Saturday, April 13, 2013

The Raid 2: Berendal (Indonesia, 2014)






Nine Things about the Movie The Raid 2: Berendal 


1. In 2012, one of the greatest martial arts action movies ever made was released. It was called “The Raid: Redemption”. Unfortunately, being an Indonesian film with subtitles, very few people in America saw it. It became a cult classic among action movie lovers. If you have seen the first movie, you can pretty much stop reading the review right here and go see this one. Yes, it’s that good. It’s the most badass movie of the year.

2. This movie continues the story of Rama, the cop that survived the first movie. It starts out exactly where the first movie ended, so if you haven’t seen the first one, you are going to be pretty lost for awhile. And yes, it’s still Indonesian, and still has subtitles.

3. In this movie, Rama is “persuaded” to help find more dirty cops by going undercover and joining the ranks of a crime syndicate. Then the mayhem begins.

4. The action in this movie is just as good, if not better than, the first movie. The choreography of the fight scenes are gorgeous and almost like a ballet.

5. The violence in this movie is brutal, bloody, and beautiful. It has the highest body count since, well, the first movie. It’s not for pacifists, or those who can’t stand the sight of blood.

6. The cinematography is exquisite. Sometimes the camera is focused on extreme close-ups; other times it soars over and through the action like a deadly angel. The set designs are elegant and stylish.

7. Sure, there are some silly parts - the bad guys tend to forget they have guns and decide to fight Rama in hand-to-hand combat. But that’s all part of the bone-cracking, spine-ripping fun.

8. The movie is two and a half hours long, which is rare for an action picture. That’s because in between the fight scenes there is a lot going on. There are double-crosses, counter-crosses, and accidental crosses. It’s a lot to keep track of.

9. This is a hyper-violent, stylish work of action art, made for people who enjoy extreme, over-the-top action. If you’ve seen “The Raid: Redemption”, you need to see this one. If you haven’t seen the first movie, then you need to correct your mistake, go watch it, and then see this one.




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