Why The Raid 2 is the most disappointing sequel ever made!
I have my reasons.
And they make sense.I’m not going to act like I’m not disappointed, that my dissatisfaction isn’t coloured by the fact my expectations were high. THE RAID is my favourite film. It is the finest action movie ever crafted. The sequel was a let-down.But this admission hardly invalidates my reasons for disliking The Raid 2.
And they still make sense.Once again, Spoilers. All of the Spoilers.Let’s take the opening scene here – Rama’s savvy, capable, recently promoted crime boss bro, Andii, gets kidnapped, black bagged and the business end of a shotty to the face.I don’t mind that Gareth Evans did this. I mind that he didn’t do us the courtesy of explaining it.How did up-and-coming mobster Bejo, a man who openly admits he needs more muscle, get his hands on Andii? Especially as The Raid spent its runtime teaching usA) He’s wicked smart
B) He can hold his own in a fight
C) Has an (admittedly reduced) army of hoodlums at his disposal
D) Operates from a fortress so impenetrable 20 SWAT Operators armed with Assault Rifles and the element of surprise couldn’t bring it down!Admittedly, Andii entertains the notion of shifting location at the end of The Raid. But the fact this major plot point goes unchallenged doesn’t actually establish Bejo as a threat. Instead it proves Gareth Evans is willing to blatantly undermine his earlier work.
Work which made him popular.
Work which made him the money to make his beloved Berandal.
Work we all admire.
It’s a thoughtless mistake.Also, SIDENOTE – Bejo employs three novelty assassins. Three! This would have been an ideal time to give any one of them an early introduction. You know, so they can enjoy heightened relevance as the film progresses. It’s not like they were criminally underutilised or anything. Oh wait…
We also have this dude who brains people with a baseball and politely asks that they toss it back.
Oh, there’s the deaf chick with the hideous facial scarring who likes to spin coins and dual wielding craw hammers.
And who could forget the machete wielding hobo. Who is also filthy rich. And desperately wants to re-connect with his estranged kid. And a close personal friend of Jakarta’s biggest crime boss.These characters are all ripe for exploration, for development. Any one of them could have been the film’s END BOSS. (The fact this term has just unconsciously started making sense in wider circles delights me.)But Gareth Evans had his vision. This was his quirky crime epic and he’d been waiting years to make it. So eager was Evans to wow us with his creative brilliance his ability to edit, one which served him so well when crafting THE RAID’s refreshingly lean 100 minutes, just fell straight out of his head.As a result, they each get two scenes apiece. And then die in a necessarily gory fashion.The Assassin.
Baseball Bat Guy.
Hammer Girl.
Prakoso.Even combined they make but a shadow of the impact MAD DOG left back in 2011.Less is more, Mr Evans. You yourself taught us this…Toilet Cubical Fight.
Shiv-happy Prison Riot.
Porn Den Brutality.
One handed assassination.
Pakrosso’s snow covered last stand.
Baseball Bat Guy Hits a Home Run. Or eight.
Hammer Girl Subway Car Ultra-Violence.
Rama fights and then burns some guys face off for some reason.
Rama Vs The Assassin 1.
Cars get chased. Bodies get smushed.
Finale warm-up bout in Warehouse.
Avoid getting hit by the hammers and the baseball bat fight.
Rama Vs The Assassin 2: This time it’s a Kitchen!Credit where it’s due, no two action scenes in the The Raid 2 are alike. Each set piece has a defining characteristic, each throw down a unique hook. Sometimes literally. And I won’t fault the pure choreography here. Having not seen most of the movies in 2014, I can safely say the Raid 2 boasts the very best action of 2014. There can be no lingering doubt - Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian are the best there is at what they do. And what they do IS very nice.Unfortunately, I’m going to have to lay the blame squarely at Evans’ feet here again.These set-pieces have novelty coming out the yazoo, but four of them star NO-ONE of consequence and at least two of them sideline Rama’s majesty in favour of something less interesting like mud or driving.Even the mighty Kitchen Fight is not without reproach.Like music, like camerawork, like dialogue, like editing, like every other facet of the filmmaking process, action-scenes have a rhythm. The more sophisticated the beats, the more emotive, the more enticing, the more exciting the result.For all its gore, its blood, its savagery, its counter-punches, whipping kicks, joint-locks, hip-tosses and last minute evades, the Kitchen fight has a novice rhythm.Rama starts to lose. Rama starts to win.
[Knives are drawn.]
Rama starts to lose. Rama wins.Honestly, despite the immediate impression that this raptor claw Assassin (real life Silat genius Cecep Arif Rahman) was unconquerable, Rama delivers a clean triple roundhouse to groin, gut and gullet within ninety seconds, knocking The Assassin on his ass. I knew then Rama would win. He was the better martial artist. Plain. Simple. He was going to win.
Unlike THE RAID.
Or it’s full title THE RAID: AAAARRRRGGGGGGGHHHH!The Raid 2 was a monumental disappointment for resident action-fan Jack McGlynn. Read on to find out how exactly it offended his delicate sensibilities
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