The Raid 2 is a brutal, intense film that action/karate fans will enjoy

The Raid is one of the best action films ever.  It’s intense, brutal and has some of the best hand to hand fighting that I’ve ever seen on film.  The Raid 2: Berandal is 50 minutes longer, even more violent and has some really spectacular action sequences.  Put against its older sister it’s not as good, however, put alongside most any other action movie it’s far superior.  The Raid 2 is in no way appropriate for children; it’s dark, intense, bloody, realistic violence that is potentially disturbing.

The Raid 2 starts immediately at the end of the first movie.  Rama has just laid waste to an apartment complex that was controlled by corrupt cops and the local mob.  However, now that Rama has survived he’s a target from the corrupt cops and local mafia.  An inspector that runs a small, elite group of undercover cops recruits Rama to go deep undercover in order to root out all of the evil from the city.

In the prison is Uco, the only son of one of the mafia leaders, Bangun.  Bangun and Goto control the city, but have an uneasy truce.  Bejo is a low level mobster trying to stir up trouble between the two groups in a power grab.

That’s the rough plot.  There are many more characters than in The Raid, which essentially had 4 main people.  I lost track of who was Uco, Andi, Eka, Bejo, Goto and some others in The Raid 2.  That’s partially because the movie has more people and that it still moves at a very fast pace.  While The Raid took place in real time, contained in an apartment building; The Raid 2 takes over 2 years and has more traditional action elements.

The action elements are car chases, fights and gun battles.  However, the action elements in The Raid 2 will be tough to watch for some audiences.  People getting shot in the face, run over by cars, limbs chopped off, and heads struck with hammers and all manner of torture or gore.  If you can stomach the violence, you will enjoy The Raid 2.

I knew that The Raid 2 was violent, but I was unprepared for just how violent it was.

How can a movie so violent be enjoyable?  The artistry in the car chases and fight scenes in the silat martial arts sequences are amazing.  The final fight sequence is art, albeit with knives, punches and lots of broken windows.  The fight sequence in the back of a taxi with five grown men is claustrophobic.  How they can sit in the car, much less fight is something you’ll wonder when you see it.

The biographies on the performers in The Raid 2 are amazing.  Cecep Arif Rahman who is the main silat bad guy, The Assassin, is actually a silat teacher, dad and an elementary school teacher.  Yuyan Ruhian, who was killed the in the first Raid is back, and almost unrecognizable as Prakoso, a family friend of Uco and Bangun.  He’s professional martial arts instructor who started a school designed to teach bodies to be able to withstand being hit by controlling your breathing.  Give Yuyan more screen time, he’s amazing.  Iko Uwais is Rama, if he didn’t bleed you’d swear you were total CGI bending, punching, running and ducking.

The Raid 2 is great and one that any fan of action movies should watch.  It’s a worthy, different sequel to a movie that will be film school material for decades to come.