Only a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.
Sumptuously shot, perfectly paced and flat-out exhilarating, The Raid 2 cements Evans as the best action director working today. Fight aficionados should brace themselves for a bruising, blistering ride.
A bulkier, slower beast than Evans’ first film. But when it enters combat mode, it’s more raucously bloodthirsty than anything you’ve ever seen. Unless you’re Ross Kemp.
The Raid: Redemption was a reheat of the best ideas from real martial arts veterans such as Chan-wook Park and Johnny To. Now Evans is making thin soup from his leftovers. Raid 3 is coming up, but you don’t need to see it to have seen it all.
These rousing scenes deliver far more punch that anything in the original film, but their impact is muted by The Raid 2’s over-complicated and far less empathetic narrative.
It is a sprawling, convoluted 150 minute saga built on a story framework that’s simultaneously simple and impenetrable, wherein most of its kinetic choreography is transformed into arduous onslaughts that numb rather than thrill.
Longer and more elaborate, but the kicks and punches land with the same bone-crunching force.
This is the sort of movie that figuratively swings for the fences – then literally buries the bat in someone’s face. Oof indeed.
A film to watch from behind shaking fingers, if at all.
The Raid is arguably a bit on the long side, but Evans doesn't believe in letting any time go by without uncorking a gobsmacking action sequence, any one of which would be the centrepiece of a lesser movie. Whoa!
Evans delivers the violence with such astonishing gusto that he barely lets us catch our breath. The plot line may be skimpy but the film's artistry lies elsewhere.
It isn’t subtle. It is frequently absurd. What can’t be gainsaid is the tremendous relish and energy with which Evans tackles his outlandish material.
The Raid 2's director: 'The nicer the place the more I want to destroy it'
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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