The Raid 2: Berandal
Starring: Iko Uwais, Tio Pakusadewo, Arifin Putra
Written/Directed by Gareth Evans
Reviewed by Brendan Dousi
[Rating: 3/5]
Whenever a film in Hollywood does well, or is even predicted to do well, it seems that the inevitable sequel pops into existence without a moment to lose. This is the norm now with money-grabbing, blockbuster extravaganzas which are now often met with the heaviest of eye-rolls. It’s a welcome change, however, when a lesser known independent foreign film finds a wide enough audience to warrant a sequel, one with an international release no less. As is the case with The Raid follow up, The Raid 2: Berandal. With a simple yet satisfying story packed with some mind-blowing action scenes, The Raid was an unexpected delight. Can its successor live up to the expectations and build upon the strong foundations left behind, or will it prove that 80 minutes of a guy fighting his way out of a building isn’t a strong enough concept to warrant a sequel?
The Raid 2 basically picks up exactly where the first one left off. Rama (Iko Uwais) is returning to his everyday life after the ordeals of the first film, only to discover that to keep his family safe he will need to go undercover to try and weed out the corruptive element of the Police Force, the same element that got him into trouble in the first film. To do this, Rama needs to take on a new identity and get in cahoots with Bangun (Tio Pakusadewo), the boss of one of the two major crime families in Jakarta. To do this, he is sent to jail to gain the trust of Bangun’s son and heir to his criminal empire, Uco (Arifin Putra). Things get complicated for both the crime family and Rama when a new criminal element seeks to create a rift in the truce between Bangun and his rival/ally Goto (Kenichi Endo). There is, of course, also a crap-tonne of fighting.
A certain level of suspension of disbelief is required when viewing a film like The Raid 2. You need to accept that fact that this is set in an alternate reality where the most influential and feared crime syndicate in all of Jakarta simply don’t use guns. Sure, there’s one here and there, but turf wars, assassinations and high-level security seem to be best left to people with lead pipes and wooden planks. Luckily, though, this sets the stage for some truly spectacular, exhilarating and just plain brutal fight scenes ever seen in cinema. There is a pure, giddy and almost sadistic imagination behind the violence in this film. At times it almost seems too much, but that doesn’t stop yourself from eagerly awaiting which fight scene is going to come next. Unfortunately, that’s what you’re mostly left doing between fight scenes. Waiting.
The first film was a very simple, straight-forward affair. Instead of building up on top of the formula that worked so well for them last time, they simply throw it out of the window. Instead they go the complicated betrayal, double-cross, investigate and try and take down a criminal empire route. Basically, it was as if Gareth Evans really really really wanted to make his own version of Infernal Affairs (or The Departed for the Scorsese/English Remake fans). Everything seems overly convoluted and laden with exposition, trying to explain to the audience what’s going on and who’s doing what. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. There was nothing inspiring going on and it just felt like maybe they bit off more than they could chew. As the old writing proverb goes, ‘Less is more’.
If you were a fan of the first one, you may be a little bit off put by the changes in formula here. There’s much more fat to chew on, but those imaginative kick-ass fight scenes which blew your mind are back with a vengeance. If you had a problem with the violence in The Raid, I’m not sure what you’re doing seeing the sequel, but let it be known that no punches are pulled. Literally. While a little clunky on the story and pacing front, The Raid 2: Berandal is still an enjoyable, kinetic, no-holds-barred action film worth a watch.
