The Raid 2

The Raid featured last year on the blog. It had a similar feel to 'Dredd' or 'District 13' in terms of plot- with a SWAT team facing drug and crime gangs. This sequel is about the same man, undercover in prison trying to bring down corrupt officials and crime gangs simultaneously.

The martial arts are Indonesian. It's not Free Running or standard martial arts that we would expect from a martial arts, it's different. Not focused particularly on one type either (like Ip Man which is focused on Win Chung), The Raid 2 is different to other martial arts films because of the style and the display. Just because the film is only subbed it doesn't mean that it is Japanese or Chinese.

Appreciate the work in the film, the stunts and the way that the plot and the stunts go together. Everything is flawless, including the prison fight scene in the mud. Iko Uwais is still surprisingly almost perfect in his role as Rama. It's not quite as obvious that he is an undercover cop because he is so silent. He earns the respect of everyone in the prison, even they aren't the people that he will fight with. He earns the respect of everyone that he meets and fights with because he is respectful, not looking for a fight, silent and understanding in what needs to be done. His character portrayal is what makes it different from all other martial arts films. Over the years on this blog I have written that it was about the acting or one film was entirely about the martial arts, another about the free running but this is about Iko Uwais and his silently strong character. Everything else is the icing on the cake- he is what makes this film a standout from some of the others.