Indonesian martial arts flick The Raid became something of a phenomenon as word of mouth regarding its kick ass action sequences began to spread; when a sequel was announced, fans crossed their fingers and hoped that the simple elements that made the original so memorable would remain in tact. They needn't have worried, though it's true to say that The Raid 2 has a lot more in common with The Godfather Part 2 than its own predecessor: sacrificing the simple setting of the first flick, The Raid 2 moves the franchise into bonafide crime saga territory. Which, aside from a few lagging sequences and a runtime that could have been chopped down (presumably with a machete) by 20 minutes, works wonders. Picking up at the exact moment the last installment left off, The Raid 2 sees our hero Rama infiltrating a prison in order to target the crime organisation that caused him so much trouble in that apartment block. Expanding the horizons of the series with a bigger plot succeeds in making The Raid more than the sum of its parts, but the draw still lies in the action sequences, which are frankly mind-blowing.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
