Having not seen The Raid, I entered the screening of The Raid 2 with some trepidation. I understand that fundamentally The Raid 2 is a fighting movie, and as I’m not a fan of the genre, perhaps my mind was already made up before the title credits had rolled.
The story, if you can call it that, follows Rama, the main character from the first Raid film, as he sets to uncover corrupt cops within the Jakartan justice system. Going undercover as a heavy working for a local politician, Rama starts his assignment by befriending the son of the kingpin, Uco, in prison which serves as his in with the family.
For me, the plot quickly loses its way, with the film becoming more and more about how much gore and violence it can cram in at the detriment of any plot that had lingered in earlier scenes. Considering Rama’s assignment is to uncover corruption, there seems it be very little of this, and more acting as a bodyguard for Uco.
The fight scenes, which obviously form a large percentage of the film, are well choreographed and slick. I always find it hard to really lose myself in a fight scene, where the only weapons are fists and feet. I cannot dispel the power of disbelief long enough to assume that the downed enemies will stay down from simply being punched, but they do and Rama is able to take down each foe with ease.
There didn’t feel like there was any real threat posed to Rama. As Rama constantly proves that he is more than capable of protecting himself, taking down enemies with ease, the foes that are presented to him are easily dispatched and it’s only in the final moments of the film that you start to fear for Rama’s wellbeing.
The Raid 2 is in UK cinemas from April 11th, and is a must see for fans of the first film and martial arts films. Viewers going in expecting a plot-driven film will be disappointed, but for pure action alone, you would be hard-pressed to find a better suited film.
Culture Shack 