Let nobody say that The Raid 2 is simply a retread of its prequel The Raid: Redemption. Instead of giving us a similar story as the original, one of the best action films to come out in quite some time, writer/director/editor Gareth Evans has decided to take the series in an altogether different direction. Gone are the grimy and claustrophobic action sequences of the original. Instead we get lengthy scenes of dialogue, lingering shots of decor, and surprisingly long gaps of time between action sequences. While it is certainly adventurous of Evans to take one of the most respected and original action films of the decade and move the series in a different direction, the shift is not entirely pleasant. What we have is a film with frantic and sometimes incomprehensible action sequences sandwiched between poorly-paced scenes of dialogue.
Beginning almost immediately after the events of The Raid: Redemption, The Raid 2 opens with Jakarta cop Rama (Iko Uwais) who had just fought his way out of a apartment complex full of criminals. He entered the high-rise in hopes of toppling a drug kingpin but walked out realizing that the police force he devoted his life to was plagued with corruption. Rama knows that he and his family aren't safe and encouraged to change his identity. He starts going by "Yuda" and goes undercover as a violent criminal in hopes of working his way through the crime-world in hopes of bringing an end to the corruption and hopefully protecting his future. Rama joins a gang run by Uco (Arifin Putra), who's father is a very important member of the crime world. As he gets deeper and deeper into this new world, the line that separates "Yuda" and "Rama". He is no longer fighting against a single drug-dealer and his cronies. He is fighting against an entire system plagued with brutality and corruption.
Much of The Raid 2 comes off as an attempt to combat the complaints toward the first film in the series. The late Roger Ebert, one of the few critics who hated the film, found the original film repetitive claiming "This film is about violence. All violence. Wall-to-wall violence". He also "estimated the film has 10 minutes of dialogue". It was almost as if Evans took this review to heart and crafted The Raid 2 in a different style. If it weren't for the opening sequence connecting the two films (and also pulling a move reminiscent of Alien 3 by getting rid of everyone but one character) and having a main character played by Uwais, it feels like an different story. The Raid 2 features far more dialogue than the original. While this may please those who want a story to go along with their spectacle, these scenes get repetitive. They show the seedy crime underworld in a way we've seen plenty of times before. Showing that crime-lords are despicable people who will kill and torture anyone who gets in the way of their power and wealth. Evans true talent is in his choreography of fight sequences and not in his writing abilities. While the dialogue and story here is better than The Raid: Redemption, these changes are not necessary. When you have amazing stunt work and an awe-inspiring performer like Uwais, it doesn't make sense to favor lengthy character-building over adrenaline-pumping action sequences.
What set Evans's film-making in The Raid: Redemption apart from his action-film contemporaries was the filming of his action sequences. They were frantic but exhilarating. If it weren't for the fact that you knew these were actors weren't truly being beaten into submission, you would swear you were seeing real battles. Audiences were wincing and gasping out loud at some of the more hardcore scenes of violence. In The Raid 2, Evans unfortunately has succumb to what appears to be the industry standard and filmed his action sequences using handheld cameras. This results in the scenes plagued by the much maligned "shaky cam". This technique gives the action sequences an almost sped-up and unrealistic feel that was not present in the action scenes of first film. The battles become hard to watch at moments, causing the audience to look away not at the brutal violence but in hopes of stopping motion sickness. Evans is an expert fight choreographer. Uwais is one of the most impressive martial-arts performers of the last decades. The choice to film the action sequences in such a rushed and difficult manner almost makes them unwatchable. When he lingers two or three extra beats on scenes dialogue and yet seems to cut his action in half, it almost comes across as Evans downplaying the action and presenting himself as more of a dramatic director. While it is respectable that he would try something new, The Raid 2 is seriously hurt by these choices.
Evans wears his influences on his sleeve in this film. While The Raid: Redemption almost played like a contemporary Die Hard, The Raid 2 appears to be heavily influenced by the work of Nicolas Winding Refn. The first action sequence has Uwais preparing to fight an almost unending series of inmates from the confines of a prison toilet stall. This scene is very reminiscent of the opening sequence of Refn's Bronson, where the main character prepares to fight off police officers in his small cell. While Evans doesn't bring in Refn's odd mismash of creepy cold instrumental music and synth, he does abandon The Raid: Redemptions pulsing "Linkin Park meets dubstep" score for orchestral flourishes. There is no hard-driving grimy action sequences set to throbbing music here. Instead we get more artistic presentations. A scene where a character bleeds out on snow is presented with symphony music. Evans fight choreography also shows his influences. A scene featuring a character named Hammer Girl (Julie Estelle) tearing into hoodlums with claw hammers is very reminiscent of a similar scene in 2003's Oldboy. A fight that takes place inside a moving car recalls a similar scene in 2010's I Saw the Devil. While I definitely wouldn't say Evans is copying any of these films, the originality that was present in the first film is replaced by a feeling of "been there, done that". We aren't invested in an action sequence if it simply brings to mind other films.
There is a good action movie somewhere in the bloated 148-minute runtime. Several scenes and an entire sub-plot could have been cut, leaving a much leaner and more interesting film. A sub-plot featuring an assassin played by Yayan Ruhian is especially pointless and actually confusing. Ruhian was one of the stand-outs from The Raid: Redemption, playing the deranged and violent henchman Mad Dog. Here he plays an altogether different character and there is no mention on why he looks so similar to Mad Dog. This makes every scene he is in incredibly odd. Maybe Evans just wanted to include Ruhian's talents in another film. They are mostly wasted here as he is not given anything close to what he was given in the first film. It is just a confusing and somewhat bewildering inclusion.
The Raid 2 is not without its merits though. Evans new eye for scenery makes a few action sequences wholly original. An early action scene in a muddy prison field is especially impressive. The unstable ground acts unpredictable elements to the battle and makes you wonder why nobody had put together a similar scene before. There are still many opportunities for the audiences to wince and gasp, even if some of them come across as pandering. Some of the action sequences have nice touches of dark comedy. It is difficult not to laugh at the absurdity of a man killing people with a perfectly hit baseball. These moments remind us that Evans knows what he is doing somewhere in the mix.
Evans is a promising director who is definitely trying something new with the action genre even with the slight misstep here. Much of The Raid 2's problems come from comparing it to the original. Had it simply gone by the international title Berandal (meaning "thug") and changed some of the early plot-lines, it would have no doubt succeeded more. Hopefully his next film will have someone else at the editing bay, delivering the lean and hard-hitting action that we know he is capable of.
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