![]() ![]() There’s also dozens of high-voltage gunfights, strikingly different from what you’d see in a Western action film, and an absolutely jaw-dropping car chase that’s among one of the finest action scenes ever shot. While the fights are easily on-par with the first film- especially the final mano-a-mano which apparently took ten days to film- there’s more to the action than just martial arts. Here, Evans uses the surroundings brilliantly, with an early example being when Rama faces a dozen opponents, and uses a bathroom to isolate opponents two at a time, pulling them each into his little room of pain. One of the problems with modern action movies is that there’s no sense of geography. Evans, who also cut and choreographed the film, has an astonishing eye for carnage. This will no doubt be a relief to those who feared this would simply be “THE RAID in prison”. While yes, the film is certainly more plot heavy than the original (which barely had one) there’s literally dozens of action scenes, with the ones being featured in the trailer, such as the prison mud-brawl, all happening within the first act as only about thirty minutes of the film takes place in a prison setting. You’d think the 150 minute running time would mean that it would be stretched out by exposition, but that’s not really true. On that score, rest assured that THE RAID 2 delivers. He was great physically in the first film, but here he gives a tough, gritty performance, even when he’s not kicking the crap out of an opponent (or twenty). More than ever, he feels like the heir apparent to icons like Jet Li & Jackie Chan. Having been left to rot by his police handlers and forcibly separated from his family, Rama’s much moodier, and Uwais’ performance is bad-ass. This time out, Iko Uwais‘ Rama is much-less of an idealistic hero. THE RAID 2 has production values that rival any $200 million plus American actioner, but the script is also surprisingly sophisticated, featuring a whole slew of characters that are more three-dimensional than you’d typically find in the genre. If you’ve seen his acclaimed segment from V/H/S 2- SAFE HEAVEN- the evolution of his craft will be immediately apparent. People who though THE RAID was a fun, but ultimately simple film will be impressed by the scope of Evans’ sequel. As such, THE RAID 2 hardly feels like a sequel at all. The only reason it wasn’t made was that Evans didn’t have the funds to do this sprawling crime saga justice, and after the first film did so well, the main character was rewritten to be Iko Uwais Rama from the original. Using the original film as a mere jumping off point for its own self-contained crime saga, the whispers (or rather screams) from the Park City crowd present at the world premiere suggests that THE RAID 2 might be one of the best action sequels since TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY.Ī far more ambitious film than the original, director Gareth Evans revealed in the Q&A that the script for this film actually existed before the original. REVIEW: For anyone fearing THE RAID 2 would be a simple retread of the original, your fears are unfounded. PLOT: Rama ( Iko Uwais) is sent undercover by a task force looking to root out police corruption, and ends up infiltrating the most feared crime syndicate in the city.
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