Toxic Masculinity Tuesday: ‘The Raid 2’ (2014)

Rarely does a sequel surpass its critical cult classic original. The Raid: Redemption burst onto the action martial arts scene in 2012 and took both genres by storm. It had been years since anyone had seen such a gritty, brutal, martial arts film that pushed the envelope of physical violence, and set such a relentless pace that you could hardly breathe between action scenes. Any follow-up to The Raid was going to be judged against one of the few instant classics of the 2010s. But returning director Gareth Evans was up to the task, and many say he accomplished the almost impossible by making an arguably better sequel. And some critics say it fell a little short. Who do I agree with? Let’s find out by fighting your toxicity while watching The Raid 2! The Raid 2 | Official Trailer HD (2014) ***Spoilers*** Plot: If you missed The Raid: Redemption, go read my article on this classic now, then come back because Raid 2 begins hours after the end of the first movie. The movie immediately begins with Andi, Rama’s brother from the first movie, being ambushed and killed by a crime lord named Bejo on the order of corrupt police commissioner Reza to clean up events from that movie. Rama brings ...