The numerous fights didn't require a well thought out narrative structure. But apart from all the praise that the first film got, it should be mentioned that the story wasn't much more than functional, especially considering the scrapped plans for Berandal. Instead, he had to concentrate on a prologue story that could be done on a smaller budget thanks to a limited location and also function as a showcase of his talents. The merciless consequence that fuels the camera work impressed film fans who started to fear that they'd have to grab some old classic from their collection when they wanted to avoid the flashy, modern shaky cam orgies of recent mainstream action.Įven more astounding is the fact that The Raid: Redemption was rather born out of necessity because for years director Evans couldn't manage to secure the financing for the rather expensive Berandal, which later turned into The Raid 2. To demonstratively do the opposite thing has been the trump card that made The Raid: Redemption so special in this day and age and it explains why it is so euphorically celebrated. The camera filmed the events way different than today, where a large part is played out in the viewer's head, stimulated by loud sound effects and fast editing that often lead up to the conclusion: we didn't see anything, really. As its Welsh director Gareth Evans explains in the "making of" featurette on the Blu-ray, he is an admirer of the works of John Woo and other colleagues, who back then orchestrated their action scenes in a way that actually showed the audience what was happening. It’s just a shame that the script wasn’t tightened up a little to do away with some of the more pointless characters and extraneous sub-plots to make part two as lithe and fat-free as its predecessor.At its core, The Raid 2 is quite an oldschool film. And it looks great, with some sequences neon-lit nightmares, and others slow-motion masterpieces of bone-crunching brutality. Special mention should also go to Arifin Putra whose snivelling Ucok is the film’s most interesting character. Uwais is yet again fantastic in the lead, all snarling determination as he batters villain after villain. But best of the bunch is a lengthy kitchen brawl that finds our hero going one-on-one with a villainous equal, a scene in which we get up close-and-personal with Rama’s fists of fury as he brutally and mercilessly takes down his man. Stand-outs include the aforementioned bathroom and prison yard scenes, but also a brilliantly choreographed chase sequence that features Rama fighting four assailants in a tiny car. And if anything, Evans has got better at shooting these scenes, the writer-director brilliantly building tension in the build-up to each battle before delivering some truly jaw-dropping sequences. And the film really comes to life whenever they are onscreen. Conversely two fantastic additions to the series are Hammer Girl and Baseball Bat Man, characters who have little in the way of back-story or explanation, but who simply show up to cause maximum bloody carnage. So while its nice to see someone like Yayan Ruhian – so memorable as Mad Dog in the first film – returning to play an entirely new character, it does feel like he’s strolled in from an entirely different movie, and while his fight scenes are great, his story arc only really serves to slow proceedings down. And several more characters show up to complicate proceedings with their various plots and schemes. The ruthless Bejo also has designs on that lofty position of power. The angry and petulant Ucok endeavors to oust his father to take over the family buisness. A war between Bangun’s family and their rivals the Goto clan is reignited. And it’s here that the story becomes a little too convoluted for its own good. He proves his worth during a tense bathroom stand-off, and a stunning fight sequence in the prison yard, and while it takes him months rather than weeks to complete his mission, he’s eventually out and rising up the ranks in Bangun’s organization. Rama first heads to prison where his mission is to befriend Ucock, son of the local crime lord Bangun. What follows is not unlike the Infernal Affairs films, albeit with a brutal action twist. And while our hero is initially hesitant to to agree, the realisation that it's the only way to protect his family quickly makes the decision an easy one. Wanting to clean the streets of both bad guys and dirty cops, his bosses claim that the only way Rama can continue the work he’s started is by going undercover. And he quickly discovers that the many men he murdered were merely the tip of the criminal iceberg in Jakarta. It starts off briskly enough, opening mere moments after the end of the first film, with Rama being de-briefed by senior officers about want went on in the building.
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