The universe of KL Gangster expands with the release of Abang Long Fadil 2. Abang Long Fadil is a character who originated in the KL Gangster movies, played by Zizan Razak. He’s usually the comic relief gangster-wannabe guy who hides behind Malek (Aaron Aziz) during fights.
After KL Gangster ended with most of its characters dead or in jail, Fadil struggles to make an honest living. In Abang Long Fadil 2, he ends up in the company of gangsters again but in a world far different from the parang-wielding, plastic chair-throwing one that was evidently the case in KL Gangster.
Fadil gets mistaken for Tiger, a smartly-dressed masked professional killer who is on the payroll of crime lord Taji Samprit (A. Galak). Thanks to the mistaken identity, Fadil lands himself a nice apartment, a fancy car and a fine selection of firearms.
Also, the task of killing the rival mob boss – a loudmouth named King Kong (played by Datuk AC Mizal). Once the deed is done, Taji promises to let Fadil leave the contract killing-business for good. But Fadil – being, well, Fadil – is really hopeless at combat.
Instead of admitting to the mistake, he comes up with a complicated scheme to fool Taji by colluding with crime reporter Yana (Tania Hudson) and her cameraman Ali (Achey Bochey).
Abang Long Fadil 2 is an entertaining action-comedy with plenty of surprises. The movie showcases action sequences featuring the likes of actors you thought wouldn’t be able to pull off fight scenes. For example, comedian Shuib Sepahtu has a remarkable scene where he takes down several men in a karaoke centre, all with a straight face and no lame jokes. Stylish social media influencer Wak Doyok is also a revelation in his role as Taji’s suave Jawa-speaking gangster son.
But the person who really stole the show is A. Galak, as the ruthless and menacing Taji. The 78-year-old veteran actor proves he can still be menacing, far better than anyone half his age.
The other fun aspect about Abang Long Fadil 2 is how the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’re a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in every scene, from Datuk Yusof Haslam’s cameo appearance as a no-nonsense film producer to suddenly hearing the theme song from Polis Evo.
Some scenes are set up to poke fun at the local film industry. See if you can catch a reference to a popular 1990s action movie (hint: it was directed by Yusof).
If you have to find a fault about this movie, then it is the somewhat baffling friendship-turned-romance development between Fadil and Yana. Also, some of the fight scenes could have been executed with more precision.
This movie also suffers from replaying scenes of a person getting thrown into glass panels and tables one too many time. But all these flaws are easily forgotten as you go on a fun-filled ride to find out who is the boss in Abang Long Fadil 2. My vote is for Taji, of course. Taji Samprit The Movie, anyone?
Abang Long Fadil 2
Director: Syafiq Yusof
Cast: Zizan Razak, Syamsul Yusof, Datuk AC Mizal, Achey Bochey, Shuib Sepahtu, A. Galak, Wak Doyok, Tania Hudson, Mas Khan
