The Raid 2
The Raid was a surprise smash-hit, helped considerably by the simplicity of its plot: A police captain leads a squad of rookies in a raid on a tower block in a Jakartan ghetto, to capture the gangster that rules the whole block. It goes wrong, and the rookies have to fight their way up, to win. A low-budget concept that could continually re-use sets, it won through on the inventive and visceral fight sequences.
Its sequel takes the Die Hard With a Vengence approach, getting way too much budget and freedom, and produces a poorer film as a result. Picking up almost immediately afterwards, it contrives a scenario where protagonist Rama goes undercover in one gang, who are in an uneasy truce with a second, while a third gang plots to undermine both. There are varied locations, tense moments, double-crosses and shifting loyalties and - god forbid - a car chase. There are some ace fight sequences, and Rama continues to be a force to reckon with, but this film is spread too wide and too thin.
There were some weird things that suggested script re-writes: Yayan Ruhian's character appears in both films, but I thought the character died in the first, and his involvement in the second doesn't go anywhere. Similarly, Rama makes a mistake in his fieldcraft which suggests his cover will be blown, but nothing comes of it.
Overall, a disappointment.
Its sequel takes the Die Hard With a Vengence approach, getting way too much budget and freedom, and produces a poorer film as a result. Picking up almost immediately afterwards, it contrives a scenario where protagonist Rama goes undercover in one gang, who are in an uneasy truce with a second, while a third gang plots to undermine both. There are varied locations, tense moments, double-crosses and shifting loyalties and - god forbid - a car chase. There are some ace fight sequences, and Rama continues to be a force to reckon with, but this film is spread too wide and too thin.
There were some weird things that suggested script re-writes: Yayan Ruhian's character appears in both films, but I thought the character died in the first, and his involvement in the second doesn't go anywhere. Similarly, Rama makes a mistake in his fieldcraft which suggests his cover will be blown, but nothing comes of it.
Overall, a disappointment.