![]() Where The Raid 2 surpasses The Raid: Redemption is in its plot and story. Which may sound similar to a scene from the original Oldboy, because it is, but again, in the hands of Evans, it doesn’t play out the same way. For instance, there’s one on a train where a woman ends up dispatching some guys while armed only with a pair of hammers. Similarly, while The Raid 2 features some fight scenes that are reminiscent of ones we’ve seen before, Evans takes them in different directions than you might expect. Because while sure, we’ve seen undercover cops win over bad guys in prison before, we haven’t them do it by kicking the butts of multiple guys with a series of lightning fast punches, kicks, slap, smacks, and counter moves. But in the hands of writer/director Gareth Huw Evans, who handled the same duties for the original, it’s not so much about what happens as how. Which isn’t, admittedly, the most original of stories. In the aftermath of The Raid: Redemption, The Raid 2 has officer Rama going undercover in crime syndicate in hopes of uncovering police corruption. But while sequels typically soften their edges or rehash the same ideas - y’know, like Die Hard 2 did - The Raid 2 is one of those rare sequels that matches, and in some ways surpasses, its predecessor. Now we have The Raid 2, which Sony Pictures Home Entertainment are releasing on DVD, Blu-ray, and digitally. The film’s Theatrical Trailer rounds out the supplements.Released in 2011, The Raid: Redemption became an instant cult classic by injecting raw martial arts fighting and an unflinching attitude into an Die Hard-esque action movie. ‘Inside the Score’ (1 min.) is mostly pointless while ‘Claycat's The Raid’ (3 min.) and ‘The Raid TV Show ad (circa 1994)’ (1 min.) goof on the film. ‘In Conversation with Gareth Evans and Mike Shinoda’ (11 min.) offers even more from the director and composer. ‘Anatomy of a Scene with Gareth Evans’ (2 min.) was one of my favorite supplements because it highlight a small bit of the movie and allows Evans to extrapolate. “An Evening with Gareth Evans, Mike Shinoda & Joe Trapanese” (41 min.) is the Q&A from the Cinefamily screening of the movie, while ‘Behind the Music with Mike Shinoda and Joe Trapanese’ (11 min.) lets the composer and songwriter talk about the film some more. It’s followed by “Behind the Scenes Video Blogs” (40 min.) that walks through the film’s stunts and the making of the film. The film comes with a commentary by Writer/Director Gareth Evans, who – it might surprise some – is from Wales. The soundtrack is slightly better as all the hits pack a sonic wallop, and one can watch it with the film’s original score, or the modified for American release score with music from comporser Joe Trapanese and a song by Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda. The picture quality isn’t brilliant, but that looks to be a reflection of the production budget. Sony’s Blu-ray presents the film in widescreen (1.78:1) and in 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio. But it’s likely that home video will turn this into a cult classic. It’s surprising the film didn’t become a bigger hit, though it is set in Indonesia, and has subtitles (as if the dialogue was all that important). But if you like to see great action sequences, this is as good as it gets. There’s not much under the surface of the film, but that’s never a problem, and everyone involved understands that there’s a simple set up, and then nothing but payoff. Mad Dog – clearly modeled on the character in Hard Boiled with the same name – is also one of those guys who doesn’t like to use guns so he squares off twice, and proves himself to be a brutal fighter who clearly relishes the ability to deliver blows. ![]() At one point Rama slams a guy’s head against the wall, and to be sure he’s down for the count, slams his head against the wall all the way down. There are a number of moments in the fight that are all timers. The film starts with a lot of gunplay, which is all very entertaining, but once it segues into more hand to hand combat the film comes close to masterpiece status.
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