Film Review - The Raid 2 (2014)

On DVD and Blu Ray - "The Raid 2" - (2014) - Director Gareth Evans's sequel to 2012's *Indonesian martial arts actioner, "The Raid: Redemption" somehow miraculously surpasses the original- it's one of the finest sequels and outright greatest action flicks ever made.  Well deserving of the "epic" label, it's one-third prison flick, one-third crime epic and one-third action movie euphoria. Not for the faint of heart or squeamish, The Raid 2 is also one of the bloodiest films to ever grace its genre. 

Iko Uwais returns to star as "Rama", a former S.W.A.T. team member who goes deep undercover to infiltrate a Jakartan crime syndicate in an effort to protect his family.  This particular entry in the franchise clocks in at 150 minutes long and is a substantially more patient, labyrinthine and sure-handed affair- if the 2012 film was similar in nature to 1988's Die Hard, this particular venture bears elements reminiscent of Heat (1995), The Departed (2006) and Hard Boiled (1992).  The performances are fine across the board, and I simply cannot fathom why Uwais hasn't become a household name by now.  In comparison, Tony Jaa's cinematic forays have been sophomoric kid stuff...

Potential viewers can expect a mud-caked, shiv-infested, crimson-streaked prison yard brawl, a host of bone-crunching, mano-y-mano confrontations, a high-speed, multi-vehicle chase/gun battle sequence and a pretty young lady's gory, hammer-time rampage on a subway.  I'll remember a climactic, blood-soaked, one-on-one karambit knife fight (set in a Night Club's kitchen) for the remainder of my life- simply stated, it's tense, thrilling stuff and the best of it's type ever put to film. 

If there was one thing I would pick at, it would be a sequence where one aluminum baseball bat-wielding thug's hitting accuracy borders on absurd- outside of this hiccup, the narrative logic is decidedly sound.

Much like its franchise predecessor, the brutal confrontations are elaborately choreographed and exceptionally filmed- the stunt-heavy skirmishes are easy to follow and impressive in scope.  There is none of that wire-fu horseshit here and I had a difficult time spotting any CGI whatsoever.  The film's pulsating original score is first rate while the overall experience is punctuated with an ambiguous, albeit well-conceived conclusion.  If allowed, Director Gareth Evans (not to be confused with Godzilla 2014's Gareth Edwards) would surely leave quite an impression upon American audiences... then again, they may not be prepared for him.

The Raid 2 serves as a prime example of why American action cinema has completely lost its bite and intestinal fortitude.  August of 2014 brings the release of the exponentially larger budgeted, kid-friendly PG-13 rated Expendables 3... what a cowardly money grab that's turning out to be.

Highly Recommended- it's a Midnight Max Essential.

9.5 out of 10

*Subtitle Alert

Director: Gareth Huw Evans
Cast: Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Julie Estelle, Yayan Ruhian, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusadewo, Alex Abbad, Ryuhei Matsuda, Kenchi Endo and Kazuki Kitamura
Run-Time: 150 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for sequences of strong bloody violence throughout, sexuality and language

For what it's worth:

The Raid: Redemption - (2012) - 8.5