The Raid 2

*****
Release Date: April 11th 2014

Only a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.

Director: Gareth Evans (The Raid, Merantau)

Starring: Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Yayan Ruhian, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusodewo, Alex Abbad

The Raid 2 gives you little time to breathe, as it starts off where The Raid left off. Don't expect a repeat of the first. This time round the story is more engaging, and the intensity stays regardless of the scenes holding action or not. Where the first sets out only to please the mind, this is a complexity that unravels with every scene.

Rama (Uwais), after extracting numerous gangsters and bad guys in the building we know so well, has been told by his superiors that they were merely small-fry in and even larger business, and in order for him and his family to be safe, he'll need to go undercover and take down the corrupt politicians and police involved.

Rama must become a trusted enforcer if he's to even get close to these people. He starts off in prison and tries to gain the attention of Uco (Putra), the son of a mob leader. Once on the outside, Rama realises that prison was the least of his troubles. A war is imminent, and Rama must uncover the truth before he's caught in the middle of it.

Every action set-piece in TR2 is broken down by plot enhancing scenes. Clocking over 2.5 hours, this film has more to show. We're to busy enjoying the action and chaotic violence (in The Raid) to care too much about the story. As long as Rama is kicking some ass what does it matter? Unfortunately Iko Uwais take a back seat this time round. Our attention shifts to the gangs and other characters too.

There are (plenty) of new faces that are more than a welcome sight. Evans has done well casting here. Each one has such a strong personality. It makes it hard picking out anyone in particular. Uco, the brooding son, thinks it's his rightful time to have bigger responsibilities, and start taking control of his father's business. At first he looks too innocent to play the part, but a particular scene involving karaoke shows a side that proves problematic for Rama. Bejo (Abbad) is a psychotic outsider whose unexplained limp and shades means he has something to hide. His main input is to cause rifts between the Indonesian and Japanese crime syndicates. Some absolutely crazy characters come from the appropriately named Hammer Girl and Baseball Bat Man. They are crones of Bejo's, and do exactly as their titles suggest.

Each shot is well though out. Cinematography and choreography are just as good as the first, if not better. Evans treats us to plenty of new sequences, the most notable a car chase, a lengthy kitchen fight, and a mass brawl in the muddy prison grounds. Sometimes the violence is so nasty it's funny.  

Overview: This is easily 2014's best action movie. Even though it's only April, all others will have trouble coming close to this. The Raid 3 was announced before 2's release in the UK. Bring it on.

The Raid

*****
Release Date: May 18th 2012

A S.W.A.T. team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.

Director: Gareth Evans (Merantau)

Starring: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Ray Sahetapy, Pierr Gruno

The Raid has a very similar premise to Dredd, which could be taken as a western version of the Indonesian outing. There stories and set-ups are almost identical. It's hard not to compare the two, but The Raid wins every time on intensity and action.

Let's start with the weakest point of the film; the plot. It's basic, but (as above) it's all you need to know. The main character, S.W.A.T rookie Rama (Uwais) starts his morning with exercises and kissing his pregnant wife farewell, promising to come back unharmed (you know sh*t's going to hit the fan).

All begins well until a minor slip-up incurs fatal damage. They enter the building, and do okay up to the 6th floor (out of 30), before one of Tama's goons raises an alarm. The building becomes immediately locked down. Full-scale carnage befalls the team. All hell breaks loose.

There's non-stop action for the next 80 minutes. Forget all other actions movies, this is like nothing you've seen before. Remember watching your favourite movie for the first time and the impact it had? The Raid is like that the more you watch it.

The majority of the film exhibits set-piece after set-piece. It's a constant exhilarating head rush. A combined use of martial arts and action means you'll be on the edge of your seat the whole time. After all their guns are depleted of ammo, the S.W.A.T team (what's left of them) and the bad guys get rough with machetes, knives and pretty much anything they can use around them (a fridge comes in to play somewhere). With no CGI and fantastic choreography of fights that abuses the scenery around the characters, the sheer bombastic raw energy this film evokes is unmatchable.

The choreographer Yayan Ruhian plays Mad Dog, one of the main badasses under Tama's command. His choreography is relentless and very well thought out. You'll see deaths befall people (good and bad) unlike anything you've seen before. Director and writed Gareth Evans has treated us to something new. Let's hope that western cinema don't attempt to reboot it.

Overview: An incredible action film that's going to be hard to beat. The only competition will be The Raid 2...

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

****
Release Date: March 28th 2014

Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.

Director: Anthony & Joe Russo (You, Me & Dupree)

Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford, Cobie Smaulders, Frank Grillo

When talking to friends about Marvel and The Avengers, most have said that Captain America is boring and doesn't stand out like the others do. Since the release of The Winter Soldier, that has completely changed. He's actually quite the badass. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) now wields his shield like a weapon, adding some great choreography into the action sequences, and his light blue suit from Avengers Assemble has been replaced with a darker, shinier complex. It's given him a serious attitude makeover.


Steve Rogers, aka the Captain, is finding his new life hard. Everything he knew has been left behind. He has little time to experience the un-experienced. He tells Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow (Johansson) that he has no time for dating. Instead he's ready to board a ship and take down a bunch of thugs that holds probably the best set-piece in Marvel so far. Taking out the pirate in command starts a chain of events that see's the Captain unravel a conspiracy.

Captain America's pre-Avengers solo effort was a touch on the weak side due to a lack of interesting characters. The Winter Soldier has learned from past endeavors and has sought two viable solutions. The first is Scarlett Johansson, whose Black Widow more than keeps up with El Capitan. The second is Sam Wilson aka Falcon (Mackie). Between the three of them they keep TWS interesting and entertaining.

It gets a little hard to keep up with the storyline, but its uniqueness and plot twists more than make up for it. It's not necessary to watch The First Avengers to keep up with TWS, but it's ideal as it refers to it. They differ from each other a fair amount, with technology being the main aspect between them.

Overview: I would talk about the story in more depth but there are so many shocks and twists that I don't want to give away. Whether you're a huge Marvel fan or a new one, this is a must see for any action lover. 

Need for Speed

***
Release Date: March 12th 2014

Fresh from prison, a street racer who was framed by a wealthy business associate joins a cross country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins.

Director: Scott Waugh (Act of Valor)

Starring: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Michael  Keaton

Need for Speed is like the baby brother to the Fast & Furious franchise. Its maturity level is slightly lower than that of the franchise we know so well. NFS hasn't had the best start if it hopes to go the same way, but then again F&F had/has its own flaws.

Breaking Bad's very own Aaron Paul makes his lead debut here. He's Tobey Marshall, falsely accused of killing his friend during a street race when it was rival Dino Brewster (Cooper) who left him in the dust to suffer the consequences. After a two year prison sentence, Tobey is out and looking for revenge.

In order to enter a 'top secret' street race, Tobey needs to attract the attention of the guy behind its organisation. Known as Monarch (Keaton), he sits in what can only be a room in his own house. The police have no idea who he is. He's untraceable (somehow).

Tobey is allowed to use a Mustang for this race that him and his crew helped restore for Brewster before the inevitable imprisonment. The assistant of the businessman who bought the Mustang is along for the ride. Julia (Poots), impresses with her dapper accent (it's real) and knowledge of cars. 'Never judge a girl by her Gucci boots', she says to Tobey.

This leads to one, fatal point. Director Scott Waugh does a grand job with the flashy cars and the jaw-dropping stunts. There's little to no CGI, and the action is tense in most places. The problem comes from elsewhere. The storyline is weak, controlled by a rigid script and heavy dialogue.

Then there's the characters. Cooper's Brewster has jumped out of the definition of cliche and Finn (Rami Malek) is part of a lengthy scene where he quits his job and decides to walk out naked. A little funny, a little strange, a little waste of time. At least we can rely on Aaron Paul's silent lead to keep things interesting.

Overview: If you're a huge car fanatic then this will please. Go in for what you see, not what you hear.     

The Man with the Iron Fists

**
Release Date: December 7th 2012

On the hunt for a fabled treasure of gold, a band of warriors, assassins, and a rogue British soldier descend upon a village in feudal China, where a humble blacksmith looks to defend himself and his fellow villagers.

Director: RZA

Starring: Russell Crowe, Lucy Liu, RZA, Dave Bautista, Rick Yune

Quentin Tarantino presents: The Man with the Iron Fists. He's either had a lot of input into this film, or RZA and producer Eli Roth have mimicked his work, and Tarantino approves. Either way, this cinematic copycat cannot pull off what Tarantino has done so well for many years; create strong, original screenplays.

And try as they might, RZA and Roth's screenplay should be a simple one from paper to screen, but ends up being a mess. A small town surrounded by a dense jungle plays host to several gangs. Word gets out that there's a shipment of the emperor's gold passing through within the next couple of days. The Geminis and the Lions set out to obtain it, and destroy the other in the process.

Stuck in the middle this is the Blacksmith (RZA). Both gangs ask (or rather force) him to make weapons. He abides, and in doing so, causes the chaos that follows. Other weird and not so wonderful characters include sex maniac Jack Knife (Crowe), brothel owner Madam Blossom (Liu), Brass Body (literally as it comes, played by well known WWE star Dave Bautista) and brother of the Lions Zen Yi, The X-Blade (Yune). All of them have a feud with one of the others, and apart the booty the other thing on their minds is vengeance.

Where TMWTIF goes wrong? It's supposed to be a humble abode to martial arts classics, but all that's on display is cheesy, dull choreography. The storyline isn't gripping. Too many names and faces spoil the brothel. The soundtrack heightens the fact that all is not real. Whoever knew rap existed in ancient China? In fantasy, anything and everything is logical.

Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu have very small parts. To me it's wasted talent. Money could have been saved making this a better film.

Overview: Big credit to RZA for trying. There's moments that recall House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but TMWTIF never reaches new heights or stands out from the crowd.    

The Hangover Part III

**
Release Date: May 24th 2013

When one of their own is kidnapped by an angry gangster, the Wolf Pack must track down Mr. Chow, who has escaped from prison and is on the run.

Director: Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover, Due Date, The Hangover Part II)

Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Ken Jeong, John Goodman, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, Melissa McCarthy

The Hangover trilogy should not be a trilogy. The outcome of part III was an outcome I'm sure we never expected. Do they forget the previous evening's events? Is their even drunken debauchery or a hangover? No is the answer.

Alan (Galifianakis) is the centre of attention in this film. After the death of Alan's father, the other guys in the Wolfpack, Phil (Cooper), Stu (Helms) and Doug (Bartha), decide to take Alan to a mental institute to deal with his health. Along the way, a gangster (Goodman) kidnaps Doug and informs the others that they need to find Mr. Chow (Jeong). He owes the gangster a big deal of money, and they're the only connection to him without causing a stir.

We spend the majority of the film following the Wolfpack on their expedition. Nothing memorable happens. There's no character development, Stu and Phil are on the sidelines, constantly behind Alan's lead. To make things worse, Mr. Chow has more screen time than the Stu and Phil. Ken Jeong's character is neither funny or likeable. This was a risky decision for Todd Phillips and his writers, and it didn't pay off. It's not Jeong's acting capability that's the issue here. It's about placing a character in the fold that's annoying and not funny at all.

No laughs come from alpha-male-turned-beta-male Phil. No laughs come from Stu, whose face remains intact this time. A few come from Alan, but he's been scripted over-the-top shenanigans. A great cameo comes from Melissa McCarthy. She breaths some much needed life into the scene she's in; picking on her mum with Alan chipping in, and the two of them sharing awkward moments is pure delight. What a shame it's short-lived.

Overview: A very disappointing ending to a trilogy. It ends just as things start to get interesting. What happens in the end credits is where the story should have begun.