The Raid 2

from the very first scene alone i knew i was in for one hell of a ride. the raid was just the prologue. a microcosm of the dystopic decay of the city. the raid 2 is where shit gets cranked to a million. people who are saying the narrative takes up too much time out of the action... no. i too understand how it feels when an action movies focuses on stuff that feels like filler. no one's here to watch a balls to walls action movie expecting narrative depth like the godfather. that's why the john wick movies are so successful, because they know what the audience wants and they lock in on that. when the raid 2 isn't breaking your mind with some of the grittiest, most satisfying action you'll ever see in cinema, it's fleshing out the worldbuilding and character arcs. now you might say that those are filler, but it isn't filler when it enhances every action scene that follows. you know the stakes involved, you start being aware of small details that add drama into every fight scene. also it's always added in in the most efficient way. when the camera shots start getting a little experimental, it's never for too long, and it spices things up. cool ass transitions, zoom ins to increase tension, sign me up the acting is fantastic. the script has just the right amount of depth without bogging down the pacing. the choreography is fantastic. the worldbuilding of this movie is fantastic. the city is so incredibly fucked up, you genuinely start believing there's no saving it. basically what I'm saying is that this is the greatest action movie and if you're an action movie fan and haven't watched this...what are u even doing man. go watch it