Firstly, I would like to apologise for not keeping up-to-date with my reviews. Life beckoned...
As for The Raid... Awesomely fantastic, adrenaline filled, simplistic genius are just some of the words that come to mind. Uncompromising, violent and daring would be some more. Did I mention genius?
The plot is simple enough. Set in Indonesia, a SWAT team are sent into a tenement to take down a sociopathic mobster king and his army of vicious cohorts. The problem is, they're on their own with 30 floors of uber-violent killers and some of they're leaders have something to hide.
What ensues once they enter the compound is a no-holds barred fight for survival... that is, once we've had the 'oh shit' moment and you'll be muttering this throughout the film, right alongside the SWAT team members themselves.As they climb the floors to get to their target, played the humorously psychotic Tama (Ray Sahetapy) - SWAT leader Jaka (Joe Taslim) and his men (including hero Rama's Iko Uwais) battle increasingly violent (if not spectacular) criminals. The film is briliant in showing the team having to deal with a higher class of violent criminal with each floor they climb. This logic does not apply to the SWAT ranks.
Rama, a rookie so to speak is the best fighter and he astounds you with all he is able to achieve in each fight. The fight choreography itself is spectacular.
What's great is that the SWAT team has their golden boy... and the bad guys have theirs in Mad Dog (Yayan Ruhian). He just about manages to upstage Rama with one insanely brilliant fight scene in which he endeavours to prove that, yes he is a brutal killer, but one that prefers to use his fists as opposed to bullets. He's nothing if not fair.
If you're wondering why I keep mentioning the word 'fight,' it's because that's just what it is... one insane fight for survival. And don't bother with the good vs. bad mentality. Throw that out of the window... The winner or loser is not necessarily the smartest or the strongest, or even the just. You'll just have to see whether our guys make it out alive... or not. I can't help thinking how cool it would be to have the likes of Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian were to team up with Cyril Raffaeli and David Belle (of District 13 fame). The screen would literally explode with awesomeness! Total carnage!
As I sit here writing this, I have learned a sequel is on the way... next year! And for those of you who don't like subtitles (refrains from judging), Hollywood will provide you with a remake... sneaky snots have decided to steal the effectiveness of the title and renamed this ORIGINAL as The Raid: Redemption, probably in hopes to pass off theirs as the original (coughs). Sort of like what they're doing to the District 13 remake (gags).
So if you are sensitive about language and violent carnage... or you don't like subtitles (what's wrong with you?!) don't go see this. If you aren't sensitive... you will not be disappointed!
