Film Review: ‘The Raid 2’ is Must-See for Martial Arts Action Fans

CHICAGO – Two years ago, the Indonesian film, “The Raid: Redemption”, smacked action movie fans upside the head. To briefly sum it up, it was nuts. The straight-forward plot took a backseat to some amazing stunt work, an insane amount of creative choreography and in-your-face violence. There’s no need to worry about the sequel, “The Raid 2,” not living up to the original…since the highly-anticipated follow up is bigger and faster and even offers an in depth story to wrap your brain around – while getting hit upside the head once again.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Taking place a mere two hours after the previous film, we catch up with battered rookie SWAT member, Rama (Iko Uwais), who’s brought in corrupt cop, Wahyu (Pierre Gruno), and is now being taken in by a mysterious group within the police force that has a specific focus. While they commend Rama for a job well done, they now want him to go undercover, taking him once again away from his family and immersing him in the crime lords, corrupt cops and assortment of thugs and scumbags of Jakarta.

He’s reluctant at first, but when his brother is killed off by Bejo (Alex Abbad), a young and erratic gangster, Rama is determined to take down mob boss, Bangun (Tio Pakusadewo) and anyone associated with him. The super cop starts in prison, where he befriends Bangun’s only son, Uco (Arifin Putra), making sure nothing happens to him, so when they get out, Rama has an in with the family business. As he earns their trust, Rama is forced to go along with brutal acts of violence in order to stay in character, finding himself in the middle of a complicated gang war. But as me makes progress on his dangerous mission, the restless Uco takes a series of deceptive steps to usurp his father and take out all the rival families.

“The Raid 2” continues its limited release in Chicago on April 4th. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Alex Abbad, Tio Pakusodewo and Oka Antara. Written and directed by Gareth Evans. Rated “R”