'The Raid 2' (18)

****

DVD Release

Picking up where The Raid left off, The Raid 2 sees Rama go undercover in the criminal underworld of Jakarta. Tasked with finding evidence of police corruption, Rama finds himself caught up in the life of Uco, son of Indonesian gangster, Bangun. Uco is desperate for the chance to prove himself a capable leader, and will do anything, including fracturing the long-term peace between the Japanese and Indonesian gangs, to obtain power.

Considering it’s a film all about fighting, it isn’t boring. Each fight sequence (and there are quite a few!) is different from the next, with a range of martial arts on display, as well as gun shoot-outs, a memorable fight in a mud field, and a particularly disturbing sequence involving hammers on an underground train. I don’t claim to know anything about martial arts or fighting, but each segment was excellently framed and shot, and I can only imagine how long it must have taken to choreograph each fight. In some cases, the fluidity of the movements and connections made between the combatants reminded me of a dance… only with more weapons and blood involved. The scenes of violence are supported by an eerie score and excellent use of slow-motion, whilst the changing camera angles mean that you’re always looking at something new and exciting. The cinematography is truly outstanding. At the centre of the film is Rama (Iko Uwais), a policeman placed in an impossible situation, his expertise in causing pain is manipulated and used by those he would usually arrest instantly. Uwais is very good in this conflicted role, and certainly adds an element of heart to a very bloody thriller.

There are a few things I was less impressed with, however. In one scene, Rama accompanies Uco and his group of thugs to a drugs den, where the dealers just so happen to be filming a porn film at the same time. I appreciate that the film is trying to make us see what a bad lot these gangsters are, but the gratuitous shot of a naked woman walking around with a massive strap-on just seemed as though the film-makers wanted to make the movie as ‘adult’ as possible. The scene would have been just as effective if Uco and his gang had walked in and found the other men packaging up some drugs, or whatever, but no, instead we must have an excuse to get sex into the film, and this is a shame. I thought less of the film after this sequence. The other issues I have with the film are fairly minor: perhaps too many characters; maybe a touch too long (at 150 minutes long, it has a fairly substantial run-time); the bad guys are largely represented as one dimensional and cliché, especially Bejo, a man so bad he wears black leather gloves and sunglasses indoors!; and Rama disappears for large swathes of time. These are only small problems, however.

It is refreshing to see an action film that boasts a fairly ample story-arch, as well as interesting characters, and stunning fight sequences. Even the car chase scene feels new and different compared with the same old dull police-chasing-criminal scenes we’re used to from Hollywood. Yes, it is excessively gory and at times you think ‘Would that really happen?’, but overall it’s a tense thriller, with excellent acting and remarkable choreography.