The Raid: Redemption
So what is actually the secret of The Raid’s remarkable success?
At first glance, the plot of The Raid seems too straightforward to sustain a full-length film. A SWAT team lead by Jaka (Joe Taslim) must storm a run-down multi-storey apartment block to arrest evil crime lord Tama (Ray Sahetapy). Things take a turn for the worse when Tama offers the apartment’s badass residents hefty rewards for killing his pursuers. They are happy to oblige. today the vastly outnumbered SWAT team must fight its way out to survive. Much mayhem ensues.
What’s special about the Raid is actually how excitingly in addition to compellingly which simple story is actually told. via the moment the fighting begins, about a few minutes into the film, the combat is actually frenetic in addition to relentless, with action scenes which put most Western films of the genre to shame for their sheer speed, brutality in addition to inventiveness. The gritty look in addition to the handheld camerawork put you right within the thick of the action, as if you’re standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the SWAT team, wincing at every blow. At times which’s an almost exhausting ride, not for the squeamish or faint of heart. within the soon-to-be classic corridor scene, SWAT hero Rama, played by Iko Uwais, takes on an army of attackers using only his bare hands. The fight choreography is actually simply jaw-dropping as he punches, kicks, stamps in addition to gouges his way through the massed assailants. The intensity, creativity in addition to physicality of the combat – in addition to its general lack of reliance on computer generated imagery – has prompted several American reviewers to complain which Indonesia is actually today better at doing action films than America, the genre’s pioneer.
Iko Uwais, tipped to be the next 'Bruce Lee'
which’s likely which The Raid: Redemption will propel Iko Uwais to some level of international stardom – there has even been talk of him being “the brand new Bruce Lee”. He was a highly skilled nevertheless unknown martial artist before Gareth Evans, The Raid’s Welsh writer/director/editor discovered him. At the time Evans was generating a documentary on silat, Indonesia’s brand of martial arts, nevertheless he was so impressed by the dramatic potential of his silat skills which he cast him in Merantau, his first major feature film. Under Evans’s excellent direction, in addition to in his second major movie, Iko Uwais delivers an engaging performance as an actor. As a fighter he positively shines.
Iko is actually not the only stand-out performer within the Raid. His real life silat teacher, Yayan Ruhian, is actually terrifying as a Mad Dog, a villain who likes to kill people with his bare hands because which’s more fun. At times when he’s fighting he seems more like a supernatural monster than a mere mortal, with lifeless black eyes in addition to straggly hair falling like curtains over his face. He choreographed all the fight scenes with Iko Uwais in addition to will soon be doing the same for the American remake.
Ray Sahetapy also deserves a special mention. His Tama is actually a uniquely vicious in addition to chilling Indonesian villain, who speaks which has a quiet voice in addition to carries a big hammer. The understated sliminess in addition to uncomfortable humour he brings to the role are reminiscent of the best of Tarantino.
Aside via Evans in addition to cinematographer Matt Flannery, everyone involved within the production of the Raid is actually Indonesian, including all the actors, the funders, the producers in addition to the entire special effects team. The Raid: Redemption is actually a truly Indonesian film which has pushed which nation’s action films into exciting brand new territory.
See which when you can — if you dare.
* * * * *
a few stars out of a few!
Rated R for strong brutal bloody violence throughout, in addition to language.
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The Raid: Redemption
The Raid: Redemption