Hard-hitting martial arts mayhem with as little actual storytelling as possible. We get a white knight, a villainous mastermind, a couple turncoats and a large, loud gang of dispensable supporting characters. Everybody plays their traditional roles; asses are kicked, scenery is smashed, lines are crossed and credits are rolled.
It's as close to straight-up video game action as I've ever seen on the silver screen, particularly if you're one of those gamers who likes to skip the cutscenes. The fights are, generally, good enough to carry the picture single-handedly. They're intense and climactic, from the manic four-on-one rumble that kicks off the pandemonium to the nigh-invincible boss battle that concludes it. There's a jarring sense of harsh finality to The Raid, with a steady stream of weaponry in play and every duel culminating in a killing or crippling blow. There's no limping off, bruised ribs in-hand, to fight another day... these guys are visibly finished.
In lieu of a deeper, less generic plot, it's that brutal efficiency which gives the film its identity. In six months' time, when I reflect on this film, that's what I'll remember. Not the flimsy double-turn pulled near the end, but the cleverly dismembered enemy combatants our hero has (sometimes literally) folded in half during his nonstop fifteen-floor rampage.
Review by drqshadowBlockedParent2020-02-05T20:15:40Z
Hard-hitting martial arts mayhem with as little actual storytelling as possible. We get a white knight, a villainous mastermind, a couple turncoats and a large, loud gang of dispensable supporting characters. Everybody plays their traditional roles; asses are kicked, scenery is smashed, lines are crossed and credits are rolled.
It's as close to straight-up video game action as I've ever seen on the silver screen, particularly if you're one of those gamers who likes to skip the cutscenes. The fights are, generally, good enough to carry the picture single-handedly. They're intense and climactic, from the manic four-on-one rumble that kicks off the pandemonium to the nigh-invincible boss battle that concludes it. There's a jarring sense of harsh finality to The Raid, with a steady stream of weaponry in play and every duel culminating in a killing or crippling blow. There's no limping off, bruised ribs in-hand, to fight another day... these guys are visibly finished.
In lieu of a deeper, less generic plot, it's that brutal efficiency which gives the film its identity. In six months' time, when I reflect on this film, that's what I'll remember. Not the flimsy double-turn pulled near the end, but the cleverly dismembered enemy combatants our hero has (sometimes literally) folded in half during his nonstop fifteen-floor rampage.