Movie | The Raid 2 | PAss

Oh boy, here we go again.

"The best martial arts movie ever!"

"The most violent movie ever!"

...add in all of the hype from the above movie poster.

Do people know how ridiculous they sound when they make these statements? They clearly don't see many movies. While The Raid 2 is undoubtedly an excellent, fast-paced, extremely bloody and violent martial arts movie, it's highly debatable that it's any of those things. Yes, it's good. Is it the best (whatever) ever? No. For the love of Pete, go out and see a movie or two before you make such ridiculous statements.

And while I'm certain it won't even register with most film goers, this movie suffers the same problems that the first did; mainly, a plot that presents absolutely nothing new and is predictable in the extreme (though there are some fun twists, anybody with a brain won't be in the least surprised). The character development is also paper thin, but then, what do you want from a good punch-up. Which just points out the other problem - we're still stuck in the 70s, where bad guys come one at a time, the good guy recovers instantaneously and nobody reaches for a weapon when its most advantageous. That last point is extreme here, including a scene where a hit man wades thru about a million henchmen, but doesn't cut a single one with the machete he holds. What the...?!?

When you claim something is the most violent, you have to clarify if you mean just plain old violence or disturbing violence. This movie is heavy on the former, with some touches of the later. But either way, it's hard to declare it the most.

In addition to all of that, this go around is also waaaaay too long, at two and half hours. The action is fairly non-stop, so the end result is that you're so tired by the halfway point, you don't care that much about what happens.

Despite all of that, these criticisms are really more about the goofballs that make stupid declarations based on a lack of knowledge and experience. So, if you're game, you should definitely see it. Stay tuned, because there's going to be a third installment. It will most likely be rather empty-headed and derivative, too.

For you folks that might fit my less than positive description, you might consider broadening your horizons and seeing:

Seven Samurai (arguably the best martial arts film of all time)
Oldboy (where the hammers-as-weapons idea came from)
Martyrs (so much more completely disturbing and violent than this film)
Infernal Affairs, Serpico and Donnie Brasco...among others (undercover cop infiltrates crime family)
Game of Death (where the plot for The Raid came from, done arguably better)
...and don't miss Iko Uwais and Gareth Evan's first foray into film together, Merantau, which does have character development in it, so I know it can be done.

Oh, why am I even bothering?