Written and directed by Welshman Gareth Evans, an Indonesian cop is forced to infiltrate a crime cartel to root out corruption in the police force.
Following directly on from events in The Raid, Rama must go undercover into the criminal underworld to protect his family. From gaining the trust of the crime cartel in prison, to becoming part of the organisation on his release and ending with all out war, The Raid 2 packs just as hard a punch as the first film but now packs just as powerful a plot.
Iko Uwais reprises his role as rookie cop Rama and once again brings his unmistakable energy to the role along with an everyman quality that ensures however brutal things or he may get, you are rooting for him every step of the way.
There are more memorable villains here than in your average Bond film. Alex Abad brings a Richard III quality to his slimy manipulative cripple villain Belo, along with his memorable trio of deadly body guards; Hammer Girl (Julie Estelle), Baseball Bat Man (Very Tri Yulisman) and The Assassin (Cecep Arif Rahman). In a lot of ways the heart of the story is Uno, performed perfectly by Arifin Putra. As charismatic as he his threatening Putra beautifully portrays a loyal son who is ultimately betrayed by his hubris. There is also wonderful cameo from Yayan Ruhian who returns as the killer for hire Prakoso.
Visually the film is as dazzling as it is devastating with cinematographers Matt Flannery and Dimas Imam Subhono creating a colour palette that is at times exquisite. From the mud drenched browns to the neon city reds and blues, this film effortlessly goes from art house exterior shots to Lynchian ‘Red Room’ interiors.
Then there is, of course, the action. Every punch is felt, every crunch is heard, and every shot, shock, slap and slam is painful delivered. The brutally in the film is performed with such a balletic brilliance all one can do is marvel at the sheer magnificence of it all. From numerous classic fight scenes to the jaw dropping car chases and teasing slo-mos before each battle, your heart is pumping before the first punch is even thrown.
As beautiful as it is brutal, The Raid 2 is simply one of the finest action films ever made and is a must for all genuine action fans. The fact Evans has built upon The Raid by expertly weaving an intricate plot into The Raid 2 is a joy to behold and bodes well for The Raid 3.
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