The Raid 2 (2014) User Reviews

One of the best martial arts movies EVER !

[Fanboy218 · 9/10 · 29 March 2014]

The Raid: Redemption was such a success and regarded by many people as one of the best action movies of 2012, and the sequel is likely to end the year 2014 as the best action movie of the year. It's pretty much different than the first movie, in this one there was actually a story. This movie is a great combination of a gangster flick with a very well coordinated martial arts.

The director Gareth Evans is masterful at filming incredible action sequences, probably better than ANY Hollywood directors working right now. It is inspiring how he managed to make such unbelievable fight scenes, and car chase in a such limited budget. The cast were good in delivering the good, the dialogue was fairly good, the choreography were Spectacular! Not to mention the unforgettable cinematography that was brilliantly managed by people who knows what they're doing.The only downside is perhaps the running time which could have been shortened 15-20 minutes, but you will still always be entertained while watching this movie.

Overall, The Raid 2 is arguably one of the best sequels ever, and even one of the best martial arts movies ever. It's superior to its predecessor in terms of story telling, considering the running time, and the choreography was also quite a bit improved from the already unforgettable moves in the first one. It had more action and violence than the previous one, although less action percentage-wise. It will keep you on the edge of your seat. It has everything a perfect martial arts movie has to have, and it deserves to be regarded as one of the best in its genre. I hope that the director Gareth Evans would make more films with a higher budget to showcase to the world his true potential as a director, and it'd be great to have it featuring Iko Uwais, that could be an icon for years to come.

The perfect sequel

[satan44 · 8/10 · 13 March 2014]

This sequel is better in every conceivable way.

The action might take up a little less screen time percentage wise, but is more brutal (way more), even better choreographed, varied and memorable. I think this movie has the greatest overall collection of fight scenes in the history of action cinema, and a fantastic car chase too. Obviously I haven't seen every movie in existence, but I have never seen anything with such a collection of incredibly well done and brutal fights.

Characters have depth to them, even if on a comic book level, and are well cast and well played. Story is fairly intelligent, and more than services the action.

Everything else; filming, editing, sound design, stunts, special effects are stellar. There are quite a few "how the hell did they do that?!?" moments.

Brutal, Effective, Restless, Awesome, Nasty, Devious, Artful, Lethal

[bakerstreet-862-612840 · 9/10 · 29 March 2014]

Having watched and enjoyed the first film, also with all its hype i heard, I excitingly went to watch The Raid 2: Berandal this afternoon. In the first 5 minutes, there're some shocks especially for the viewers who've watched the first film. The aftermath of the 1st film was told in brief to give the background plot for Rama the protagonist character. So it's basically recommended for the viewers to watch the first film before watching.

With quite many characters're being involved, to make it less easier for the viewers to identify the characters, most of them only have short names and unique names (although it got me confused a little at some time till i was finally able to know them all). The most important key throughout this film's its violent top-notch fighting choreography which's jaw dropping and breath-taking. Also the view take (cinematic technique) in this film's simply marvelous, one which i really enjoyed's the car chase scene. It's such a superb performance to take those kinds of angles. I tell you, the story's a bit much equivalent with as if a mixing of "The Departed" + "The Godfather" + Gory Martial Arts, so in my opinion it's unwise to miss watching it.

Furthermore, this sequel is indeed a confirming proof that Gareth Evans's undoubtedly an experienced and adept action film writer-director whom i think should be eyed and wanted by the Hollywood producers to direct/write decent action movies, with martial arts but perhaps less violent. Iko Uwais, although his total screen-time percentage's less (reduced because of the more complicated story n characters) compared with the first film and the role of his character is, didn't lose his hero persona, he constantly showed off his skills in the martial arts by fighting tons of enemies, got a bit improved in his acting (thanks to the story with its more dialogues).

I urgedly forbid any parent to bring their young little children to watch this movie. Also for the viewers with weak-stomachs (anti-violence) definitely might want to reconsider and avoid watching this film, because it's utterly quite gruesome. After the film ended, you might find yourselves asking about some things which're left unsure and dubious. So gotta keep your eyes out for the continuation in the next last film of the planned trilogy which i reckon must've not come out yet at least not until 2017.

A must-see film for the action movie fans.

9/10

OHHH EMMM GEEE . All hail Gareth

[Haider-kazmee · 10/10 · 31 January 2014]

Okay so where do I begin I saw the first one and It blew me away. I watch so many movies no matter the genre. So while I was watching this sequel my heart was beating very fast and the adrenaline was pumping. It takes place 2 hours after where the first one ended. Swear to god every time there was a fight on I felt it and I kept shaking. The scene that had me pumped was the train scene and the prison fight. There is a lot of martial artist involved in this film which makes me love it even more because they use real stunt men and this movie just requires skill. This is by far the best action movie sequel ever produced and I hope it gets noticed by everyone around the world. Best one on one showdown in the end. If you love action movies and would love to turn your brain off for a moment then this is your candy. My favorite action movie ever, sorry Bruce Lee. 10/10 MUST SEE!

The Raid 2 : Sundance Edition

[Crazyeddie1232000 · 10/10 · 27 January 2014]

Being said, this is the Sundance Edition; extremely brutal and uncut violence. It was amazing to hear how the editing had just finished (on Sunday) only a couple days before the first screening (on Tuesday)for Sundance. The level of expectations of surpassing the Raid: Redemption will not disappoint any action junkies. A barrage of set-action sequences from a muddy prison (uncontrollable chaos) to several people being decimate with the use of a baseball bat and a pair of claw hammers (with close-up gore that can only rival horror movies), a fantastic car chase that might have been the one of the very best choreographed sequence in recent memory and a final fight scene that will leave you breathless from its intensity and insanity.

The plot is of a familiar "storyline", yet there are somber moments from a few characters that help drive the emotional aspect (especially from the main character's quiet reconnection with his family). It does feel a bit choppy in certain scenes but, for a 2 1/2 hr movie, it really does fly on by.

The final fight scene completely out-shined the first Raid. Quite honestly, it really was an edge-of-your-seat moment. As the director explains his reason of making such a movie during a Q&A, (paraphrasing) "I wanted to make a movie that I wanted to see and hopefully there'll be several hundred people who will enjoy it too."

The Greatest Action Film Under The Sun

[MrBenzene33 · 10/10 · 5 April 2014]

I was lucky enough to catch a limited release screening of this film here in Australia as I was in high anticipation to see it after more than enjoying the first Raid film and in no way was I disappointed with this film. This is honestly, by far, one of the best sequels in existence today. The isolated first film is completely removed of all boundaries and expanded it to this ultra-violent masterpiece. First the possible negatives for some people; this movie is very long and structured differently to the first (Beginning Story - Action Centre - Ending Story) this film follows a back and forth style of (Story - Action - Story - Action) so the accumulation of story is quite large meaning a lot of reading for English viewers. Another possible negative is the fact this film feels almost nothing like the first film, the first being like an action survival story while this film is an action, espionage, martial arts film filled with gangs and all different personalities though in my opinion this gives the film a fresh style for viewers. If you were expecting same old style you may be disappointed but there is an American remake of the first film in production. The final possible negative is the vast amount of brutal and graphic violence throughout the film, this is one of the most violent action films I have ever seen but I enjoy the extreme violence side of cinema but those with a light stomach may find this film difficult for the sheer amount of blood there is in this movie in comparison to the first. These negatives in my eyes are strong points for the film in my eyes but to others might not be. To the positives which there are plenty of, firstly and most important; the action. As you probably would've expected the action in this film is the greatest bone crunching action you will most likely see in your whole life, its gritty and incredibly well planned style makes it like a form of bloody art. Gareth Evans knows exactly what he is doing here. One of my favorite aspects of the films was the direction. The slow pans and zooms Evans uses to build suspense as well as a perfect use of slow motion, not over the top in any way, just give the film an added visual style which boosts it even further. Evans also knows exactly how to build up an action scene, one of my absolute favorite fight scenes in the film in the prison yard fight which is so incredibly well choreographed whilst having this dark and suspenseful build up to the fight. This film try's a lot of new things and all of which work for example are car chase scene which is one of the best I've seen in any movie. The story in this film delivers what the first film was lacking, putting characters in the flesh and making you care a lot more, even for the villains. And with good story and characters of course comes excellent acting which is often rare in action films, these actors are absolutely teeming with talent, all of which can act and can fight. As I read the credits I could only see two stunt doubles for the whole film which is saying something. This is an absolute must see for any action film fan, it is nothing short of a masterpiece and needs to receive the credit it absolutely deserves

An Excellent Sequel and Fantastic Action / Martial Arts Movie

[hugo-armstrong · 10/10 · 29 March 2014]

The first movie 'The Raid: Redemption' set the bar for action movies. With its fast paced action and believable fight scene choreography whilst not being over the top with an aim for realism that would diminish the combat's entertainment factor.

With 'The Raid 2: Berandal', we are brought back into the gritty world of the first movie directly following where the story left off. The viewers are introduced to an entirely new perspective on the world where the first movie is set. In the first movie we are locked in the one perspective of Rama and his battle through the building, whilst in the sequel we learn that this all takes place as part of a much larger setting. We find out that realism is not the aim of the series and instead its a world of gangsters, villains and corruption.

Evans is able to introduce new characters like the 'Hammer Girl' and the 'Baseball Bat' guy without making them seem totally over the top and ridiculous. We also get to watch them fight and are able to enjoy their unique styles rather than the usual, 'this character is a bad guy' scenes to barely introduce them.

The fight scenes are excellently choreographed and the way they are shot is spectacular, a lot of imagination and ingenuity is used to really throw the viewer directly into the action. The gore and violence level reflect far more realistic outcomes considering the brutality of both the scenarios and the weapons.

When I try to compare this to the usual Hollywood blockbuster action movies reduced to PG13 to get more people in to watch it, its impossible. The movie delivers far more in the way of action and fight sequences whilst maintaining a sensible and cohesive plot.

If you are expecting(for some bizarre reason) to see an amazing plot to compare to The Godfather or The Departed you probably are expecting the wrong things. If you are expecting to see a amazing fighting / martial arts movie with a believable plot you wont be disappointed. The movie reminded me a little of a Tarantino film with its characters, something like Kill Bill. But instead with way way way better fight scenes and frankly, a better plot as well.

Overall considering where this movie is from and the cast involved etc any negative rating is totally undeserved. Whilst not everyone's cup of tea as far as martial arts / action movies go this movie will be impossible to top in 2014, and frankly its probably the best action movie I have seen in the last decade, it will be on the top of my list for a while.

Great

[0U · 22 February 2020]

It is hard to believe but this movie is bigger AND better than the first one. I will say it has ambition in opening up this world into a mafia drama rather than another claustrophobic thrill-ride. The mob aspect of the plot might be generic and cliched at times but overall that part was surprisingly more engaging than some American movies of that kind. But we watch this for the action and it was insanely savage! We are talking level-11 sh-t here; high-speed pacing, masterful choreography and brutal as hell. Fight sequences that put most action movies to shame!! ...................................... THE RAID 2 QUOTES You Apologize to them in their languages, in our land. Where is your honor!

Great martial arts movie if you suspend disbelief! (Some Spoilers!)

[sachin-jhunjhun · 7/10 · 6 August 2014]

I loved the first one and there was a sense of anticipation in that one as to what is going to happen but the sequel lacks that and can be too predictable at times.

THE GOOD: Great martial arts movie. Every character is so well created, amazing direction + cinematography ..that shot of kaso being bladed from the back and the sequence in the red room followed by the kitchen..holy moly...martial arts cinematic bliss! THE NOT SO GOOD: Suspension of disbelief is too much at times. The movie keeps trying too much to be like Kill Bill with a sense of predictability when any important character is about to fight 20 to 30 people..you know they are all going to be dead even though the main protagonist is outnumbered 30 to 1! The first half of the movie totally forgets guns were invented a century back and suddenly they appear and disappear in the second half based on how much martial arts needs to be shown..again the 30 to one ratio Kill Bill style! VERDICT: Still like the first one overall as a movie but this is definitely better crafted!

A Bloody Great Sequel that's better than the first movie!!

[nick-sultana · 10/10 · 24 March 2014]

I was lucky enough to attend a special screening of 'The Raid 2' in Sydney last night, it was a big crowd for a small event with everyone excited for the film to begin. I can honestly say that myself, my friend who tagged along and the audience were very very entertained!

The plot continues 2 hours after the events of the first film, it places our hero into another intense mission to stop the baddies by going undercover for a special unit and blending in with the mob who's on the verge of war with their rivals. All I can say that follows is a orgy of brutal, bloody and intense arm-breaking, leg-snapping, hammer stomping, bat swinging, blade slashing, head blowing, bullet-loaded and arse kicking violence in a dash of Tarantino and Scorsese story-telling in its plot. The choreographed fights are all intense and realistic with the climatic showdown towards the last half hour of the film being the best sequences filmed on camera.

Overall, its a bloody amazing film to be released in 2014 and its a definite return for the genre too! I'm definitely keen to see this again when its out officially later this week!

Funny and Entertaining Martial Arts Action Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 9 November 2014]

In Jakarta, Indonesia, the SWAT officer Rama (Iko Uwais) meets with police officer Bunawar (Cok Simbara) that invites him to join a secret anti-corruption team. The reluctant Rama accepts to join the team to protect his family and learns that Bunawar wants to expose the corrupt chief of police Reza (Roy Marten) that is dealing with the mobster lords Bangun (Tio Pakusodewo) and Goto (Kenichi Endo), but needs evidences. Bunawar asks Rama to hit the son of a politician to be imprisoned and get close to Bangun's son Uco (Arifin Putra) in the prison. Rama goes undercover using the name Yuda and saves the life of Uco in a mob in the prison befriending him. Two years later, when Yuda is released, he is hired by Bangun to work in their organization with his right arm Eka (Oka Antara) and Uco. But the ambitious Uco is not satisfied with the behavior of his father towards Goto's family and he secretly associates to the gang lord Bejo (Alex Abbad) to begin a war between the families. But Bangun does not want a war against the Japanese mobster and Uco kills his own father. Yuda saves Eka and now he has to fight for his own life.

"The Raid 2: Berandal" is a funny and entertaining martial arts action movie. The non-stop action associated to the choreography is amazing with spectacular fights. But it is weird to see body-guards not having guns and falling like sparring in fights against experts. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Operação Invasão 2" (Operation Invasion 2")

The Best Action Movie Ever Made

[TheIneffable · 10/10 · 28 March 2014]

((From: http://thinmanmoviereviews.wordpress.com/)) In 2011, Welsh director Gareth Evans gave us "The Raid: Redemption" – one of the best pure action films of the last decade – and hinted at his potential to be a new and exciting presence in the writer/director realm. The action was hard-hitting, lightning fast, supporting a simple, contained story of one man fighting against an entire tower of enemies in a way that was reminiscent of classics like "Die Hard". Well, if "The Raid" was one of the best action films of the last ten years, Evans' follow-up film "The Raid 2″ has now set the standard for the next twenty. In fact, I'm going to make a bold statement that you can feel free to quote me on:

"The Raid 2″ is the best action movie ever made.

Where sequels are concerned, this film does absolutely everything right. It takes the frenetic energy of the original, contained within the twenty-story drug den in which it took place, and lets it loose across the urban sprawl of an entire city teeming with warring crime syndicates, corrupt police officers, and the civilians often caught in the crossfire. No longer contained to just one address, the fight scenes in "Raid 2″ cover car chases, cramped subway trains, muddy prison yards, night clubs, and city streets, and every action set piece hits all the right notes. Every punch thrown and bullet fired is made even more effective by the fact that all of the action is done practically. In an era where so much of the action that we see on screen is dominated by the CGI-centric explosion extravaganzas of Michael Bay and the like it's incredibly refreshing to see highly trained stunt professionals being pushed to their limits to deliver a collection of the best action scenes in modern memory. Much of this work is shouldered by the film's lead, Indonesian-born Iko Uwais, the returning star of the first "Raid". Uwais is reminiscent of a younger Jet Li or – dare I say it – Bruce Lee; moving with such self-assured speed and practiced precision that every move deserves multiple looks to take in all the details. The comparison to Lee is bolstered by "The Raid 2″'s finale, which plays out like the final gatecrashing act of "Game of Death", in which our hero has to slug his way through opponents of increasing lethality. Unlike "Game of Death", "The Raid 2″ lets us see our villains in action almost as often as our hero, and it's a credit to Evans as writer/director that each of these characters is absolutely dripping with charisma and cool. There are no wasted characters here; we love every hero and love to hate every villain.

The script is, with few exceptions, always on-point. What could have simply been a straight-forward action flick with minimal plot to carry us from one action set-piece to another is instead a mad whirlwind of conspiracy, murder, and double and triple-crosses, steadily ratcheting up the tension to the film's explosive conclusion. From a technical standpoint, the impressive cinematography matches the action stride-for- stride and, looking back, there are a dizzying number of wildly choreographed long-takes that put every nuance of the environment, characters, and action on display. Combine this with a pulse-pounding soundtrack and some absolutely superb practical makeup effects accompanying every injury, no matter how small, and "The Raid 2″ is the complete package. With a third film already in the works, making this a trilogy, Hollywood has been put on notice: Gareth Evans has arrived; he's just dramatically changed the landscape of action films and shows no signs of pulling any punches. [10/10]

Bone crushing fun!

[TheMarwood · 7/10 · 4 January 2015]

Featuring an unbelievable command of fight choreography, cinematography and a great flesh pounding, blood splattering sound mix - The Raid 2 delivers a feast of lunatic filmmaking that keeps topping itself until its blood soaked masterfully coordinated end. There's a sprawling story that's padding the action and it's not a derivative narrative that simply connects the dots from one fight to the next - this isn't the most complex narrative either, but it's engaging enough so when the film calms down for a few minutes, it still commands your attention. This is a truly visceral film. The action is filmed with long takes and I can't even begin to imagine the complications of focus pulling and the crew hitting all of their marks to pull off scene after scene. The filmmaking feels invisible, which is the highest compliment I could give a movie that's all smoke and mirrors, but actually looks like dozens of people were really pounding each other's faces in. The Raid 2 is completely bonkers and highly recommended.

The Raid 2: Berandal

[phubbs · 5/10 · 22 February 2015]

Following on straight after the events of the first movie we are back alongside Rama as he is once again lured into another mission, or should that be used in another mission. The last three members to survive the tower block raid are seen here together again, albeit briefly, as Rama is now wanted for an undercover job. Expect betrayal, blood, broken bones and a whole load of very similar looking characters.

Right away this is the problem with this sequel, the plot, its meh. The whole reason why the first movie was so explosive was the excellent story. A special team of elite cops enter a tower block in the slums of Jakarta to bring down a crime lord. They start at the bottom and must work their way up floor by floor taking out scum, the whole premise was solid, tight, tense and claustrophobic, the perfect storm. This sequel sees Rama going undercover to expose a corrupt police official (Reza) who is tied in with criminal gangs, this means getting friendly with a crime bosses son (Uco) in jail and working for the enemy (Uco's father Bangun).

Things get complicated when another crime Boss Bejo, obviously wanting power and control, teams up with Bangun's son to try and start a war against a rival Japanese crime syndicate, this act being against Bangun's will. The only reason for this mainly being Uco wants to show his father how strong and dependable he his, to prove himself. The other reason being Bejo thinks the Japanese are trying to sway Reza against the Bangun syndicate. Jesus I had to think about that just writing it! and this is the problem, the plot is really convoluted in my opinion with characters coming out of the woodwork. I've not even mentioned the betrayal twists involving gangs killing their own and then faking reprisals to kick start this war, not to mention corrupt police gangs and undercover cop twists on top!

I genuinely had some trouble following what was going on from scene to scene, so many characters all kinda looking the same whilst scenes popped up outta nowhere with little reasoning (Prakoso the assassin I'm looking at you). Its only later on down the line I realised what that previous scene had been about and why, I had to rewatch scenes and read up on sections. It is good that the continuity is there from the start, they had the same two actors from the last movie briefly and it all smoothly crosses into this story which was cool. Alas at no point did I ever really feel the same adrenaline shot that I did for the first film, this could of been any action movie, its a generic plot that's been done before many times and I was actually bored periodically.

Of course the movie is all about the fights, this is the movies forte, its reason for being. Does that disappoint? errr...kinda, in all honesty it did in places yes, let me explain. There didn't actually seem to be as many fights in this film, probably because its not set in a confined space, what there was became so outrageous and so long I again found myself getting bored. Yes the first movie had awesome fights that were ridiculous and long but this movie does seem to go that little bit further. You still have tonnes of faceless henchmen getting their asses handed to them on a plate which is standard procedure and fun. But the boss fights almost become a parody and just go on and on and on, the main fight towards the end in the kitchen especially. I realise that's because both characters are highly trained fighters in their art but you get dizzy watching this sh*t, the director just doesn't know when to stop, less is more guy!

The blood and violence is sky high I might add it really is, non- stop bloodbath of epic proportions. Yet again I have to say its too much, less is more, there comes a point when the blood and gore is so extravagant that it loses all impetus, it becomes dull and non- engaging. I really found myself yearning for some good old fashioned fisticuffs that didn't involve various weapons that naturally result in gallons of claret everywhere, and I really disliked the assassins with their specific weapons. Seriously Evans are you trying to be the Asian Robert Rodriguez here? well don't, it ain't a good move. Don't any criminal gangs use guns in this world? would be easier.

We all know what this movie offers, you know what to expect and it certainly delivers on that. I can't complain about the violence because the movie is all about pure violence...and a traditional practice involving mental, physical and spiritual development but anyway. My main issue is the fact it just feels like a run of the mill action fest that offers nothing new (accept another look at a newish martial art). The first movie worked really well because of the cracking story, setting and close quarters action, this has none of that, its just a gangster flick with lots of stereotypical stuff in it. Hell even the car chase looked crap, you can clearly see the cars are going quite slow with high speed sound effects dubbed on top. Yes it looks good, yes the fights are impressive when not drenched in blood and yes its a solid achievement for an Indonesian production...but it lacks the quality of its predecessor and just left me numb and weary.

5/10

king of action movies

[adrenilinmatt · 10/10 · 2 April 2014]

When I first saw the raid, (redemption) I was blown away. exhilarating action, leaving me breathless at times. I've since watched it multiple times with other friends. And each time, left feeling the same. Now, with such high regard for the first one, naturally I went into this movie, with extremely high expectations. I was NOT disappointed. Not even remotely. It was twice as breathtaking, twice as exhilarating, and endlessly more brutal. A stunning movie. Evans, is unbelievable. His eye for what people want in an action movie is impeccable.The car chase scene (my favorite scene) was one of the best I've seen in recent history. Which is made more impressive by the fact the it was gareths first attempt at directing such a scene. I can't recommend this movie enough. Believe the hype. Absolute 10/10.

Instant classic and one of the best films I've ever seen

[Leofwine_draca · 10/10 · 30 August 2014]

Okay, I'm 50 films off having reviewed 4,000, so I've seen a fair few flicks in my time. Many of them have been good, some bad, a lot of them middling. But very few of them blow me away, and the ones that do so tend to be the really intense thrillers that are packed with suspense and absolutely great action scenes. THE RAID was a great movie which I really enjoyed, and I heard the hype about the sequel but was afraid to believe it. I needn't have been; THE RAID 2 is an absolutely brilliant movie and one of the best films I've ever seen.

This sequel doesn't slavishly copy the original, which is a good thing. Instead, it's a sprawling gangster movie, an Indonesian variant of the ones popular in Hong Kong and South Korea, enlivened with some incredibly violent and extremely well choreographed action sequences which usually take the "one vs. many" formula to the extreme. This stuff is great in itself, enlivened with larger than life characters and more depth than you'd expect from a typical thriller.

Stuff continues in this vein up until the last forty five minutes, at which point you realise that everything preceding this point was just the build up to the denouement, which is an action spectacular unlike anything ever put on film. There's a stupendous car chase, a great three-way between top fighters, and the final kitchen one on one, which I think might well be the best fight ever put on film (and I've seen most of the Bruce Lee/Donnie Yen/Jackie Chan/Tony Jaa fights). Everything is perfect: the choreography, the music, the violence. Iko Uwais and Gareth Evans both go from strength to strength and everything just gels together perfectly. Go buy this now, you won't be disappointed!

An amazing sequel that raises the bar for action as well as story

[jonathan-feliciano1 · 9/10 · 16 March 2014]

I had the opportunity to watch this movie at a special screening with director Gareth Evans, and actor Iko Uwais.

I am a fan of The Raid: Redemption. It was one of my favorite action films of all time. The gritty realism, the subtle story and fleshed out characters (by action movie standards at the very least). It was the best action movie I saw in 2011.

I can gladly say that the sequel is in my opinion better than the original (although the original is still amazing in my book). The action of course is bigger and more intricate. The Direction is beautifully done, the fight scenes are very tense and brutal the movements of the camera and the viewing angles used are dynamic. The set pieces were very varied. Where the original was confined to an apartment complex, the sequel has varied locations around Jakarta and the environments for the fights keep the action feeling fresh through out.

I am also glad that the story was bulked up in this entry as well. Many action movies make the mistake of allowing the action to completely take over the movie throwing the story out of the window. The Raid 2 is not one of those, the story here is way more complex than the original. I can already foresee people complaining about the story being unnecessarily complicated. Although I would disagree, sure the movie throws a lot of names at the viewer however I felt confident of my understanding of the story which I would like to avoid talking about in my review to avoid spoilers. I enjoyed the story I felt invested in Rama and Ucok was a very interesting character as well.

I would just like to urge any fans of the original or any fans of action movies in general to please go see this movie. I feel that in this age of cookie cutter Hollywood movies that this is a breath of inspired fresh air. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this movie I do not think you will regret it. I would also like to express my support of both Gareth Evans and actor Iko Uwais The Raid and now the sequel are two of the best action movies I have ever seen I hope their partnership continues and they get to bring the world many more amazing movies. Thank you!

Berandal: If Internal Affairs, The Departed and The Raid 1 had a baby and it grew up to be a violent monster.

[rchase-914-172949 · 10/10 · 1 April 2014]

I open myself up to ridicule with this review. Why? because i am about to make a very broad statement. Now, i am a HUGE martial arts action movie fan. Gunfights are as boring as steamed rice to me, and grow tired of the same Hollywood approach of throwing a pretty boy muscle-clad hero as a lead role and arm him with an arsenal of weaponry. No skill, no dramatic effects, no chance for the viewer to be immersed into each scene.

My broad statement is this: The Raid 2 is the biggest,the best, the most brutal and bloody action/martial arts movie i have ever seen....and I've seen everything from Bruce Lee, JCVD, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Scott Adkins, Micheal Jai White, Tony Jaa etc etc

The Raid 2 effectively takes the strongest and most appealing elements of the original film, the brutal unbridled action/fight sequences, but then magnifies them. There is no walls of confinement, no narrow passages, no limits and boundaries, just the city of Jakarta, which becomes the backdrop to some of the most incredible action sequences you will ever see on film.

The story echoes the complexity and delivery of The Departed, pays homage to Internal Affairs, whilst always remaining interesting and easy to follow, which is a positive, as a movie that goes for almost 150 minutes cant be non stop action. The acting is great on all accounts, but like every martial arts/action film, you wont be reading about Oscar performances.

The fight scenes..THE GLORIOUS fight scenes :) The first hour of the movie is predominantly dialog and back-story, with spot fires of fight scenes. A large scale prison riot is beautifully shot and doesn't take long for the murky, muddy prison yard to have a splash of our favorite color (red). Prior to that is a more claustrophobic scene where Iko fends off 20+ inmates who have realized he has barricaded himself in a toilet cubicle and needs to fight his way out.

I wont go over each grin-inducing scene of hammer smashing, baseball bat hitting, neck slitting, car chasing, bone crushing, head stomping, shotgun blasting carnage, but i will give a special mention to the final fight scene of the movie: The Kitchen scene. Unless Gareth Evans has some tricks up his sleeve for The Raid 3, YOU WILL NOT see a more intense, fast, brutal, entertaining fight scene ever. It is hands-down the greatest moment of martial arts cinema that you will ever see.

If The Raid 1 raised the bar 40 stories high, then The Raid 2 leaves the atmosphere with it.

**********\10 - Completely blown away, rivals I Saw The Devil as one of the greatest foreign movies ever made.

Long but filled with varied, brutal and brilliantly filmed action sequences

[bob the moo · 16 August 2014]

Occurring mere hours after the end of The Raid, this sequel sees the main character Rama agreeing to head undercover in a prison for a 2-year sentence in order to protect his family and himself from retaliation. This puts him into a situation where he is between gangs and split loyalties within gangs, all of which provides a plot which is not hugely detailed, but has enough to it that once you add the many action sequences to it, produces a film that is 150 minutes long. With the first film, I did think that perhaps it struggled to carry almost an hour less than this, with its rather base plotting, so I was ready to say that Raid 2 has no business being so long. However – it does and it easily makes the time fly.

Although some films make great use of enclosed locations and struggle to perhaps make things work once given more freedom, the open world given to The Raid 2 seems to have greatly benefited it. In terms of narrative we get a bit more actual development and structure to it, with the main character much more involved than simply fighting his way up to the boss level like a video game; this drew me in a bit more but it also serves as a very good frame for plenty of action sequence. What it also does is open up an endless variety to these sequences – where the first film benefited and was limited by the tower block location, this film has car chases, prison riots, nightclubs, massacres on trains – a lot of different locations and characters that really do prevent it feel repetitive even if it is ultimately mostly action.

One thing that is easy to miss while being caught up in the action is the reason why you are caught up in it – and that is the technical delivery. I'm no filmmaker (probably didn't need to be said) but I watch a lot of films and I can appreciate when things like sound and camera work are well done. In the case of Raid 2 it is astonishing what the camera does; whether some of it is CGI or not I do not know but the movement of the camera in and around the action makes it feel like the position of the steadicam operator was as important in the fight choreography as the position of the actors. The film doesn't leave it long for you to discover this, because the prison riot is tremendous, with brutal action but hugely impressive camera movement and coordination. This continues throughout the film and I really did love the sweeping camera movements in and around the action.

In terms of the action, it should be said that it is violent – incredibly violent. I am not one of these people who get upset because an action movie got a low rating and start mumbling about selling out etc, however I did watch this film a few days after going to see Expendables 3 and, while the latter was distractingly noisy, it did make me wonder why on earth Stallone wouldn't want his film to be as good as Raid 2? I not only watched this impressed by the filming of the action sequences and the choreography of them, but the sheer intensity and, yes, blood and violence of them also grabbed me. I watch many action movies as a passive affair since they require little thought and generally allow me to do chores at the same time; for this one though I was regularly engaged and gasping at the action (well – cursing more than gasping). It isn't that bloody violence made this a good film, but it really does make it that much more impacting.

Raid 2 is long and this can be off-putting, but it mostly carries its running time very well, justifying it with plot and, mainly, action. The many sequences are fast, brutal, brilliantly choreographed and filmed with a fluidity and engagement of the camera that even laymen such as I will be impressed. The film has flaws but ultimately you came for an action movie and in Raid 2 you get an excellent one.

Longer, Louder

[bobbybits · 7/10 · 22 June 2014]

Bigger, Louder, Longer. Better? No! A bigger budgeted rehash, lacking in comparison to its EPIC original. I can only assume this will take the turn of all other predecessor franchises, ending with some 3D poop spatter, needing more paint.

I hated the plot here it was awfully nonexistent. The gangster hierarchy shown were pathetic cardboard cutouts, painful to watch. Aside I didn't like the hammer scenes in this martial arts film they lacked balance and function, alongside the baseball bat sequence. Tediously. A few other scenes were also quite drawn out. Although overall it will keep the fanboy's re-watching for this entertaining ride that was a roller coaster of paced action, in between some of the above duration. Yes! An enjoyable film for the style of martial arts seen and action.

Brutal martial arts action film, but really wasn't as good as the first at all, therefore cannot be rated higher.

Best action movie in decades

[abisio · 10/10 · 12 April 2014]

Very little things can be criticized about RAID 2; why bad guys do not attack three or four at a time or why do not use guns. Well both points can be defended; but in any case, you go to this movie to the outstanding skills of the fighter in this case are really out of this world. Think in a more human but ten times faster Bruce Lee.

The first Raid was basically a glorified video game with a couple of twist that made the movie interesting. In this case, there is a real story and many things are really unexpected and very well thought about.

The movie is 30 or more minutes longer than the first one which is mostly used for setups and character development; however the level of violence higher and realism of the fights is shocking.

Fights are filmed in very long takes but fast takes with no visible editing or digital makeover. Your brain believe everything as if it was seen by your own eyes.

This is the kind of movie cannot be made in USA. Insurances will not allow this kind of stunt work and will end in a fake digital scenes without any kind of realism.

Even the acting is decent enough. The bad guys have the required level of menace; and the stoic hero looks defenseless against all that (he is not at all).

In brief; if you look for hard adrenaline entertainment, forget Captain America or any other PG 13 action movie and go for this one. You will have to read subtitles; but it is really a minimum price for the best 2.5 hours of pure action you will ever find.

Bigger and louder than 'The Raid'... and a little bit too much so

[dsntxst · 7/10 · 18 December 2014]

I love 'The Raid' - it was the hard-hitting kick-in-the-guts the action genre needed. I'm a little less in love with 'The Raid 2' - when it's good, it's very good, but it stalls a little bit too much to be a classic. Still, it is a very entertaining watch for action and martial arts junkies.

The good bits: the fight scenes and action set pieces are majorly ramped up from the first film. More than likely, this is what most of us came to this film for and they do not disappoint. The fight choreography is great, and the sights, sounds and overall feeling of impact during the action is amazing. The camera whirs around at a frenetic pace in places which may be a deal breaker for some, but it suits the action perfectly. There is also some impressive technical shenanigans going on for some of the close quarters stuff. In fact, the film looks brilliant overall: vibrant and stylish in places, gritty and decaying in others but always nice to look at.

The not-so-good bit: for me, the story didn't fit so well within the film. There were just too many strands to the narrative and consequently this killed the pacing for me. I can see what director/writer Gareth Evans was going for but I think there were just too many ideas for one film - it was begging for a shorter, sharper narrative. The police corruption and international underworld crime elements seemed more suited to a Kang Woo-suk, Johnnie To or Martin Scorsese film than here. Having said that, I would be interested to see Evans tackle something in this vein in the future as there is an inkling here that he could handle such a story.

Overall, 'The Raid 2' was a little bit less than what I was hoping for but not to the point of disappointment and I still had a good time. If you enjoyed 'The Raid' you will enjoy 'The Raid 2' - it's bigger and louder than its predecessor which both helps and hinders it as an action film.

and I thought the Raid was brilliant

[Kelchubordnor · 10/10 · 12 April 2014]

In simple terms this movie takes place 2 hours after the original. Our hero is basically told he has found one little fish and the police want him to go very undercover and weed out the bigger fish. That's essentially the story where Rama is tasked with befriending the big boss's son who is in prison. One of the things I love about this movie is the director appreciates the talent he has available and he uses it. I can picture his direction being "right you know what you can do, have fun and I'll roll the camera and let you guys do your stuff". Simply put that would have worked. There is yet again a lot of brilliant martial arts in this movie, very little gun play compared to the first one, quite honestly this could be a stand alone film. The story is different to the raid but is still great. Only criticism I would consider is that the films a bit long but I did enjoy it so didn't really care. A word of warning this is not a martial arts movie you get the kids to watch it is very brutal the action looks very bloody and the weapon work is very realistic/close quarter. This movie makes a lot of 18 rated films look tame. Enjoy it and if you study martial arts you will love it

Good Sequel but slow in parts.

[skhan140289 · 7/10 · 23 April 2020]

First half is little slow, action sequences are amazing without a doubt but still first part was more gripping than sequel.

A bit silly really

[MrCairo1941 · 4/10 · 22 June 2014]

just do not understand why people rave about this film so much. Its a standard martial arts film. Some people on the message boards calling for it to be in the top 25 films of all time... Ludicrous.

The acting is what you would expect from any martial arts film, The cinematography is quite good but nothing spectacular & the plot is flawed with huge holes throughout.

Why do they send a cop into prison undercover and then leave him there for 2 years for no apparent reason? The big fight sequence at the end is spectacular I guess, but I seriously doubt any human on the planet could take so much damage and continue to function.

I just don't see why people rate this film so highly when its all been done before & probably done better. I repeat... this is just a standard martial arts film.