![]() This leads to plenty of exposition that can be tricky to follow in a mixture of Indonesian, Japanese, and a bit of English. The details of this Godfather-esque plot are setup in the first act (with a good amount of fighting interspersed). If all of this sounds pretty complicated, you’re not wrong. Bejo’s plan and Uco’s greed threatens Bunawar’s operation and promises to throw all of Jakarta into bloody mob war, leaving Rama right in the center of the violence. ![]() Uco’s thirst for power makes him the perfect target for Bejo, an upstart crime boss who tempts Uco with the promise of the two of them defeating Goto and carving up his territories for themselves. But Uco hates the Japanese influence on his city and loathes his father’s reluctance to stand up to Goto. Bangun and Goto have been in alliance for 10 years and things are mostly peaceful for the two gangs. In the Merantau Universe, half of Jakarta is under the control of Bangun while the other half is controlled by the Yakuza and their crime boss Goto. Everything looks to be falling into place for Bunawar’s plan. Rama accepts Bangun’s offer to work for his organization and quickly proves his value as a top enforcer. And when Rama is finally released from prison, it is Uco who picks him up and takes him straight to his father to receive Bangun’s personal thanks. But it takes Rama coming to Uco’s rescue is an enormous battle in a muddy prison yard (perhaps the film’s most fantastic scene) to cement Uco’s trust in him. Rama immediately catches Uco’s eye after he holds his own against 30 prisoners in the film’s first action set-piece shot in a dirty bathroom stall. Rama would prefer to just go back to his loving wife and son, but Bunawar makes it clear that if it becomes known to Bangun that it was Rama who took out Tama, he and his family are as good as dead.īunawar’s plan involves giving Rama a new identity by killing anyone who knew it was Rama that took down Tama (not that there are many left), and then placing Rama in the same jail as Bangun’s son Uco. To do this, Bunawar needs Rama to infiltrate Bangun’s organization. The real prize is Bangun, and more importantly, to find out which high level officials and cops are on Bangun’s payroll. Bunawar explains to Rama that Tama (the bad guy boss in the last film) actually worked for the crime boss Bangun. Rama tracks down a man named Bunawar, the good cop his brother told him to find. Through a stylized opening sequence that plays loose with chronology, we see the death of Rama’s brother and the effective cleaning of the slate from the first film. The film opens not long after the events of The Raid: Redemption have wrapped up. And yes, the action in the sequel is even more impressive, even more artistic, and even more vicious than the first film. Evans has expertly crafted a complex and interesting tale that weaves through the numerous bloody fight set pieces. It’s every bit a sequel to the first film and an expansion of the Merantau Universe. The answer to all of these questions is a resounding, “Fuck YES!” The Raid 2 is a full force actioner. Would taking the action outside of the lone building keep up the first film’s wicked pace? Could a sequel replicate the form of the first film without feeling repetitive? Did Evans have the skills to tell a much broader story? Was it even possible to top the bone-crunching action of The Raid: Redemption? So it has been a tense two-and-then-some years waiting for a follow-up from Evans. It was no hyperbole when we called The Raid: Redemption “the best action movie in decades.” That film redefined martial arts cinema for the 21st century and announced Gareth Evans as one of the most exciting young directors working today.
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