The Raid: Redemption

Pulling a trigger is like ordering a takeout...

Like injecting caffeine into your eye socket, this film packs a punch. And a stab. And a nightstick to the kidneys. Think Enter the Dragon, if Tarantino directed it and you’ll get the idea. Pure, brutal, action in all it’s glory. I don’t pack enough hyperbole in my lexicon to do justice to the choreography and camera work involved in some of the fight scenes.

Scene

Blink and you’ll miss the back story. The film opens with Rama (Iko Uwais), a rookie SWAT cop, saying goodbye to his pregnant wife before going off to raid the multi-storey flats that a drug baron calls home. There’s a couple of wee twists in there but don’t have any illusions; the premise is cops trying to reach the top of the apartment block and a whole mess of fighting in between.

Take

It’s as simple an action story as Die Hard, and just as awesome. There are some truly inventive shots and you really get a sense that you are physically watching each knee and fist connect with it’s opponent. Not in a fast-paced, I’m-getting-nauseous-watching, Bourne kind of way, but just excellently choreographed fight scenes. Oh and the gore, the gore is glorious. The film obviously had a reasonably low budget but you never notice, probably because each of the stab wounds inflicted by Rama’s hunting knife are so lightning quick.

After the film finished I stood up and felt like I needed to sit down again, such was the pace of the film, it was almost exhausting. The end fight scene is incredible. This isn’t it but gives you an idea of what’s in store:

Director

I have no idea how Gareth Evans, in many respects a rookie director, made such an excellent film in Indonesia with an entirely Indonesian cast. Does he speak Indonesian? You bet your ass he doesn’t. He couldn't be more Welsh. Nonetheless, let's not hold it against him. This man will get a bigger budget and will come back with something special, I guarantee it. I just hope he doesn’t agree to get involved with the remake. See here to read about it but try not to cry.

And... Cut.

It’s a two hour action sequence, what’s not to love? You must see this in the cinema, it is fantastic. Oh and I didn’t mention the soundtrack. Mike Shenoda from Linkin Park was the man and he did a fantastic job. Also, check out the credits at the end, all the bodies gave the crew a bit of a tough time in coming up with feasible character titles so I think they just gave up.