Raid 2 Review: Ajay Devgn vs Riteish Deshmukh in this 2018 film's sequel is every crime-thriller fan's dream come true

Plot

Years later, after his famous raid at Rameshwar Singh's house, Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn) is found guilty of taking a bribe and is transferred to another place. As Amay shifts to the new place, he feels the crime-free nature of the area is too good to be true. Following his gut, he investigates the politician Dada Manohar Bhai (Riteish Deshmukh). Soon, Amay manages to get evidence against him and decides to raid his house.

What works in favor of Raid 2?

Even 7 years after its release, Raid is still remembered as one of the best crime-thrillers in Bollywood. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Raid 2 surpasses the level of the first film in several ways. If you think the suspense in the first film was unbeatable, make sure you don't miss out on watching the latest part.

The story is very well crafted, and the layers of suspense and characters add to the value it provides to the audience. While Raid 2's story and screenplay are capable of hooking the audience from the word go, the sheer genius of writing lies in the way it immerses you in the world as the plot thickens and characters show their true colors.

The biggest surprise here is that the antagonist gets smarter this time, which makes the battle between the good and bad more interesting. The first half of the film is terrific. The screenplay sees a dip at the beginning of 2nd half but again picks up for a satisfying finale.

What doesn't work in favor of Raid 2?

Apart from the dip it sees at the beginning of the 2nd half, the songs are a major speedbreaker. Rather than adding any value to the narrative of the film, they break the flow. Believe me, if none of the songs were there in the movie, it would've resulted in only a better outcome. The editing could've been sharper. That's exactly where the sequel lags behind the impact created by Raid.

Performances and Direction

Ajay Devgn nails the character of Amay Patnaik yet again. The calmness in his eyes while facing the biggest storms and the underlying intensity are so well-portrayed. But this time, his character traits impress even more because he faces bigger challenges.

Riteish Deshmukh is terrific in the first half, but isn't able to raise the bar of his performance when the story demands. In the 2nd half, his character demands more intensity, but you see the graph of his performance navigates on a similar or slightly lower level.

Saurabh Shukla takes the entertainment quotient a notch higher as his character swings more towards the funny side this time. He is a brilliant actor with excellent comic timing, so it's fun to see him having fun in the film. Vaani Kapoor has replaced Ileana D'Cruz as Amay's wife in Raid 2. She looks gorgeous and lends a decent performance.

Amit Sial lends another excellent performance in the film and is a surprise package. It's a treat to watch him in Raid 2. Supriya Pathak, Brijendra Kala, Yashpal Sharma, Rajat Kapoor, and Govind Namdev lend good support. Tamannaah Bhatia looks stunning in her special dance number.

Raj Kumar Gupta delivers a worthy sequel to his 2018 crime-thriller. Only if he could've avoided having songs in the film, the final output could've been even better.

Final Verdict of Raid 2

If you loved watching Raid, it would be a sin to miss Raid 2. If you haven't had a chance to watch the first part yet, go watch it, and then go for the sequel too. I would go for a strict 3 stars for the film because the idea of having songs in this one was a big mistake. Also, if the film was shorter by 15-20 mins, the results would've been ideal.

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