A simmering stew of petulance, arrogance and daddy issues, Putra is a particular stand-out. A hotchpotch of Infernal Affairs and The Godfather, it may not be narratively original, but it’s bolstered by a host of dramatic performances that grip as easily as the action.
On paper, this tale of fathers, sons, gangland crime wars, and undercover cops trapped by the corruption they’re trying to overcome isn’t anything new. Throw in Ucok’s own pretensions to his father’s crime crown, a burgeoning gang war with a rival Japanese dynasty, and an assassin-spawning wildcard intent on overruling all, and soon Rama realises he’s in way over his head. To guarantee his family’s safety, Rama must go undercover – first in prison, to get close to Ucok (Arifin Putra), the son of a mob boss, and later as a trusted enforcer for the family he’s meant to destroy. The crime lord he defeated was but a mid-level grunt in an expansive underworld. Kicking off straight after the end of The Raid 1.0, part two sees battered-and-bruised cop Rama (Iko Uwais) made keenly aware of how hollow his victory actually is. Part Assault On Precinct 13, part videogame beat ’em up, it was clear that a simple retread wouldn’t suffice for a sequel. Yet while it was never anything but taut, spectacularly choreographed and wincingly violent, it also drew apt criticism for its narrative and conceptual simplicity. How? By using the ancient art of punching people very hard in the face. The tale of a drug bust gone hideously, bloodily wrong, it centred on one insanely brave cop’s desperate mission to scale and then take down a tower block full of psychotic criminals. Its 2011 predecessor proved an effectively kinetic enough calling card for many to sit up and pay attention to Welsh director Gareth Evans. Adrenalin-fuelled, gloriously CGI-lite, and with a scope and variety that belies its origins and budget, it’s already a heavy contender for the giddiest, most thrilling action ride of the year.
Which is why The Raid 2 hits all the harder.
And while comic-book movies scratch a certain explosion-y itch, it’s been a long time since the action genre felt like it had a genuine edge. When it comes to action blockbusters, it’s hard to think of a time before Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Bay, Roland Emmerich and co brought their unique style of loud, mega-budget destruction to the masses.
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