By Malice Intended
Nestled comfortably in the slums of Jakarta, crime lord Tama Riyandi (Ray Sahetapy) rules his empire from atop a 15 floor tenement building, the residents of which are mostly violent criminals. All are fiercely loyal to Riyandi, and will kill for him upon command. He keeps watch over this fortress via a closed circuit camera system. Absolutely nothing and no one gets in or out without him knowing. His virtual omnipresence, coupled with his vicious security force, make Riyandi nearly untouchable. Nonetheless, an elite team of cops stage a daring predawn raid for the purposes of finally bringing him to justice. They make it inside the building undetected, but once their target is alerted to their presence, the place becomes a perilous deathtrap. While his comrades get slaughtered around him, young rookie Rama (Iko Uwais) receives a baptism of fire and bullets.
The Raid: Redemption is the latest film festival sensation to take the action world by storm. Its staggered North American release comes after much anticipation. The trailers have established the films pedigree well before most people had ever even seen it. The action set pieces would obviously be on point, but how would the movie function as a whole? Would it simply be a highlight reel displaying the physical prowess of its stunt team? Would it provide anything in the way of story and character? Fortunately, The Raid: Redemption turns out to be exactly what its trailers had promised, albeit in a much more fearsome package than anyone could have anticipated.
To truly understand the level that The Raid: Redemption functions on, one has to look well beyond the scope of contemporary action cinema. Like many modern films, The Raid pulls it’s inspirations from a variety of sources. The plot synopsis makes it sound like a combination of Die Hard, Hard Boiled, Game of Death, and Assault on Precinct 13. While such comparisons aren’t too far off the mark, there is another subgenre that The Raid borrows heavily from: Zombie films. The Raid functions similarly to both contemporary zombie films, mostly due to its nonstop violence and nearly unsustainable intensity. The villains come at the heroes by the truckload, and the main protagonist is allowed no rest.
The Raid is actually even more harrowing than most of the zombie movies that have come along in the last decade, mainly because the visuals convey a sense of dread and loss. The metallic blue hues of James Cameron’s Terminator films are used here to create a dystopian mood. The lighting and set design never let the audience forget that the heroes are trapped in a hopeless situation. Since their exploits are denied the lighter, self-aware tone and bright color palettes of American films, The Raid becomes like an endurance test. More sensitive viewers may find it too intense to be much fun. More perceptive viewers will realize that is exactly the point.
Special mention must be made of the films fight scenes, which take the most animalistic tendencies of humanity and turn them into high art. The stunt team performs a variety of throws and holds that sometimes move much too fast for the viewer to comprehend. The finishing moves are endlessly inventive in their sadism. Somewhere in the midst of this martial arts maelstrom is a very solid action hero performance by Iko Uwais. Like other martial arts stars, he speaks more with his fists and feet than his mouth, yet he exudes attitude. His determination can be seen in his facial expressions and body language. He sells the situation perfectly without having to do much real acting.
The Raid: Redemption is a finely tuned thrill ride. It’s the most intimidating roller coaster in the entire amusement park. The depth of the drops and the number of loops will surely keep the squeamish away. However, those brave enough to endure the ride will surely be in awe of the craftsmanship. Writer/Director Gareth Evans and his team have created a superb example of high octane action cinema. The impenetrably dark mood and unrelenting graphic violence might make it hard for American audiences to truly appreciate its quality, but that is as it should be. When all of the Hollywood Blockbuster bells and whistles are taken away, what you have left is The Raid.
Out of 5
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