Is ultra-violence cool? Is seeing someone's head bashed in awesome? Don't get me wrong: I don't shy away from these movies. Given the right tone, I think violence can be funny (Kill Bill). Or in the context of an engrossing story it can be quite stunning (The Chaser). I'll try to think of a more serious-toned and prototypically-genre film I love. Another Korean thriller: I Saw the Devil. That movie has some fantastically violent scenes. But it's tense, engaging, and an interesting exploration of the 'revenge' theme.
Maybe The Raid 2 was going for something like that - they certainly dedicate enough screen-time to telling the story - but it's uninteresting and over-complicated in its execution, and I've no doubt the film's appeal to fans is almost solely in its action scenes. But it's not fun like other martial arts films that put action above story, nor is it trying to be. Judging from its relentless violence, and propensity for having its humourless characters wearing pimpin' shades, the conclusion I've drawn about the filmmakers' philosophy: the more violent, the cooler the movie will be. But I don't find it cool so much as tiring.
I was not a big fan of the first 'Raid', but I thought, given the additional freedom of this film (it's no longer confined to one location), they could do a lot more with it. And they sorta did; there are some pretty impressive sequences and far more colourful visuals - it isn't bad - but it's still hampered by the same dour tone as the original.
Maybe The Raid 2 was going for something like that - they certainly dedicate enough screen-time to telling the story - but it's uninteresting and over-complicated in its execution, and I've no doubt the film's appeal to fans is almost solely in its action scenes. But it's not fun like other martial arts films that put action above story, nor is it trying to be. Judging from its relentless violence, and propensity for having its humourless characters wearing pimpin' shades, the conclusion I've drawn about the filmmakers' philosophy: the more violent, the cooler the movie will be. But I don't find it cool so much as tiring.
I was not a big fan of the first 'Raid', but I thought, given the additional freedom of this film (it's no longer confined to one location), they could do a lot more with it. And they sorta did; there are some pretty impressive sequences and far more colourful visuals - it isn't bad - but it's still hampered by the same dour tone as the original.