GONZALEZ
My first viewing of “The Raid” in 2012 was an amazing theater experience. It’s one of those films that a crowd eats up so couple that with good friends plus a good presentation and a great time was had. Sure the plot was ridiculously simple and mainly an excuse to stage fight scenes. But man, what fight scenes they were. And it’s not just the fight scenes; there are sequences that are so suspenseful in their build-up that you almost feel like you’re watching a horror film (a really good horror film, I mean). In short, the original “Raid”, directed by Gareth Evans and starring Iko Uwais, is the best straight action film of the last 10 years.
So we come to Evans’ sequel, “The Raid 2: Berandal” (which means “thug” in Indonesian). A little back story is needed first. “Berandal” actually began life as a stand alone script created before the original ever came out. Evans and Uwais had already made a film in 2009 called “Merantau” and wanted to make a sprawling crime epic as their next picture. But the budget was too high so instead “The Raid” was born as a low-cost alternative. Evans has decided to tweak his original script for “Berandal” by inserting Rama into the mix and thus the sequel was born. I mention this because if you were to take out the first couple minutes of this film, you would never know it was a sequel to “The Raid“. Iko Uwais could be playing a similar but different character and the only other recognizable actor from the first film, fight coordinator Yayan Ruhian who played Mad Dog, is playing a completely different character. Whereas the original had a bare bones plot, the sequel has been bestowed a labyrinthine narrative where the fight scenes come a bit more sparingly.
I’m conflicted on this aspect of the film and it is my one big sticking point. While it’s nice to have an actual story to follow this time, following it with a definitive sense of understanding can be a bit difficult. I hope your memory of Indonesian names is better than mine because keeping track of the characters is tough. That being said, I was never truly lost because… Well, stop me if you’ve heard this one before: An idealistic cop goes deep undercover to bring down a powerful mob family from the inside. While doing this, he has doubts about whether his actions are still moral, whether he’s getting too deep in the muck. I could name a couple of movies but I’ll just go for the most recent example and say that it’s the same plot as “The Departed“. In fact there are a couple of plot points that are frustratingly identical. As far as lifting from other screenplays, you could do worse than “The Departed” and I must admit an affinity for the genre. Still, Evans must think his plot is hot shit because he cuts away from his fight scenes a lot more than he should. Because as great as the fight scenes are, some of the dialogue and character interactions are “been there, done that”. Plus it’s really long at 150 minutes; while it might play better on second viewing, the first viewing did tempt me to check my watch at times.
Thankfully, my one major complaint with the movie isn’t enough to derail the entertainment value that comes from what we all came here to see. The fight scenes alone make this an essential for action fans; there’s even a brilliant car chase to distinguish itself from the fisticuffs (though, of course, there are punches thrown in the car, naturally).
Evans remains a supremely talented director and co-editor of violence with some moments easily rivaling the carnage that was wrought in the original. Iko Uwais is once again a compelling hero and his fighting skills still inspire awe. The entire cast is capable even when sometimes playing familiar characters. Finally, whereas “The Raid” was shot with cheap digital cameras (and looked every bit of it), “Berandal” was shot in 5K resolution and the boost in clarity is much appreciated.
I might sound largely negative in my review but I want to clarify: While I prefer the original’s lean, mean structure, I definitely enjoyed “The Raid 2: Berandal”, warts and all. Bring on “The Raid 3”! My Rating: 7/10.
