Post by The Social Introvert on Nov 24, 2017 14:32:29 GMT
Video version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODsECBNzjg
I vividly remember discussing with my group of friends many years ago what to see in the cinema on the weekend. Some random Indonesian movie that few of us had heard of, The Raid, was thrown into the mix and quickly thrown back out. Eventually we had settled for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus mainly at my insistence, which turned out to be a terrible decision and a catastrophic error, given the film was so disappointing that hardly any of those guys who I went to see the film with ever showed up for another cinema outing since.
A few months down the line, I had the opportunity to but this Indonesian flick. By this time, it had gained a reputation as something of a hit in the action movie world. I didn’t have my hopes very high going in, given that we live in a time where The Dark Knight is considered an action masterpiece by many, when I don’t even feel it’s an action movie to begin with. Still, there was no harm that could be found in trying this film out, so I gave it a go.
To put it simply The Raid just took my breath away. It hit me like a whirlwind. This small, plucky Indonesian flick jumped straight to my number 1 in my list of best action films of the 21st century. It was insanely visceral, intense and leaves you wanting to walk out the front door and punch someone in the face. What the Raid is essentially is a collection of incredibly crafted, wild and fast bouts of hyper violent martial arts fights set in the claustrophobic and tight corridors of a high rise apartment block.
The story involves a SWAT team who infiltrate an apartment block and work their way up the floors one at a time, their goal being to capture a drug kingpin who resides at the top. Their cover is blown however, and many are taken out in a frenzy of bullets, leaving just a few commandos scattered around the building. The kingpin announces through a comms that a price is now on the heads of the cops, giving them even more to worry about now pretty much everyone in the building is trying to kill them. Cue enough extreme segments of violence and inventive fights scenes that you could want in a single film.
The story, interestingly quite similar to Dredd’s a year later, is pretty thin but serves its purpose. It allows for a movie where the fights scenes have the added element of feeling suffocating due to the lack of space in these tight corridors. Just round the corner could be a trio of thugs armed with machetes or rifles, or an unforgiving dead end. The respite between fight scenes last mere minutes before we’re thrown into another relentless exploiting of chops, kicks, twirls and punches. Broken bones and bloody faces become a norm and director Gareth Evans brilliant camera work forces you to be right in the thick of things, up close and personal and given the performers know their stuff, there’s no need for quick cuts or shakey cam. The fights are so excellently choreographed and filmed, you never lose track of what’s going on.
Iko Uwais plays Rama, one of the police officers. He’s a Muslim too, which was a nice touch, and in the tranquil opening 5 minutes or so before the frenzy of craziness, he prays, works out, kisses his wife goodbye before being launched into this hell hole. We come to see that Rama is the hero of the film, and Uwais is really going to be one to watch in the future. He’s already reached the levels of Tony Jaa in the martial arts world in my opinion and in a few years might have the likes of Donny Yen looking over his shoulders. The man is just so fast, and complements the aesthetically pleasing fight choreography so well. We learn that Rama’s brother is part of the gang that the cops are battling against, and there are several instances of allegiance switching which keep the story fresh in and amongst all the fighting.
It’s difficult to find faults in this movie, providing you know what you’re in for. Even the blood effects on a measly budget look superior to a lot of Hollywood movies out nowadays. I guess one complaint I would have is that after a while it all became too much. I became exhausted by the time the final three way fight at the end of the film came into place, too sanitised, and found myself drifting off. I have to point the finger and blame the very same thing that is the film’s best strength – the tight fast fights. There’s only so long a viewer can keep engaged with the intensity. You have to space it out a bit more and let things sink in, something which Evans learned for his next film.
Still by and large the film leave you feeling breathless. It’s a terrific crowd-pleaser that puts to shame a lot of the fight scene from its Hollywood counterparts. Throw CGI and shakey cam out the window, because this is the real stuff. Even the environment gets in on the action, with fridges and tables being thrown about, people smashing through windows and using anything they can find as a weapon. It’s new and impressive in how the action is shot, but old school in the heroism you feel coming from the main characters. They’re thrown into a perilous fight or die situation that feels genuine.
It’s not all crash band wollop. Like I said the story development isn’t bad, and Evans is clever is how he films and edits the already impressive fight scenes. For example there’s a one on one that quickly increases in tempo and intensity, As the arms and legs are flying around the music is pumping harder and harder, until Rama grips the goons head and smashes it through a broken door, slicing the insides of his face, and suddenly everything stops. The music is gone, the camera is still. We don’t see that last bit with the face and the door though, it cuts away just before the guy gets it, and instead we are focus on a weary looking Rama, breathing heavily looking almost shaken at his handiwork while he regains his breath. I don’t know why, but in and amongst all the fighing that is the shot I remember most vividly from the film.
The Raid feels very tight, no laggy fat at all. It’s short, intense, and packs a hell of a punch. When you look at the great action films over the years, Die Hard, Hard Boiled and then the great martial arts movies over the years Drunken Master, Enter the Dragon, The Raid offers something that feels very different. None of those films match the intensity of The Raid, the speed of it. The adrenaline it pumps into you cements it as a modern day action classic in my opinion. After seeing the film and then watching another action flick from this century, iron man, Rambo, even Ip man and SPL, in terms of sheer ferocity, nothing comes close. Nothing seems to satisfy. That is of course, until you get to the movie’s superior sequel. But that’s a review for another day. I give The Raid an 8.5
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cODsECBNzjg
I vividly remember discussing with my group of friends many years ago what to see in the cinema on the weekend. Some random Indonesian movie that few of us had heard of, The Raid, was thrown into the mix and quickly thrown back out. Eventually we had settled for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus mainly at my insistence, which turned out to be a terrible decision and a catastrophic error, given the film was so disappointing that hardly any of those guys who I went to see the film with ever showed up for another cinema outing since.
A few months down the line, I had the opportunity to but this Indonesian flick. By this time, it had gained a reputation as something of a hit in the action movie world. I didn’t have my hopes very high going in, given that we live in a time where The Dark Knight is considered an action masterpiece by many, when I don’t even feel it’s an action movie to begin with. Still, there was no harm that could be found in trying this film out, so I gave it a go.
To put it simply The Raid just took my breath away. It hit me like a whirlwind. This small, plucky Indonesian flick jumped straight to my number 1 in my list of best action films of the 21st century. It was insanely visceral, intense and leaves you wanting to walk out the front door and punch someone in the face. What the Raid is essentially is a collection of incredibly crafted, wild and fast bouts of hyper violent martial arts fights set in the claustrophobic and tight corridors of a high rise apartment block.
The story involves a SWAT team who infiltrate an apartment block and work their way up the floors one at a time, their goal being to capture a drug kingpin who resides at the top. Their cover is blown however, and many are taken out in a frenzy of bullets, leaving just a few commandos scattered around the building. The kingpin announces through a comms that a price is now on the heads of the cops, giving them even more to worry about now pretty much everyone in the building is trying to kill them. Cue enough extreme segments of violence and inventive fights scenes that you could want in a single film.
The story, interestingly quite similar to Dredd’s a year later, is pretty thin but serves its purpose. It allows for a movie where the fights scenes have the added element of feeling suffocating due to the lack of space in these tight corridors. Just round the corner could be a trio of thugs armed with machetes or rifles, or an unforgiving dead end. The respite between fight scenes last mere minutes before we’re thrown into another relentless exploiting of chops, kicks, twirls and punches. Broken bones and bloody faces become a norm and director Gareth Evans brilliant camera work forces you to be right in the thick of things, up close and personal and given the performers know their stuff, there’s no need for quick cuts or shakey cam. The fights are so excellently choreographed and filmed, you never lose track of what’s going on.
Iko Uwais plays Rama, one of the police officers. He’s a Muslim too, which was a nice touch, and in the tranquil opening 5 minutes or so before the frenzy of craziness, he prays, works out, kisses his wife goodbye before being launched into this hell hole. We come to see that Rama is the hero of the film, and Uwais is really going to be one to watch in the future. He’s already reached the levels of Tony Jaa in the martial arts world in my opinion and in a few years might have the likes of Donny Yen looking over his shoulders. The man is just so fast, and complements the aesthetically pleasing fight choreography so well. We learn that Rama’s brother is part of the gang that the cops are battling against, and there are several instances of allegiance switching which keep the story fresh in and amongst all the fighting.
It’s difficult to find faults in this movie, providing you know what you’re in for. Even the blood effects on a measly budget look superior to a lot of Hollywood movies out nowadays. I guess one complaint I would have is that after a while it all became too much. I became exhausted by the time the final three way fight at the end of the film came into place, too sanitised, and found myself drifting off. I have to point the finger and blame the very same thing that is the film’s best strength – the tight fast fights. There’s only so long a viewer can keep engaged with the intensity. You have to space it out a bit more and let things sink in, something which Evans learned for his next film.
Still by and large the film leave you feeling breathless. It’s a terrific crowd-pleaser that puts to shame a lot of the fight scene from its Hollywood counterparts. Throw CGI and shakey cam out the window, because this is the real stuff. Even the environment gets in on the action, with fridges and tables being thrown about, people smashing through windows and using anything they can find as a weapon. It’s new and impressive in how the action is shot, but old school in the heroism you feel coming from the main characters. They’re thrown into a perilous fight or die situation that feels genuine.
It’s not all crash band wollop. Like I said the story development isn’t bad, and Evans is clever is how he films and edits the already impressive fight scenes. For example there’s a one on one that quickly increases in tempo and intensity, As the arms and legs are flying around the music is pumping harder and harder, until Rama grips the goons head and smashes it through a broken door, slicing the insides of his face, and suddenly everything stops. The music is gone, the camera is still. We don’t see that last bit with the face and the door though, it cuts away just before the guy gets it, and instead we are focus on a weary looking Rama, breathing heavily looking almost shaken at his handiwork while he regains his breath. I don’t know why, but in and amongst all the fighing that is the shot I remember most vividly from the film.
The Raid feels very tight, no laggy fat at all. It’s short, intense, and packs a hell of a punch. When you look at the great action films over the years, Die Hard, Hard Boiled and then the great martial arts movies over the years Drunken Master, Enter the Dragon, The Raid offers something that feels very different. None of those films match the intensity of The Raid, the speed of it. The adrenaline it pumps into you cements it as a modern day action classic in my opinion. After seeing the film and then watching another action flick from this century, iron man, Rambo, even Ip man and SPL, in terms of sheer ferocity, nothing comes close. Nothing seems to satisfy. That is of course, until you get to the movie’s superior sequel. But that’s a review for another day. I give The Raid an 8.5