Gareth Evans' 'The Raid' (or 'The Raid: Redemption' if
you're State-side) was like a swift punch to the solar-plexus when it arrived a
couple of years ago: a low-budget, yet intense and densely compact Indonesian martial
arts action film which won over just about anyone that saw it. With the sequel, Director Evans' budget has
increased, as has his ambition to tell a story with greater scope and
breadth. Following on directly from its
predecessor, 'The Raid 2: Berandal' sees the first film's protagonist, good cop
Rama (Iko Uwais) thrown further in to the deep end when he is ordered by one of
his superiors to go undercover and gain the trust of the son (Arifin Putra) of
a prominent gangster-cum-politician.
Only, this requires him to go to jail, as said miscreant is serving
time. Alongside this, revenge is not far
from Rama's mind, as he mourns the death of his brother at the hands of another
ambitious gangster, Bejo (Alex Abbad).
If you were a fan of the first film (and rightly so), you'll
be pleased to hear that the fantastic martial arts fights, and absolutely
wince-inducing portrayals of the resulting injuries, are still present - and
handled with the same level of aplomb by director Evans and his highly talented
martial-arts expert cast. What marks
this sequel, though, is a more measured pace: Evans, who also wrote both
movies, is clearly aiming to tell an epic crime/gang story, introducing a greater
number of characters, and even sub-plots.
However, this sometimes makes the over-arching narrative seem a bit
muddled, and at times difficult to keep up with. Thankfully, you don't have time to be
confused for long, as another great (and bloody brutal) action sequence comes
along. To some viewers, the martial arts
sequences might get tiresome - although a number of new antagonists are
introduced, the sequences which see them dispatch several anonymous henchmen
with bone-crunching ease do verge on the repetitive; especially if you're
already confused about the plot and who is who. In some ways too these new characters are set up but aren't given enough to do - a shame, as the appropriately named Hammer Girl and Baseball Bat Man make for fun, if appropriately brutal, master-assassins.
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| Hammer Girl and Baseball Bat Man. Doing exactly what it says on the tin... |
On top of this, there are - literally - events referred
to which don't actually occur in the film; this is deliberate, as Evans has
stated that he wants another sequel (that's right, 'The Raid 3'), to be set
both before certain events in this film, and after. Whilst this is an ambitious plan, it doesn't
always help the clarity of the plot, and comes in danger of making for an
unsatisfying narrative.
Just when you think the film might begin to falter, Evans
manages to balance things out with the introduction of Prakoso (confusingly
played by Yayan Ruhian, who played an entirely different character in the first
film!) - a hitman hired by the heads of the gangs to take out lower ranking
gangsters who are getting ideas above their station. He's a somewhat pitiful character, almost
mistaken for a vagrant at his first introduction, but when we learn his
backstory the parallels between him and the protagonist Rama are clear. Evans wants to show a picture of what might
become of the hero if he can't complete his mission, escape from working for a
gangster, and reunite with his family.
Whether you're confused at the plot, or beginning to grow
fatigued by the martial arts fights, by the final act everything comes in to
focus, and we're treated to two incredible sequences - a fantastic car chase,
and a final showdown between Rama and a character known only as 'The Assassin'. This latter will surely be remembered amongst
the greatest martial arts fights put to film, as here we have two fighters who are
at the peak of their chosen discipline (an Indonesian martial art known as
Silat). The rate that blows are
exchanged are truly breath-taking, as well as the damage being meted out by
each combatant to the other. It's also
the longest fight sequence of the film, and never feels to outstay its welcome
as it manages to throw in a couple of twists to keep it interesting.
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| Rama takes on 'The Assassin'. This fight has to be seen to be believed... |
Ultimately, if 'The Raid 2' doesn't have quite the impact
of its predecessor, it's simply because the first film was quite unprecedented
at the time; although it might not feel as fresh, it's clear that it has
greater ambition in terms of story-telling scope. The draw is the same - tremendous and brutal
action sequences, delivered by a director who can film them with aplomb, and
actors that are masters of their martial disciplines. The films few flaws aren't enough to stop
this from being a highly recommended action movie.
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