Order by:

Add your comment

Do you want to let us know what you think? Just login, after which you will be redirected back here and you can leave your comments.

Comments 16 - 27 of 27

Armoreska's avatar

Armoreska

additional shoot-up
http://vimeo.com/90092972
9 years 10 months ago
Armoreska's avatar

Armoreska

Found the mandatory plot setups hard to follow. Prefer constant action of the original.
The action itself is as IMDb rating suggests
9 years 10 months ago
MoutardedShroom's avatar

MoutardedShroom

Best car chase I've seen in a fucking long time...

I too think this has some screenplay issues, but it also hits in the right spots sometimes. Most of Hollywood movies are incapable of telling you something relevant (plotwise) without any expositive dialogue, just through subtle actions of the characters, something that this movie accomplishes.

Fucking action masterpiece. Just like the first one.
9 years 10 months ago
Zaothus's avatar

Zaothus

The final fight sequence is the stuff of miracles. I don't know how the performers managed to not die.
9 years 10 months ago
ThomasFTB's avatar

ThomasFTB

Long live Hammer Girl
10 years ago
CSSCHNEIDER's avatar

CSSCHNEIDER

Solid, but not as strong as the first film. I found the added shake to the handheld to be really unfortunate, given how restrained and easy to focus on the action photography was in the first film. The unnecessary camera vibration made it less fun for me to watch the violence. Still, a solid film, but not as good as I had hoped.
10 years ago
spireitedaz's avatar

spireitedaz

I'm not one for martial arts films usually but the Raids are fantastic.
10 years ago
Rodney Dangerfield's avatar

Rodney Dangerfield

I found it very different from the first. In terms of style it seemed similar to the Korean gangster films of the 2000s whilst also developing a good mixture of martial arts that were used so well in the first. And despite some of the sights of the first film this is even more bloodthirsty.

Although I thought it was slightly too long for a film of this kind, it definitely needed a more defined storyline and range of characters compared to the first film. Despite the first working so well because of it's simplicity I don't think audiences would have appreciated more of the same from this film.

Very impressed. But remind me to never break the law in Indonesia because I don't fancy doing a stretch in one of their prisons!
10 years ago
Scratch47's avatar

Scratch47

There wasn't much doubt given the first Raid, but Gareth Evans has just laid waste to all echelons of mainstream action directors. He has a peerless mastery of how to capture the percussive beats of a scene; a use of Steadicam cinematography that swoops and whips round, over, under, with, and through the opponents with the grace of a ballet dancer; pinprick-level control of editing, the strength to stop a scene dead to build the intensity, a knack for visual composition, sound design, dark humour and atmosphere, and of course: a gleeful brutality that's physically quite sickening. A film this violently unrestrained is seen as transgressive in the modern climate: fists, blades, bullets, bats, axes, walls, doors, floors, glass, hotplates, hammers, scalpels, Uzi blasts and shotgun hits to bones, skin, neck, veins and face? How did this not get an NC-17? As mentioned by another critic, 'the most violent mainstream film since The Passion Of The Christ' INDEED, blood literally pouring down onto the floor in the climatic duel. I'm almost left without comment. That it remains exciting despite its' joyful sadism and ruthless, unrelenting chewing through bodies is testament to Evans' precision, economy of motion, and exacting restraint, and the storyboarding and framing must have taken a lifetime.

So, do Evans' grander ambitions towards crime odyssey work as well? Sometimes. The dialogue is servicable and the acting rather good in a stoic, simmering, impenetrable way. The plot holds up OK, once you are able to get your head around the numerous characters, allegiances and plot twists. I somewhat advise taking a trip to the Wikipedia page prior to watching this as you may get lost, as many characters are referenced but barely have screen time.
These elements gel fairly well with the action, and some strong performances occasionally grant a certain sense of mythology that deepens the emotional blows of the carnage, admirably raising the stakes to almost Greek tragedy by the final reel, as indeed, everyone pays for their mistakes. Uco's character journey against Rama is quite interesting, and the unravelling of his seditious ambition, the almost operatic heart of the film. But I won't lie, I lost interest during a few moments of bloat and secondary character development that drew attention away from that central dynamic, remaining just a perfunctory setup to the technique. I'm content for the assassins to be foils. So my first view left me admiring this work, yet a little cold from repetition and indulgence. Perhaps a second watch seems necessary.
A little tighter and sharper with the story elements and this could have been an instant classic, as it stands, it's pretty good - perhaps very good, an action masterclass that fulfills many of its pretenses to Godfather-level even if its' overstuffed ambitions betray some of the lean fluidity of the combat. Judged by its' feverish hype, I grant a cautious thumbs up, but judged on its own merits I grant it a much more enthusiastic approval. Cinema needs and deserves this kind of shot in the arm. Guys? Bring your friends. Women and children? Stay home and watch The Notebook.
10 years ago
mandapuspi's avatar

mandapuspi

A love letter to violence. Different signature to the first one, but still, bloody damn good.
10 years ago
Musanna's avatar

Musanna

Completely overwhelmed by how good this film was. Fantastic action sequences, brilliant characters, a great story and definitely better than the first film.
10 years ago
Gunness's avatar

Gunness

Definitely a worthy sequel. In the plus column we have a heavily expanded playing field, which is put to good use and some amazingly choreographed fighting sequences that certainly top the ones from the first film. The thought "That's REALLY got to hurt!" passes through your head every two minutes or so.
Storywise, Gareth Evans ups the ante as well, which is both good and bad. Of course, it would be difficult to tell a simpler story than the one in the original, and the new tale of father-son relationships and gang warfare works fine.... but it's not as engaging or clever as could be hoped for, and it pads the running time to around 150 minutes, which is definitely way too much of a good thing.
If you're willing to ignore its weaknesses, there's definitely a thrill ride to go on here.
10 years 1 month ago

Showing items 16 – 27 of 27

View comments