The Raid 2

"It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't trust anybody." - Bangun

release year: 2014
genre: action
viewing setting: home Bluray 12/5/21

synopsis: The hero from the deadly raid is convinced to go undercover to expose corrupt officials.

impressions: While not as linear and simple as the first movie, it still had a ton of action, and some memorable villains/henchmen. That included "baseball bat guy" and "hammer girl" as well as the short, scraggly guy from the last movie (in a different role here.) In these films, it's common for someone to fight off dozens of attackers, while being punched, kicked, stabbed, slashed, and so on. I did question the way in which the main hero was compelled to go undercover (first in jail, where he unexpectedly stayed for several years, and then into a criminal organization.)

confirmed body count: I couldn't keep up

acting: Subtitles/foreign language made true judging of the acting difficult, but Iko Uwais was again great as the main hero. Arifin Putra was the young punk mobster son of a big boss. Tio Pakusadewo is that older villain. Alex Abbad is the up-and-coming gangster who stirs things up. Julie Estelle is the aforementioned "hammer girl" and Very Tri Yulisman is her brother, "baseball bat guy." Both are lethal. Yayan Ruhian is a short but furious enforcer for the kingpin.

final word: Another wild frenzy of bloody action from Indonesia.

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