The Raid

[fortunesfool]

Elite Swat Team enters tall building to catch bad guy. They get overwhelmed and struggle to survive. Basically, it's Black Hawk Down but in a building.

An Indonesian film (subtitled - which they're keeping quiet in the ads) directed by a Welshman isn't something you see everyday, but then The Raid isn't like the kind of movie you see everyday.

Well, it is, but it isn't. You see, it's a pretty bog standard action movie by most accounts. Plot, character, story and emotional involvement are in short supply, and when they do rear their head they're just a hinderance. The action's the thing here and The Raid delivers this in spades, and machete's, and splintered door frames and, well, you get the idea. To quote Doc Brown "When this baby hits 88mph you're gonna see some serious shit" Unless you've seen a Tony Jaa film, or Ip Man, or any of those other gobsmackingly choreographed and edited Asian action flicks. The Raid approaches that level of carnage at times and when it does, it's undeniably exciting and visceral, but it won't be anything you haven't seen before. If however, you're diet of action movies is solely based on the shaky-cam, cgi'd dirge that Hollywood is churning out these day then this may well give you some sort of brain spaz and leave you a gibbering wreck.

This shouldn't be talked about in the same breath as Die Hard, as some might suggest, but as a mindless adrenalin rush, it's hard to fault.

[Lizhawkins]

****

Here's a link to Total Film's 4 star The Raid review.

****

Verdict:
Like that clip of Tony Jaa terrorising an entire building in one take – but ramped up to 101 astonishing minutes – The Raid is so hardcore it would make badass blush.

[fortunesfool]

It's a blunt looking table knife that he's handed in the improvised surgery scene, not a straight razor. That's why it's funny. A straight razor would have been an ideal tool for the job.