The Raid 2: Berandal

I don't even know where to begin in describing this much anticipated film.  The Raid 2: Berandal picks up directly where the last one began and our hero, policeman Rama (Iko Uwais) now has to go undercover and take down an even more sophisticated network of gangsters, killers, and corrupt policemen.  The mostly good reviews I had already read about prior to seeing it, are absolutely correct. If you like action movies, straight up martial arts films, and even gangster films, you will love this movie. In my mind, it's already an instant classic, seriously.  It's such a serious step up from it's predecessor, in that the story isn't confined to just one area and task to go kicking ass in.  Welsh director, writer, editor Gareth Evans has done some serious ascending on this film from The Raid: Redemption, with a bigger budget, brilliant soundtrack, a sophisticated storyline that equally balances and moves the action along, and the most amazing modern day set pieces, fight choreography, and car chase sequences I've ever seen in a martial arts movie in at least a decade.  Throughout the film, there are so many influences from other classic films that he has amazingly blended. Notably the obvious ones include John Woo's Hard Boiled and Bullet In The Head, Alan Mok's Infernal Affairs trilogy/The Departed, the Korean classic Old Boy, Bruce Lee's Game Of Death, The Bourne Identity series, or any of the best American gangter movie classics.  A special note of even more direct influence are the classic Tony Jaa films of the last decade that with a new found freshness in choreography, kept the martial art film genre alive and well.  A note to fans is that The Raid 3 has been announced with stars Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais starring together.  Can you fuckin' believe that and how fuckin' awesome that would be!?  I can't even begin to fathom how they could even top this movie, because Iko Uwais and Gareth Evans have really taken it to an entirely new level that will be hard to beat.  The Raid 2: Berandal is an awesomeness in aesthetic, over the top, straight up (no wirework chaser), martial arts action that those of us who are fans of the genre, are guaranteed to be thoroughly thoroughly satisfied with.  Rarely has a movie given me this much of a rush.  The Expendables or Die Hard movies are sleepy, compared to this.  Now don't get me wrong, those who like other aspects of action will also equally be impressed.  For example, the car chase sequences in this, have also taken it to a new level that equally best The Bourne Identity milestones.   It's not even just fair to say that they have just amped up the budget, thrown more obvious money, better storyline, soundtrack, and general scale to the film. The martial arts action is the best thing they've improved upon clearly with the fights being longer, more sophisticated and brutal, but also more creatively awesome.  It builds on a scale that leaves the final, brutal, climactic, fight a cinematic masterpiece to behold that is an updated homage to any other film, western or eastern, that came before it.  That fight will be one of the best you've ever had the pleasure of viewing.  Let me not forget to reiterate that the storyline is really a great improvement. There are unexpected surprises and one of those surprises (spoiler alert) for those of you who missed the character Mad Dog from part 1, the actor/martial artist who played him is back again and doing his shit.  Go see this on the big screen if you can. It was a delight for me, having the whole theater to myself, minus 2 other folks.  Needless to say, I will be foaming at the mouth in anticipation of the dvd release. Now my previous review of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which I clearly like and all, is  already pale in my mind so soon. Bottom line, fuckin' A, two thumbs up, the Shit, whatever, is The Raid 2: Berandal.