Gareth Evans' The Raid became a cult hit upon release, singled out for its brutal violence and jaw-dropping fight choreography. Casting aside the claustrophobic premise of the original film for a more sprawling action film set throughout the Indonesian city of Jakarta, The Raid 2 is everything we want from an action sequel: it is the original film on steroids. Though, in fairness, the more ambitious, Departed-inspired crime narrative doesn't always hit the mark, and the film is about half an hour too long, The Raid 2 features at least three action sequences that are among the best ever conceived. Though the movie boasts its share of hand-to-hand combat, Evans ups the stakes to include one mind-blowingly violent car chase, and introduces more colourful villains (Hammer Girl and Baseball Bat Man) to enhance the film's wildly over-the-top tone. Iko Uwais is once again fantastic in the lead role of Rama, though the movie's climax leaves us with one agonising question: how the Hell can Evans top this for the inevitable The Raid 3?
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
