Taking place directly after the events of the first film, Rama learns that the men in the building though formidable, were merely small fish in a much larger pond of the criminal underworld. With no other way to guarantee the safety of his wife and child, Rama goes undercover in an effort to infiltrate the criminal underworld, climbing up the ladder to root out the corrupt politicians and police officers making this widespread violence possible. Gareth Evan's The Raid 2 is a film of much greater ambitions than its predecessor. Featuring a 150 minute runtime, The Raid 2 is a sprawling and convoluted narrative which attempts to tell an epic crime saga that's far different than its stripped-down, lean predecessor. The thematic discussions which The Raid 2 wants to raise about the circular nature of crime and corruption feels muddled in an overly convoluted narrative that mistakes its messiness for being profound. These ideas are a plenty but they never come to the surface, never being explored enough to resonate with the viewer. The action in The Raid 2 is fantastic, with some unique action set-pieces that are incredibly visceral and exciting. The choreography is ballet like, and I mean that in a good way, with incredibly detailed fight sequences that one could only imagine are incredibly complex to create. As a visual storyteller, Gareth Evans latest is much more impressionistic, with some nice lighting and well thought out compositions that work for the most part, even though he pushes it a little too far sometimes. The Raid 2 is pretty much on par with its predecessor, giving the viewer a thoroughly enjoyable experience that works far greater as an action film than the political/social commentary it at times aspires too.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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