Martial arts vom Feinsten

I'd seen the original when it was released. The original captivated me with its premise, which revolved on a building surrounded by special forces. However, in this sequel, directed by Gareth Evans and starring Iko Uwais, Iko is recruited to infiltrate the mafia clan and collect evidences on them, as well as the corrupt police chief. The film's fight sequences are extremely violent and long. Perhaps the Indonesian form of fight choreography (Pencak silat) is the only thing that will keep you watching this 2 hour 30 minute movie.

It is hard to believe but this movie is bigger better than the first one. This movie literally blew my mind. Please do yourself a favor and watch this movie.

In my opinion, the greatest action movie ever made (so far). Gareth Evans should be getting huge paydays in Hollywood. Iko Uwais is amazing, as usual, as is the rest of the cast.

Overcomplicated plot and undeveloped/rushed arcs and scenes (despite it's 150 minute runtime) gets overshadowed by some of the best action scenes you will ever see coupled with really effective acting and drama, making it's non-action scenes never feel like a slog.

In a cinematic world filled with action films that are all cloned from ‘Bourne’ movies, i.e. where our hero is mercilessly pursued across one city after the next by relentless government agents, it’s actually quite nice to see a change of style (and in a sequel, no less!). The original ‘Raid’ film was quite a condensed little piece, set in Indonesia it was about a police raid that went bad, leaving only a handful of survivors left alive. Part II starts only a matter of hours after the first one ends and the only honest cop left alive finds he’s still in hot water when a secret team of police officers recruit him to go undercover and infiltrate what’s left of the gangs who run the city’s crime. Now the ‘raid’ is really a raid in name only. There’s no raid in the sequel, just a story which revolves around our downtrodden police hero and his attempts to infiltrate those he has sworn to destroy. It does – naturally – have subtitles, so you’ll need to be okay with reading them while you’re watching. Strangely enough, for an action film, there’s quite a bit to it. It’s quite a long film – over two hours – and some might say that that is too long to just watch multiple martial arts scenes (did I mention you really need to be a fan of martial arts movies to appreciate this?). However, it never really outstays its welcome and actually moves pretty quickly. In fact… our hero almost becomes forgotten as a fair amount of the story is dedicated to the gang members and how they’re attempting to doublecross each other. Some of the enemies almost become even more memorable than our hero, who almost starts to seem bland in comparison. Perhaps one of the Raid 2’s strengths is the way it’s filmed. If ever a film has a ‘look and feel’ then it does here. Every visual is striking and, even if you’re not reading the subtitles, each shot is pretty breath-taking. Okay, so you need to truly be into action and/or martial arts movies to fully get the most out of the Raid 2, but anyone who loves film and doesn’t mind the subtitles should appreciate the arty overall feel of watching grown men throw each other over toilet cubicles. Oh, yeah… and it’s a little bit violent here and there – expect the red stuff to flow.

"The Raid 2" isn't as strong as it's predecessor, but what it does is offer is the brutal action on a larger scale by moving away from the compactness of the tower block & taking the violence to the streets. Iko Uwais returns to show his strength & talent by proving himself to be one of the best modern day action stars & once again, Gareth Evans makes sure you feel every impact & every pint of blood lost on screen. Leaving you knocked down by the impressive action sequences from the jail riots to the 2 vs 1 corridor fight with hammers & baseball bats.

As great, if not more so as it's predecessor, which they've tried to build on rather than replicate. Another action classic.

Apesar do odo contesto histórico e roteirístico ter sido inferior, principalmente no que diz respeito as cenas de lutas, que o anterior (provavelmente por isso esse conquistou bem mais minha simpatia e atenção), aqui ganha em conteúdo e diálogos, disputa por poder entre membros da mesma família, traições, agentes infiltrados, o ponto alto, como sendo as relações familiares entre pai e filho (no mínimo 3 são citadas diretamente) humanizando as lutas extremantes exaustivas e sanguinárias...

Super Action, toll Choreographiert und schön blutig. Allerdings ist er entschieden zu lang, das Mafiosi Getue nervt und der Daddy Komplex des Bösewichts ebenso. Charaktere und Handlung sind mir leider echt egal gewesen.

Após sobreviver ao filme anterior, Rama é convidado a trabalhar disfarçado para pegar todo o esquema de corrupção da polícia de Jacarta. Na prisão, ele faz amizade com Uco, filho de um dos chefes do crime, Bangun, e, assim, se infiltra na organização, que está sendo ameaçada pelo perigoso Bejo. Com o sucesso do primeiro filme e com mais dinheiro, o diretor e roterista Gareth Evans pode investir mais. Assim, temos mais locações (o filme anterior foi todo no prédio do traficante), uma história com personagens para desenvolver, uma sequência automobilística e, é claro, muitas e excelentes sequências de lutas de artes marciais. Vamos pelo ponto negativo: o roteiro. No primeiro filme, o roteiro era apenas a desculpa para a sequências de ação. Aqui, como há uma trama e mais personagens, a coisa toda fica na superficialidade. Todos os personagens podem ser descritos com um adjetivo só. Mesmo o protagonista não tem como se sentir comprometido com os gangsters, como em outras histórias de agentes infiltrados. Não é uma dívida tão grande entre eles. Outra coisa: são descobertas feitas por personagens que não são explicadas. Porém, os personagens dos mercenários não precisam de muito para ganharem a nossa atenção. A assassina com os martelos e o rapaz com o taco de beisebol podem até serem considerados meio personagens de animês ou mangás, mas as suas sequências são eletrizantes. Nunca pensei das mais variadas formas de se usar um martelo como arma de matança. As sequências de lutas continuam no mais alto nível, principalmente no terço final do filme. É uma sequência que dá uma derrapada, por não ter um roteiro melhor escrito, ter personagens estereotipados, mas continua excelente nas cenas de artes marciais.

More complex than the first with a expanding story and bigger action set pieces. A top notch action fighting movie

The first movie was great but this one actually has a story so it manages to be even better

More of an epic feel as compared to its predecessor but still has a sense of real sadness, something few action films are willing to do.

literally the other greatest movie of all time (the other is the raid 1)

Rama returns for not only fighting the criminal element, but also infiltrating its ranks! As he wants to get to the source of the crime syndicate, his undercover operation spells doom for himself and anyone who gets involved with an internal power struggle. As intense and emotional as the first film, we're thrust into the compromising position of both cop and criminal!

Had the pleasure of watching this and 13 Assassins on successive nights. Completely insane action from start to finish, both hand-to-hand combat and a memorable, bone-crunching car chase! A worthy successor to the first film.

I can't believe they were able to surpass the 1st movie. This one has more intricate story telling than the first.

Great action packed fights. Me personally liked the first one better but this one is close behind

I've seen the original so many times at this point, but I have only ever watched The Raid 2 once before. It's a totally different beast from the original's claustrophobia, opening out its action to the city streets and beyond, but The Raid 2 succeeds by not sacrificing anything that made its predecessor so engaging. Hyper-violent it may be but there is beauty in its brutality, the more complex narrative complimenting the film's bigger story. Evans gives the audience a knowing wink by having Rama endure repeated batterings that would leave mere mortals in traction, not to mention some nasty blade wounds. Yet he keeps coming back, finding the stamina to snap more limbs and crush more skulls. The sheer imagination on display, both in the cinematography and choreography, guarantees each brawl is instantly iconic. Immaculately edited, each traumatic, tensely tactile fight would blur into chaos if not for Evans's pinpoint pacing. Sumptuously shot and flat-out exhilarating, Gareth Evans delivers another home run with The Raid 2, remaining unparalleled within its genre.