripping with charisma and cool. There are no wasted characters here; we love every hero and love to hate every villain.
The script is, with few exceptions, always on-point. What could have simply been a straight-forward action flick with minimal plot to carry us from one action set-piece to another is instead a mad whirlwind of conspiracy, murder, and double and triple-crosses, steadily ratcheting up the tension to the film's explosive conclusion. From a technical standpoint, the impressive cinematography matches the action stride-for- stride and, looking back, there are a dizzying number of wildly choreographed long-takes that put every nuance of the environment, characters, and action on display. Combine this with a pulse-pounding soundtrack and some absolutely superb practical makeup effects accompanying every injury, no matter how small, and "The Raid 2″ is the complete package. With a third film already in the works, making this a trilogy, Hollywood has been put on notice: Gareth Evans has arrived; he's just dramatically changed the landscape of action films and shows no signs of pulling any punches. [10/10]
"The Raid 2″ is the best action movie ever made.
Where sequels are concerned, this film does absolutely everything right. It takes the frenetic energy of the original, contained within the twenty-story drug den in which it took place, and lets it loose across the urban sprawl of an entire city teeming with warring crime syndicates, corrupt police officers, and the civilians often caught in the crossfire. No longer contained to just one address, the fight scenes in "Raid 2″ cover car chases, cramped subway trains, muddy prison yards, night clubs, and city streets, and every action set piece hits all the right notes. Every punch thrown and bullet fired is made even more effective by the fact that all of the action is done practically. In an era where so much of the action that we see on screen is dominated by the CGI-centric explosion extravaganzas of Michael Bay and the like it's incredibly refreshing to see highly trained stunt professionals being pushed to their limits to deliver a collection of the best action scenes in modern memory. Much of this work is shouldered by the film's lead, Indonesian-born Iko Uwais, the returning star of the first "Raid". Uwais is reminiscent of a younger Jet Li or – dare I say it – Bruce Lee; moving with such self-assured speed and practiced precision that every move deserves multiple looks to take in all the details. The comparison to Lee is bolstered by "The Raid 2″'s finale, which plays out like the final gatecrashing act of "Game of Death", in which our hero has to slug his way through opponents of increasing lethality. Unlike "Game of Death", "The Raid 2″ lets us see our villains in action almost as often as our hero, and it's a credit to Evans as writer/director that each of these characters is absolutely dripping with charisma and cool. There are no wasted characters here; we love every hero and love to hate every villain.
The script is, with few exceptions, always on-point. What could have simply been a straight-forward action flick with minimal plot to carry us from one action set-piece to another is instead a mad whirlwind of conspiracy, murder, and double and triple-crosses, steadily ratcheting up the tension to the film's explosive conclusion. From a technical standpoint, the impressive cinematography matches the action stride-for- stride and, looking back, there are a dizzying number of wildly choreographed long-takes that put every nuance of the environment, characters, and action on display. Combine this with a pulse-pounding soundtrack and some absolutely superb practical makeup effects accompanying every injury, no matter how small, and "The Raid 2″ is the complete package. With a third film already in the works, making this a trilogy, Hollywood has been put on notice: Gareth Evans has arrived; he's just dramatically changed the landscape of action films and shows no signs of pulling any punches. [10/10]
- TheIneffable
- Mar 27, 2014
- Permalink
Featuring an unbelievable command of fight choreography, cinematography and a great flesh pounding, blood splattering sound mix - The Raid 2 delivers a feast of lunatic filmmaking that keeps topping itself until its blood soaked masterfully coordinated end. There's a sprawling story that's padding the action and it's not a derivative narrative that simply connects the dots from one fight to the next - this isn't the most complex narrative either, but it's engaging enough so when the film calms down for a few minutes, it still commands your attention. This is a truly visceral film. The action is filmed with long takes and I can't even begin to imagine the complications of focus pulling and the crew hitting all of their marks to pull off scene after scene. The filmmaking feels invisible, which is the highest compliment I could give a movie that's all smoke and mirrors, but actually looks like dozens of people were really pounding each other's faces in. The Raid 2 is completely bonkers and highly recommended.
- TheMarwood
- Jan 3, 2015
- Permalink
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
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
- bakerstreet-862-612840
- Mar 28, 2014
- Permalink
When I first saw the raid, (redemption) I was blown away. exhilarating action, leaving me breathless at times. I've since watched it multiple times with other friends. And each time, left feeling the same. Now, with such high regard for the first one, naturally I went into this movie, with extremely high expectations. I was NOT disappointed. Not even remotely. It was twice as breathtaking, twice as exhilarating, and endlessly more brutal. A stunning movie. Evans, is unbelievable. His eye for what people want in an action movie is impeccable.The car chase scene (my favorite scene) was one of the best I've seen in recent history. Which is made more impressive by the fact the it was gareths first attempt at directing such a scene. I can't recommend this movie enough. Believe the hype. Absolute 10/10.
- adrenilinmatt
- Apr 1, 2014
- Permalink
Okay, I'm 50 films off having reviewed 4,000, so I've seen a fair few flicks in my time. Many of them have been good, some bad, a lot of them middling. But very few of them blow me away, and the ones that do so tend to be the really intense thrillers that are packed with suspense and absolutely great action scenes. THE RAID was a great movie which I really enjoyed, and I heard the hype about the sequel but was afraid to believe it. I needn't have been; THE RAID 2 is an absolutely brilliant movie and one of the best films I've ever seen.
This sequel doesn't slavishly copy the original, which is a good thing. Instead, it's a sprawling gangster movie, an Indonesian variant of the ones popular in Hong Kong and South Korea, enlivened with some incredibly violent and extremely well choreographed action sequences which usually take the "one vs. many" formula to the extreme. This stuff is great in itself, enlivened with larger than life characters and more depth than you'd expect from a typical thriller.
Stuff continues in this vein up until the last forty five minutes, at which point you realise that everything preceding this point was just the build up to the denouement, which is an action spectacular unlike anything ever put on film. There's a stupendous car chase, a great three-way between top fighters, and the final kitchen one on one, which I think might well be the best fight ever put on film (and I've seen most of the Bruce Lee/Donnie Yen/Jackie Chan/Tony Jaa fights). Everything is perfect: the choreography, the music, the violence. Iko Uwais and Gareth Evans both go from strength to strength and everything just gels together perfectly. Go buy this now, you won't be disappointed!
This sequel doesn't slavishly copy the original, which is a good thing. Instead, it's a sprawling gangster movie, an Indonesian variant of the ones popular in Hong Kong and South Korea, enlivened with some incredibly violent and extremely well choreographed action sequences which usually take the "one vs. many" formula to the extreme. This stuff is great in itself, enlivened with larger than life characters and more depth than you'd expect from a typical thriller.
Stuff continues in this vein up until the last forty five minutes, at which point you realise that everything preceding this point was just the build up to the denouement, which is an action spectacular unlike anything ever put on film. There's a stupendous car chase, a great three-way between top fighters, and the final kitchen one on one, which I think might well be the best fight ever put on film (and I've seen most of the Bruce Lee/Donnie Yen/Jackie Chan/Tony Jaa fights). Everything is perfect: the choreography, the music, the violence. Iko Uwais and Gareth Evans both go from strength to strength and everything just gels together perfectly. Go buy this now, you won't be disappointed!
- Leofwine_draca
- Aug 29, 2014
- Permalink
- jonathan-feliciano1
- Mar 15, 2014
- Permalink
In Jakarta, Indonesia, the SWAT officer Rama (Iko Uwais) meets with police officer Bunawar (Cok Simbara) that invites him to join a secret anti-corruption team. The reluctant Rama accepts to join the team to protect his family and learns that Bunawar wants to expose the corrupt chief of police Reza (Roy Marten) that is dealing with the mobster lords Bangun (Tio Pakusodewo) and Goto (Kenichi Endo), but needs evidences. Bunawar asks Rama to hit the son of a politician to be imprisoned and get close to Bangun's son Uco (Arifin Putra) in the prison. Rama goes undercover using the name Yuda and saves the life of Uco in a mob in the prison befriending him. Two years later, when Yuda is released, he is hired by Bangun to work in their organization with his right arm Eka (Oka Antara) and Uco. But the ambitious Uco is not satisfied with the behavior of his father towards Goto's family and he secretly associates to the gang lord Bejo (Alex Abbad) to begin a war between the families. But Bangun does not want a war against the Japanese mobster and Uco kills his own father. Yuda saves Eka and now he has to fight for his own life.
"The Raid 2: Berandal" is a funny and entertaining martial arts action movie. The non-stop action associated to the choreography is amazing with spectacular fights. But it is weird to see body-guards not having guns and falling like sparring in fights against experts. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Operação Invasão 2" (Operation Invasion 2")
"The Raid 2: Berandal" is a funny and entertaining martial arts action movie. The non-stop action associated to the choreography is amazing with spectacular fights. But it is weird to see body-guards not having guns and falling like sparring in fights against experts. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "Operação Invasão 2" (Operation Invasion 2")
- claudio_carvalho
- Nov 8, 2014
- Permalink
- rchase-914-172949
- Mar 31, 2014
- Permalink
THE BRIEF: I knew very little about this film going in other than it had received rave reviews from critics and general audiences the world over. I haven't seen the first film and am unfamiliar with Indonesian films in general. I'm big into action films and I'm about 50/50 on enjoying foreign films.
THE GOOD: Without a doubt, this film has the most incredible fight scenes I have ever seen. The choreography is amazing and the audience feels every single brutal hit. The acting from all parts is amazing with Iko Uwais and Arifin Putra giving standout performances. The directing and cinematography are equally incredible both giving the characters and the fights life. The script is great providing plenty of twists and giving the characters and the world depth.
THE BAD: Nothing really, maybe a bit more character development for some of the minor characters? (I'm REALLY nitpicking at this point)
THE SUMMARY: I was utterly blown away by this masterpiece. I'm very happy to see a film that does not care at all about censorship and is willing to receive an R rating for it's gratuitous content. If you are squeamish I would proceed with caution however if you're not, I can't not recommend this film enough. Even if you don't enjoy foreign films (which I typically avoid) I would make an effort to go and see this.
10/10
THE GOOD: Without a doubt, this film has the most incredible fight scenes I have ever seen. The choreography is amazing and the audience feels every single brutal hit. The acting from all parts is amazing with Iko Uwais and Arifin Putra giving standout performances. The directing and cinematography are equally incredible both giving the characters and the fights life. The script is great providing plenty of twists and giving the characters and the world depth.
THE BAD: Nothing really, maybe a bit more character development for some of the minor characters? (I'm REALLY nitpicking at this point)
THE SUMMARY: I was utterly blown away by this masterpiece. I'm very happy to see a film that does not care at all about censorship and is willing to receive an R rating for it's gratuitous content. If you are squeamish I would proceed with caution however if you're not, I can't not recommend this film enough. Even if you don't enjoy foreign films (which I typically avoid) I would make an effort to go and see this.
10/10
- kii-belling1
- Apr 6, 2014
- Permalink
Lots of karate combats , fighting and plenty of suspense and thrills . The original title "Serbuan Maut : Berandal " means Death Raid in English and the international title is ¨The Raid II: Thug¨. He thought it was over. After fighting his way out of a building filled with gangsters and madmen - a fight that left the bodies of police and gangsters alike piled in the halls - rookie Jakarta cop Rama 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. While organized crime continues to prevail in Jakarta, Agent Rama receives an offer to pursue corruption within the police itself. When there's nowhere left to run or hide... you fight or die !. It's Not Over Yet !.
This is an impressive film with plenty of action, fights , and violent suspense in a comic book style. It's a gripping story of one man's revenge, as our starring carries out a merciless vendetta against the villains, including graphic violent scenes. It contains loads of blody scenes and scary events with characters' throats being slit open, among others. In this violent art-martial film Iko Uwais, more unleashed and furious than ever, returns in this adrenaline and violent sequel written and directed again by Gareth Evans. The main character's name "Rama" well played by Iko Uwais appears to be taken from Rama Sukana, according to Sumatran folklore, Rama Sukana is a woman who is credited to have been the first person to teach Pencak Silat in a structured way. Family conflicts with tragic outcomes, police corruption and evil gangsters become key pieces in this second installment that Nisos presents one of the great characters of the impressive franchise: ¨Hammer Girl¨. The Martial Art used in this movie is Pencak Silat, the indigenous fighting style of Indonesia. Contrary to popular belief, many different martial arts styles are used and fused together. Though the main protagonist uses one style, most others are using various combinations of Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, and various others. All the guns used in the film are Airsoft replicas and not functioning firearms. All the shots of the guns actions cycling, muzzle flashes and casings ejecting were added digitally. More settings, more mafia patriarchs and also more blood - if possible - in this film tribute to the first installment and to different cult films of the genre.
This stunning motion picture was competently directed by Gareth Evans (Apostle, Footsteps, V/H/S/2, Gangs of London) Gatreth eofent uses of wide angles to let action play out and characters in his films often use an unhinged and vicious fighting style. Gareth directed the hit 'Serbuan maut' (2011) , but Evans originally wanted an action drama set in a prison. When the approved budget was too small, he pared it down to a one-building action film that became The Raid. The success of this film allowed him to secure a larger budget for this sequel Serbuan maut 2: Berandal(2014) where he got his wish of a prison drama.
This is an impressive film with plenty of action, fights , and violent suspense in a comic book style. It's a gripping story of one man's revenge, as our starring carries out a merciless vendetta against the villains, including graphic violent scenes. It contains loads of blody scenes and scary events with characters' throats being slit open, among others. In this violent art-martial film Iko Uwais, more unleashed and furious than ever, returns in this adrenaline and violent sequel written and directed again by Gareth Evans. The main character's name "Rama" well played by Iko Uwais appears to be taken from Rama Sukana, according to Sumatran folklore, Rama Sukana is a woman who is credited to have been the first person to teach Pencak Silat in a structured way. Family conflicts with tragic outcomes, police corruption and evil gangsters become key pieces in this second installment that Nisos presents one of the great characters of the impressive franchise: ¨Hammer Girl¨. The Martial Art used in this movie is Pencak Silat, the indigenous fighting style of Indonesia. Contrary to popular belief, many different martial arts styles are used and fused together. Though the main protagonist uses one style, most others are using various combinations of Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, and various others. All the guns used in the film are Airsoft replicas and not functioning firearms. All the shots of the guns actions cycling, muzzle flashes and casings ejecting were added digitally. More settings, more mafia patriarchs and also more blood - if possible - in this film tribute to the first installment and to different cult films of the genre.
This stunning motion picture was competently directed by Gareth Evans (Apostle, Footsteps, V/H/S/2, Gangs of London) Gatreth eofent uses of wide angles to let action play out and characters in his films often use an unhinged and vicious fighting style. Gareth directed the hit 'Serbuan maut' (2011) , but Evans originally wanted an action drama set in a prison. When the approved budget was too small, he pared it down to a one-building action film that became The Raid. The success of this film allowed him to secure a larger budget for this sequel Serbuan maut 2: Berandal(2014) where he got his wish of a prison drama.
- MrCairo1941
- Jun 21, 2014
- Permalink
- kkwardhana
- Mar 21, 2014
- Permalink