The Raid: Redemption

It's as if Jackie Chan had swapped humour for brutality and in a film directed by John Woo, who got tired of guns. I enjoy straightforward action movies and The Raid is a perfect example of how they should look like. The film gets right down to business, everything feels real, honest, there's no time for big plot twists, it's a completely different, blood-soaked display of acrobatics that takes your breath away. In addition, the cramped setting of corridors, staircases and small apartments invites to invent more and more ways to destroy the hordes of villains, who sometimes jump from everywhere in the style of the undead from some modern zombie flick. I'd seen the films it has inspired (Dredd, The Princess, maybe even John Wick) before The Raid, but I didn't mind it at all. (01/03/2023)

This is by no means a perfect film, the fight choreography, although shot in an absolutely breathtaking way, starts to get a bit tiring towards the end and some scenes are awfully exaggerated and contrived. But in spite of that, or maybe because of it, this is, I dare say, the best and most honest action flick ever made (The Rock is just such a weak concoction in comparison). I believe that even Chuck Norris would have to take his hands out of his pockets this time to get it all done in 100 minutes :-D (03/26/2013)

That long-haired walking holocaust especially, who gives soda to the main characters even with a fluorescent light down his throat, is really growing on me, and the fact that the animals are really, really badly hurting each other and it looks so real that I'm still not sure there weren't people dying in the filming, gives truth to the claim that films kicked off with a convo like "Here’s a building and a million bucks, do what you want." "Okay." might be the real thing. (05/29/2012)

A film that has become a cult classic over the years. When thinking about the best in the action genre of the 21st century, The Raid: Redemption is the first to come to mind. I never would have expected this from an Indonesian film, but it's true. Americans should take notes from this approach. Perhaps a big part of this is Iko Uwais, whose charismatic presence convinced me of his role, though the same can be said for the others, particularly "Mad Dog" played by Yayan Ruhian, who will remain etched in my memory for a long time. It’s incredible how a simple premise (a building overrun by thugs) can be so engaging; normally, I might criticize this, but in this case, it surprisingly didn’t bother me. The film relies heavily on hand-to-hand combat; sure, there are shootouts, but machetes, various sharp objects of all kinds, and bare hands take center stage. Such choreography is rare elsewhere; the camera maintains a steady perspective, so you truly appreciate the action on screen (unlike much of the Western competition, where everything shakes, and you get nothing from it). The R rating is worth noting; it's not for the faint of heart. The ending is also well-built up. I have no complaints. I give it 91%. (10/28/2019)

Unbelievable carnage that surpasses most of what has been filmed so far. Where most directors shy away from pushing the envelope and move the camera or cut the shot, Evans keeps it in the frame with maximum detail in every scene. Very bloody, very brutal, and incredibly explosive in terms of choreography and audiovisual aspects. Is it possible to shoot something like this on such a pitiful budget? Americans (and everyone else) should take note, this is how pure action is filmed. The plot is irrelevant. (08/14/2012)