The Raid 2 movie review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critc reviews...

The Raid 2 is an Indonesian action film from earlier this year, starring Iko Uwias as Rama, the returning protagonist from the first film. However, where the first film was set in one isolated building, creating a claustrophobic tone, this one is set in an entire city, with a longer overarching plot. So, the big question here is, can a film like this work the way the first one did, or will it fall flat? Well, time to see.

Julie Estelle in The Raid 2

What the first one did really well, I found, was capturing both great action as well as good dramatic elements and solid performances. And I find that the same goes this film, and even more so. With the film centering around an overarching story rather than an isolated event, it allows the film to show more heart and emotion, which I find the actors convey really well. Granted, like the first one, some of the performances can be a little cheesy at times, but for the most part the actors are pretty solid.

Alex Abbad in The Raid 2

Much like the first film, the cinematography here is fantastic. The shots in the film are, for lack of  a better word, stunning. You can clearly see the effort that was put into setting up the shots, to make everything work in a really visually stunning way. The film is filled with vibrant colours, and amazingly lined up shots, which especially goes for some of the fight sequences.

Iko Uwias and Cecep Arif Rahman in The Raid 2

Speaking of fight sequences, the fights here are still really good, however, I think the isolated nature of the first film made the fight scenes even cooler to watch. The story sometimes overshadows the fights, which never happened in the first one. The fact that the first film had fight after fight made for a non-stop action experience, which I didn't feel as much with this film. However, on its own, the fight sequences are really cool to watch.

Final Rating

The Raid 2 is an enjoyable, and entertaining action film. Although it's not as great as the first one was, this is still a damn good movie, with some fantastic shots, and great visuals. The fight sequences are still stunning, and even more creative. If you're a fan of action films, or a fan of the first one, I'd say check it out.

The Raid 2: 4/5