The Raid 2 (2014) Review

The Raid 2 (2014) – Review

Director – Gareth Evans

Stars – Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Arifin Putra

After the monumental success of The Raid, Gareth Evans had a huge amount of pressure in delivering an equally matched second sequence. After gaining prestige at a variety of film festivals and making its name into the list of the top ten best ever action films (IMDB) Evans showed that he had the dedication and knowledge to make a masterpiece.

The film begins merely 2 hours after The Raid Finishes. Not wanting to waste a minute of its two and a half hour long running time, we are delivered straight back into the intense narrative where Rama (Uwais) is tasked to go undercover in order to infiltrate and take down crooked cops and crime syndicates. Throw into the mix a series of equally nasty and intriguing enemies along the way (notably ‘Hammer Girl’ and ‘Baseball Bat Man’) and this makes for one hell of a ride. As expected the film spends most of its time providing us with some of the best action sequences shot on camera. As Rama travels through prison earning respect to working as an enforcer for the mob each character begins to develop and fit neatly together intricately. Evans films each sequence in a special way, he’s able to provide tension and excitement in each shot without making the easy mistake of adding 90’s punching effects to every scene. The brutal violence is matched by the talent of each member of the cast. The characters are clearly individual and well rounded with several sub plots playing out alongside the main action, Evans’ is able to grip us whilst also ensuring that we genuinely want to see a resolution to Rama’s story. The only complaint possible is that there is too much action (right!?) obviously this cannot be a bad thing as it’s something that makes the film. However after several all out brawls it all begins to feel slightly over saturated. Rama battles about 20 people, wins, repeat. It’s not until a few more of these do we get something fresher, with the first film relying on a mix of fire fights and fist-y cuffs the second act of The raid 2 brings this back into play with a Jason Bourne style car chase, and finishing off with several gruelling and gory fight scenes that are the equivalent of about four video game boss battles.

The Raid 2 is every bit as exhilarating as its predecessor. Although it doesn’t have the freshness of The Raid it certainly has a heart. Gareth Evans has clearly nurtured it all the way to the finish line and it has paid off. The film is another trophy to add to his collection, it’s smart, incredibly fast-paced and violent in every meaning of the word. This isn’t any old Saturday night action movie; it’s a cinematic milestone in what’s hopefully just the beginning of a new wave of epic action cinema. It just goes to show that new directors and an unheard of cast can deliver time and again; all we have to do is wait two more years for the final instalment, bring it on.

RATING 5/5

Written by Joshua Tanner