Disc Reviews

The Raid 2 Blu-ray Review

8th Aug 2014

Gareth Evans returns in style with this true sequel to his magnificent debut from a couple of years back. The sequel follows lead character Rama once again immediately after events of the first film.

Instead of subjecting him to the enclosures of a building fighting for his life – instead he is inserted “The Departed Style” into prison, gang and mobster life in order to infiltrate a crime family. With this plan in mind he makes friends in the right low places (notably with the son of a mob boss) and finds himself still drawn into big punch ups with all sorts of unsavoury sorts!

But the scope of the film outside allows Evans to focus on other characters, other criminals, other hitmen and giving each of them a decent set up and interconnecting them all together naturally. Baseball Bat Man and Hammer Girl have already accumulated a fan base.

It’s a breathless experience that refuses to give up – even when you think the film is threatening to end on a “NEXT TIME ON THE RAID” type of ending – it powers through to a satisfying climax that will still leaving you wanting a Raid 3.

The choreography and invention in the action is still as fresh as Evans last movie – thanks mainly to the expanse of the world. Now we can have punch ups in the rain, the mud, and in the middle of cars.

The Blu-ray comes packed with on location and behind the scenes featurettes, a deleted scene, a Q&A and a commentary from Evans.

The Raid had all eyes turn to focus on Evans as a new director with vision – The Raid 2 has proved that he is a force to be reckoned with as a director of action, choreography, drama and character development. Simply unmissable.