SEE MORE: ‘The Raid 2′ Latest Trailer Brings the Action And once again, the director (who edited the film with Andi Novianto) proves a dab hand at keeping the action in near-continual motion without sacrificing visual clarity. If the action choreography (handled by Evans, Uwais and Ruhian) tilts toward the usual tactic of having a bunch of bad guys line up and wait their turn rather than clobbering their opponent all at once - a tactic that works better in close quarters than in wide-open spaces - the stunt work happily remains too consistently, impossibly convincing to dull the pleasure in the moment. Once a full-on war breaks out, the action never lets up, as “The Raid 2: Berandal” becomes a veritable demo reel for all the different forms of punishment the human body can (and cannot) withstand: Necks and limbs get twisted in all sorts of unnatural directions, throats and chests are ripped open mid-combat, bodies are regularly hurled through glass and, in a pinch, a concrete wall or a hot grilling surface can become the handiest of weapons.Īs before, the giddily over-the-top action attains a hyper-real quality that stays just this side of believable thanks to a combo of sweeping handheld camera moves (by lensers Matt Flannery and Dimas Imam Subhono) and expertly chosen locations that turn Jakarta’s brothels, subways, restaurants, offices and highways into one sprawling, splattery urban playground. Still, it’s hard to shake a nagging feeling of more is less with its convoluted plot mechanics clearly cribbed from past thriller templates, the film never quite generates or sustains its predecessor’s pure sense of menace.Įvans only begins to fire on all cylinders with a nightclub ambush where a mysterious, bedraggled fighter called Prakoso (Yayan Ruhian, whom fans will recognize as one of the first film’s nastier villains), a longtime associate of Bangun’s, brings the various gangland tensions to a head. Evans’ determination not to repeat himself is admirable, and the denser, more character-driven storytelling feels like a natural elaboration of “Redemption’s” gimmick: After surviving that movie’s literal fortress of peril, Rama/Yuda now finds himself trapped in a less claustrophobic sort of labyrinth, one where the risk of exposure lurks around every corner and it’s not clear whether the thugs or the ostensible good guys are less trustworthy. The script takes its time establishing the principal players and their respective sinister agendas, not always in the most readily comprehensible fashion for roughly the first hour, the action comes in quick, nasty jolts, punctuating the long stretches of narrative buildup. As he accompanies Uco on minor missions to shake down local pornographers and the like, Rama/Yuda keeps silent tabs on the fiery young don-in-waiting, who’s increasingly impatient with his father’s deferential, keep-the-peace attitude toward the rival Japanese Goto family.
FILM THE RAID 2 BERANDAL FULL
Uco gets out a while later, but it’s a full two years before Rama (now calling himself Yuda) is released, at which point he’s cautiously welcomed into Bangun’s employ. His superior forces him undercover, where Rama is to infiltrate one of Jakarta’s major crime families, gather information about the crooked cops on their payroll, and possibly settle a personal score with a limping but lethal baddie named Bejo (Alex Abbad).Īnd so Rama gets himself thrown in prison, where, after distinguishing himself in the first major setpiece - a satisfyingly visceral knock-down, drag-out brawl that finds inmates and police clashing in a muddy courtyard - he succeeds in earning the trust and respect of fellow prisoner Uco (Arifin Putra), the handsome, hotheaded son of formidable crime boss Bangun (Tio Pakusadewo). Having somehow made it out of “Redemption’s” house of horrors alive, kick-ass cop Rama ( Iko Uwais) soon learns his defeated opponents were merely pawns in a much bigger game, and he’ll have to disappear in order to avoid further persecution, and protect his wife and infant son. To the likely chagrin of some viewers, this time you actually have to pay a modicum of attention to the plot, a testosterone-driven tale of undercover cops and gang turf wars that crosses the existential despair of the “Infernal Affairs” trilogy with the brooding nihilism of a Takeshi Kitano yakuza picture.
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