One of the best reactions I’ve seen to the new film, The Raid, is from an audience reviewer over at RottenTomatoes, who writes, “That awkward moment when a Welsh director and a team of Korean martial artists make a better film than Michael Bay's entire filmography.”
He’s right. Watching The Raid is like having cocaine shot into your heart before being zapped by a defibrillator and pushed out of an airplane at 40,000 feet, chugging a Red Bull as you free fall.
He’s right. Watching The Raid is like having cocaine shot into your heart before being zapped by a defibrillator and pushed out of an airplane at 40,000 feet, chugging a Red Bull as you free fall.
It’s not filled with explosions looking to buy the audience cheap thrills; it features 101 minutes of expertly choreographed, uncompromising hand-to-hand, foot-to-foot, knife-to-throat, head-to-wall fighting. It’s pure, unfiltered action from start to finish, making The Raid one of the best martial arts movies to be released in a very long time.
The film follows an Indonesian SWAT team who infiltrate a tenement building filled with criminals and run by a ruthless drug lord. Things quickly become desperate when the SWAT team becomes trapped in the building and a bounty is placed on their heads.
Headlining star Iko Uwais was first discovered by director Gareth Evans, who gave Iko the starring role in his previous film, Merantau. Now, that they’ve reteamed for The Raid, Iko has become Indonesia’s biggest action star after only acting in two films, receiving a level of critical acclaim similar to that received by Thailand’s Tony Jaa when Ong-bak was released in 2003. What was he doing before becoming an international superstar? He was a driver for a telecommunications company.
Perhaps it is Iko’s own humble origins which allow him to portray such sincerity as a “good guy” in the film, even as he’s bashing in the brains of criminals. Other characters also do well in their roles, not overacting as can be so easy to do in a movie like this.
That being said, The Raid can’t be bothered with too much character development or plot. Sure those things are there, but they take a back seat to the action, which puts the combat into top gear and takes audiences for a ride as wild as you can get in a movie theater. And even with so much excitement going on, Evans still manages to build a taunt sense of tension throughout the film.
Are there problems with the film? Sure. For example, there’s no reason why everyone suddenly decides to put their guns down 30 minutes into the movie and engage in hand-to-hand fighting. The final battle with a thrillingly talented character named Mad Dog goes on for a bit too long. However, Evans, obviously inspired by 1988’s Die Hard, has created a sensational and unique film.
As a side note, if you want to know how stupid Hollywood is… Even though The Raid is a triumphant success and part of a planned trilogy (again, like Ong-bak) with the sequel already being worked on, Sony Pictures is currently at work on an English language remake. Why?!? It’s not like there many subtitles to read anyways; 99% of the dialogue is really just the characters grunting and gasping for breath as they fight to the death!
Overall, The Raid is a pulse-pounding, adrenaline-packed extravaganza, providing some of the best martial arts displays in a long time. It’s brutal, it never lets up, and it leaves you practically exhausted just from watching. Like last year's Mission Impossible 4, The Raid is a return to classic, edge-of-your-seat entertainment (of course, with way more blood and gore than MI4).
The Final Word: Go buy a ticket.
The film follows an Indonesian SWAT team who infiltrate a tenement building filled with criminals and run by a ruthless drug lord. Things quickly become desperate when the SWAT team becomes trapped in the building and a bounty is placed on their heads.
Headlining star Iko Uwais was first discovered by director Gareth Evans, who gave Iko the starring role in his previous film, Merantau. Now, that they’ve reteamed for The Raid, Iko has become Indonesia’s biggest action star after only acting in two films, receiving a level of critical acclaim similar to that received by Thailand’s Tony Jaa when Ong-bak was released in 2003. What was he doing before becoming an international superstar? He was a driver for a telecommunications company.
Perhaps it is Iko’s own humble origins which allow him to portray such sincerity as a “good guy” in the film, even as he’s bashing in the brains of criminals. Other characters also do well in their roles, not overacting as can be so easy to do in a movie like this.
That being said, The Raid can’t be bothered with too much character development or plot. Sure those things are there, but they take a back seat to the action, which puts the combat into top gear and takes audiences for a ride as wild as you can get in a movie theater. And even with so much excitement going on, Evans still manages to build a taunt sense of tension throughout the film.
Are there problems with the film? Sure. For example, there’s no reason why everyone suddenly decides to put their guns down 30 minutes into the movie and engage in hand-to-hand fighting. The final battle with a thrillingly talented character named Mad Dog goes on for a bit too long. However, Evans, obviously inspired by 1988’s Die Hard, has created a sensational and unique film.
As a side note, if you want to know how stupid Hollywood is… Even though The Raid is a triumphant success and part of a planned trilogy (again, like Ong-bak) with the sequel already being worked on, Sony Pictures is currently at work on an English language remake. Why?!? It’s not like there many subtitles to read anyways; 99% of the dialogue is really just the characters grunting and gasping for breath as they fight to the death!
Overall, The Raid is a pulse-pounding, adrenaline-packed extravaganza, providing some of the best martial arts displays in a long time. It’s brutal, it never lets up, and it leaves you practically exhausted just from watching. Like last year's Mission Impossible 4, The Raid is a return to classic, edge-of-your-seat entertainment (of course, with way more blood and gore than MI4).
The Final Word: Go buy a ticket.
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