I keep seeing a lot of praise for this film, saying it's "the best action movie ever seen". It's either they haven't watch that many action films or all the hype train is blindly choo-chooing around Gareth Evans whose work I recall was included in V/H/S/2 (2013). Maybe it's the result of such a low budget production that's sending off the horns here. After all, the entire movie takes place in that one old building seen in the movie poster anyway, kinda like Die Hard (1988).
So I rented this on VUDU recently, and thought it was just good. The gritty nature of it is very typical to look at, that bland "Call of Duty" look or even that Dredd (2011) movie. Parts of the film and its premise reminded me of Tony Jaa's Ong-Bak series with the flying elbows and flying knees, while certain notable scenes (where the first bullet shot sends off an array of mayhem) reminded me a little bit of OLDBOY (2003); that grenade in the refrigerator is just like in Die Hard; and how the SWAT team head on upwards the building reminded me of infected going up that building in [REC] (2007)/Quarantine (2008). I do however very well respect how the main characters prefer fists over gun when they fight as a way of honor, a code to true fighters alike, which made me think of things like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Tony Jaa, Donnie Yen, Jackie Chan, Jet Li all represent their country's action flick counterparts as does The Raid series for Indonesia. Give it a go if you're looking for more of that modern fist-pumping Asian action flick.
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.
I'm really glad I watched this. Now I know that if I try to kung fu fight someone, my death will be a entertaining spectacle of pain and creativity. The best way to watch this movie is with a friend and with only action expectations. Don't worry about the plot at all.
Speaking for the story, this isn't anything spectacular. In fact, it is almost exactly like the recent Dredd movie. Dread certainly did a better job with the drama aspect. None of the intro scenes really get me into what is happening, and logic for the plot is a bit weak. Also, I think some of the acting is weak, although it is kind of hard to tell when a voice doesn't sound right when it is spoken in a different language.
But then fight scenes happen. Ho. Lee. Shit. This isn't some lame slow motion spinning and jumping. This isn't shaky camera Bourne stuff. No, we get a great view of people hitting each other for real. Of course, stereotypical Asian fight scenes can get redundant, but not this film. The clever new elements are all over the place.
This violence is some of the most entertaining violence. If you want to witness some violence, pick this up now.
This movie is balls to the wall action, and it's action done right. Sure, it's not like there's a compelling story and interesting characters holding it up, but part of what makes it successful, is that it doesn't pretend to be anything different. Yeah, sure, they very well could have included the 15 to 20 minutes of typical Hollywood formulated bullshit, but instead, they kept it extremely minimal, and I think that that was a great choice. Not only does it help get straight to the action that you paid for, but it makes the fight scenes more tense as well. For most of the movie, there's no real clues as to whether or not the character that you're watching in this particular fight scene is completely expendable. Unlike the Expendables, where the characters are anything but expendable. This is a film where you're actually able to feel scared and get a rush of adrenaline from the fight scenes, because the character you're watching has a good chance of dying. Who would have thought it would have taken this long to figure out that action scenes work better when the characters participating in them aren't invincible? Not only that, but the choreography itself in the fight scenes is very well done. There's none of that typical Hollywood quick-cut close-shot bullshit, that's specifically designed hat you can't see how bad their choreography is. This is a movie that excels on its action, and it tries its best not to bullshit you in between. Now, that being said, it doesn't nearly have the same effect on the second watch, and there are a few moments that are kinda fucking ridiculous, but regardless, there's enough to appreciate about what this movie did right to like it.
Review by Dulneth PereraBlockedParent2024-01-08T16:28:46Z
SO. MUCH. FUNNNNNNNN
Safe to say I wasn't raid-y for that (that was a horrible pun)
The action of this movie was phenomenal, it was as if they were trying to tell me a story by punching me. During the whole runtime , I was on the edge of my seat and my god I don't think I've ever been excited when watching an action movie like I was today. It was a rollercoaster of just...killing..punching...kicking. And believe me when I say, there are no pit stops.
This is an easy 9/10 for me, as soon as I pressed play I was glued to the screen with the fight scenes, and the score which elevates the action sequences and makes it a 100 times better. Every fight scene of this movie is so perfectly directed from the choreography to the camera angles, props to the cameramen. On the flip side though, setting aside all the actions sequences, you have a movie with little to no plot, and the characters were probably the weakest part of the movie for me, no development whatsoever, they try to add in some heart to heart moments that serve no emotional values due to the shallow character arcs and ends up being a bit cheesy.
From the first act, you're set for a ride, you'll never be bored, similar to John Wick but Raid makes even John Wick look like a Disney movie. The three acts passed by so quick, 10% Dialogue 90% Fighting, and boy did it work.
Overall, The Raid is 1h 40 minutes of pure adrenaline rush like a food menu with a wide range of action scenes and no side dishes for character development.