If I was to pick a list of kick ass, balls to wall action movies released in the past year or so, the list would include several titles, such as Expendables 2, Skyfall, Dredd 3D (more on this later). One movie however was almost passed on and not included on the list, as I didn’t really know much about it, except in passing. That would be The Raid: Redemption, an insane Indonesian martial arts action film, that will grow hair on your chest (no seriously, you should see the amount of hair on my chest now, it’s like the forest of Endor, minus the furry little dip-shits known as Ewoks). I know what you’re thinking: “a foreign film? subtitles? wahhhh, baby don’t like”. Well stop it right now and grow a pair, cause you need to watch this movie now, unless of course you don’t want to. I’m not your father and I can’t make you, but if I was your father..*shakes fist*
Short nitty-gritty plot description from IMDb is as follows: A SWAT team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.
The Raid: Redemption tells the story of a police squad on a mission to raid an apartment block full of nasties and capture the leader at the top of the building. The mission starts off all stealthy like, but before you know it, the shit hits the fan and things start to take a turn for the worst. The leader, played by the creepy and cruel Ray Sahetapy, sends word out to the all the residents in the building, which houses several thugs and criminals, that they have some “pests” that need taken care of and whoever helps out will be given free room and board. It certainly doesn’t take much convincing these hardened thugs to shoot ever damn one of them. However, little do they know that police officer Rama, played by martial arts extraordinaire Iko Uwais, isn’t going to just give up so easily.
Wait a minute, this is sounding awfully familiar. Didn’t we see something very similar not too long ago? Oh yeah, Dredd 3D. Well, yes the basic premise is oddly the same, but the movies ARE different. Whereas Dredd 3D focused more on the weaponry and technology behind the fantastic, futuristic world; The Raid: Redemption focuses on the hand to hand, foot to face martial arts. So, don’t dismiss either movie as ripping one or the other off, just enjoy both for what they are, a beautifully orgasmic display of carnage and testosterone filled mayhem.
The Raid: Redemption most certainly fits the category of brutal and bloody, as people are getting stabbed left and right, faces are being beaten in and bones are being broken. However, my number one complaint for the movie is the use of what looks to be CGI for the wet works. The blood just doesn’t feel like it’s actually there when the stabbing starts happening. I really miss the days of practical blood effects and the sticky mess they leave behind (that’s what she said).
I won’t waste your time anymore, The Raid: Redemption is a no brainer action film, with barely any faults. I can’t give it a perfect score, as I did find the CGI blood to be way too dodgy for my tastes and overall not necessary. Still, I can easily get over that, as the action is just insane, so I’m thinking my action junkie readers will be able to as well.
Rating:
