The Raid 2!!!!

The Raid 2.

Iko Uwais the star of the first The Raid film is back for what is the second round of fast paced martial arts impressive violence. Following on from the first film we at first see a corn field in which a shaking scared man is executed and thrown into a shallow dug grave by a mysterious man Bejo (Alex Abbad). As Rama (Iko Uwais) is taken to meet with Bunawar (Cok Simbara) the chief of Jakarta's anti-corruption task force, told that his brother has been killed by Bejo, Rama is persuaded to help bring down the corrupt police commissioner Reza (Roy Marten). 

To get inside and find out information he must infiltrate two rival gang familys, Bangun and Goto. Assaulting a son of a politician who opposed the Bangun gang he is thrown into prison. This is where the first fight sequence takes place, in the middle of a exercise courtyard that is a foot deep in thick mud a riot breaks out. Fighting off most of the prisoners he soon enough saves the life of the son of Bangun, Uco (Arfin Putra). Finally out of prison and in marched in front of Bangun (Tio Pakusadewo) he is taken in by the family and given a job to do whatever Bangun says. 

Being close to Uco he sees his frustration for the fact his father hasn't given him enough power in the family business and years for something bigger. Going behind his fathers back Uco meets with Bejo and they both work out a plan to start an all out gang war between Bangun and Goto so that Uco can prove himself to his father. 

With this war started the bloodshed comes quick and fast and really violent with assassins on both sides, Prakoso (Yayan Ruhian) works for Bangun and fights and kills to keep the city in order. Bejo has his own two assassins who we shall only name Baseball bat man and Hammer girl and you can guess what their choice of weapon is. 

The storyline of the film if you can keep up with the subtitles is quite basic but really effective and interesting at the same time. So one thing I haven't covered is the fight sequences and the violence of the film that really make it seriously impressive and exciting all the way through. Their are fights in cars, fights in a toilet cubicle, fights in a building, fights in a corridor, fights in a kitchen, fights in a massive mud filled courtyard and even a car chase to top it all off. It takes the fight sequences from the first Raid film and just triples, no quadruples it and makes it more fast and technical. 

Throw in the fact you have hammer girl and baseball bat guy and you can understand the sequences, you watch in awe but you flinch, grimmace and shout out "woahhhhh, that's insane" when you see what happens on screen. You can tell director Gareth Evans has really thought about these scenes and takes his time to get the scenes right and precise and perfect and he does it so well. 

For me this is already one of my films of the year, not many 18 films have entered the UK cinema and this one has really impressed me. The way in which the film is pieced together and how the fight scenes are brought in really bring the film together, with the right storyline of family loyalty and betrayal it works really well. For anyone who loved the first Raid film you will seriously love every minute of this film and you'll bask in its glory and smile, laugh, wince and flinch at every punch,kick, hit,shot and stab.

10/10.