The action movie genre has been going strong now for about a million years. Some are better than others, some are worse than others and none can step up to The Raid 2. Simply put, and lets start this review on a high note, The Raid 2 is the greatest action movie ever made. Which is great news for its director Gareth Evans, while at the same time its equally bad news. As the director is going to have to work some serious witchcraft to outdo himself on The Raid 3. At this point, you really don’t need to know any more. Just go see it. Thats it. For those of you with a bit of time to kill while the kettle boils or the lime goes to work on that body in the bath, read on.
Starring the insanely talented and hypersonic Iko Uwais, the movie follows on more or less directly from where the original finished. Rama (Uwais) must go undercover and uncover corruption within his police force and bring down some serious bad guys in the process. The easiest way to befriend any bad guy, is of course go to prison and get your hands dirty. After a spot of lifesaving, Rama finds himself in a prime position to take on the bad guys. Audiences can expect a lot more plot here compared to the original, and as a result things start of relatively slowly, which if you’re a fan of the The Raid, can be a little bit disconcerting. In fact, the pacing may come in for criticism but once the movie’s credits roll you realise just what Gareth Evans has done! Things starts to slowly envelope around you and before you know it, you are holding on for dear life and there isn’t a seatbelt in the world strong enough to hold you in for this rollercoaster. The best way to describe The Raid 2 is like a race car at the start line. Constantly revving the engine, nudging inches forward every time, and then, it just screams away from the start line and doesn’t stop.
This is a movie that just keeps building and building and building and then it explodes as does every body part imaginable. You gore whores will love this as hammers, bottles, hot plates, baseballs and god knows what else dismember, wound, crush, break and destroy every conceivable body part. If you own one of those weak stomachs, then leave this off. Regardless of how much gore you can take, time and time again this movie will force you to wince, squint, cower and scream “Holy Fuck, that did just happen?”
Iko Uwais is as always incredibly likeable and puts in a fine performance in the lead role, but the speed of the guy is incomprehensible. In the opening scenes he has sketched a body on his prison cell wall and trains with it. And while he’s punching at a blinding speed, so much so its actually impossible to see his hands, it really is an incredibly display of martial arts. He also brings a well rounded acting performance here, especially towards the end where he exudes plenty of emotion and seems to be consumed by everything that is around him. The rest of the cast are also rock solid with some of the most amazing fight sequences every recorded being a staple for many of them.
Its these incredible fight sequences that will leave your jaw on the floor. Each set piece out does the other, from muddy prison yard fights to an insane sequence on a subway involving a deaf girl and a pair of hammers. And thats only the tip of the fighting iceberg. One of the finale fights, set in a kitchen is worth the price of admission alone and is just sheer and utter lunacy. Words really do these sequences no justice, and they have to be seen to be truly appreciated.
The Raid 2 is the greatest action movie ever made and you need to see it NOW!
