The Raid
I am not the biggest action flick buff. I’m really not. If you’d asked me several years ago when I was fiercely defensive over not liking anything “mainstream,” I’d have shot the genre down faster than you can saying Die Hard. Of course, with that in mind, there were some classics that roundhouse kicked me in the face with a douse of epic (such as the aforementioned Die Hard.) But lately, they’ve all been bangs with no sparks, muscles with no brains and action with no heart. That is until 2011 and Gareth Evans walloped us with the insanely good The Raid.
With the subsequent sequel pummelling into DVD next month and finally getting my grubbing hands on the original, The Raid is a high octane piece of action that will leave adrenaline dripping from the sides of your under crackers. Directed by Gareth Evans, this Indonesian thriller is intense great. It revolves around a tower block owned by a ruthless crime lord who has every dreg of the city living there. However, his kingdom is threatened to be toppled when a group of police officers decide to storm it in the titular way. But all is not as it seems, and the police find themselves abandoned in a tower of terrifying murderers.
Thinking fondly to a friend of mines reaction to the movie, I did not expect mine to be similar. Frankly, The Raid is a slick action piece that will drag your bones to the edge of your seat and leave you teetering. The fights and punches are delivered with such ferocity that your heart will be palpitating as though you had guzzled several cases of Red Bulls. Evans has constructed the movie in a way that not only are you invested in each of the characters but you are thrilled by every single bloody battle between bad guy and cop. You will be screaming at the screen like a demented child as fist meets bone, adhoc bombs are made and guns are shot. The coordination is phenomenal.
The acting is on point as well, providing us with a soul to be invested in. While many critics were quick to comment that there is no character depth here, it’s actually has an alarming amount of visceral content boiling under the sweaty rage. The moral implications of the raid, the power and brotherhood of armed forces and family all combine with the pounding of flesh, breaking off teeth and it becomes this entity that is so intense you daren’t take your eyes of the screen in case you miss something stellar.
The Raid is how action should be. Evans had a premise and built on it, allowing the audiences to leave the cinemas pouring with this salty layer of feelings. Like the most dynamic video game you’ve ever played, Evans takes you on a ride that is both exhilarating, frightening and incredible. Not only is it a gem for fans of the action genre, but it is also allows those not akin to it to explore. In short, it’s breath taking!