The Raid 2: Berandal

Three years ago, for those who like to keep their ears to the ground for all things action movie based, the buzz around The Raid (Gareth Evans, 2011) was palpable: a blistering martial arts action-fest by a Welsh director in Indonesia. Given its limited UK release, I missed seeing it in the cinema, but even on my meagre little TV, my first viewing can only be described as a draw-droppingly epic experience. But I still can’t get away from the fact that this is probably a film that will be best enjoyed on the big screen. But, I have a chance to make all right, with its sequel, The Raid 2: Berandal (Gareth Evans), released later this year.

But will it live up to the expectations of the first? Well, the trailer is promising:

And if the initial reaction after the screening at Sundance 2014 is anything to go by, this one is just as thrilling as the first:

http://www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/review-the-raid-2-delivers-visceral-thrills-on-an-epic-scale

http://thefilmstage.com/reviews/sundance-review-the-raid-2/

http://twitchfilm.com/2014/01/sundance-2014-first-impression-the-raid-2.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TwitchEverything+%28Twitch%29

All of this looks good, and this is one film I am definitely more than a little excited for this year. But still a few months to go, so until then, I think tonight I may have to dig out the DVD of the first film…