REVIEW - THE RAID 2

Gareth Evans taketh not away, he only giveth. Or so he would have you believe. A longer time span and a longer runtime, more characters, more motivations, more locations. Has he not given us so much in The Raid 2, indeed too much? No, for the truth is the exact opposite. He has taken away the stark, serene brutality of The Raid's scenario, albeit one enacted with sadistic brutality. And if what that film lacked was a plot, then that too is what this film lacks. Expository scenes establish the necessary components involved in provoking physical havoc, such as place, people and purpose, before said havoc is wreaked. That happened once in The Raid, and it was strung out into a feature-length film. That happens repeatedly in The Raid 2, which is strung out into a much more protracted feature-length film, and to diminutive effect, since Evans has not the time to ratchet up the intensity as he once did. The fight scenes remain impeccably choreographed, with outrageous stunt work and a vivid sound mix, and they also remain odious odes to pain, suffering and the infliction of injury. Devoid of any substantial emotional context (the chillingly beautiful opening shot is an excellent example of this), these sequences serve as no more than pummelling sessions, for the characters on the screen, and for us... to a lesser extent, naturally. In fact, as Evans' imagination concerning the basic setup of these fights begins to wander, he allows comedy to creep in alongside the awe (and disgust), which wouldn't be so revolting if it weren't for the glee we're encouraged to feel while witnessing scene after scene of death and dismemberment. Would that Evans could have brought a mere touch of that imagination to the plot he believes he has so smartly filled The Raid 2 with. It certainly is filled with it, though, and these utterly generic rounds of tedious dialogue, within this glorified B-movie subplot, are boring. I hate it when a critic describes a film as boring, but there's truly - and this is no exaggeration - nothing whatsoever of note in these interminable exchanges. Much as the brutality that is this would-be franchise's bread and butter repulses me, at least that repulsion makes for an emotional response in me, and a pointed one too. Gareth Evans may have achieved this response through the most basic, idiotic of means, but it's a response nonetheless.