The Raid: Redemption

I'm not going to waste time here: The Raid (I don't acknowledge the Sony-placed "redemption") is the best action film in at least twenty years. In terms of martial arts, it's on the level of Unleashed, Kung Fu Hustle, and Bruce Lee. Oh yeah, I went there. The Raid doesn't try to be serious or cerebral, it is just pure awesome for 90 minutes. It's cranked to eleven from the start and never looks back. Move over The Matrix, step down Jason Bourne; all hail The Raid. Rama (Iko Uwais) is an expectant father who is one of twenty elite Indonesian cops sent to take down a ruthless crime lord (Ray Sahetapy). Their target lives in a thirty-floor building full of wanted criminals who pay in exchange for protection. Early on, the team is caught on camera, and learnt that the mission was a way for a corrupt lieutenant (Pierre Gruno) to cover his tracks, and they're without backup. When the crime lord broadcasts a message promising permanent free stays to every person who brings him a dead cop, Rama and the others are caught in a storm of violence and survival. There's a moment in The Raid where you realize that it isn't going to develop characters well or have a deep story. It happens early on and the film is very clear that it doesn't care. The Raid knows what it wants to be: freaking awesome, and it it is all the way to the end. Director Gareth Evans shoots the fight scenes with the complexity of a Jet Li film and the brutality of a UFC match. Seriously, Silat is one of the most intense and bloody fighting styles I've ever seen, and the frenetic action sequences are so brutal you feel every pung. The fights are fantastically choreographed, and each one is unique; you never see the same kick kicked twice. Ok, I have to admit The Raid isn't perfect. I sometimes wanted more story, and the score by Mike Shinoda is appropriate rarely. Also, it is basically a live-action videogame. But so what? The Raid is an adrenaline shot straight to the heart of action cinema. There hasn't been an American action flick this nuts in ever, and I truly believe it will be remembered. Just...wow. You can probably tell by now that I'm running out of ways to describe how great The Raid is. I just had so much damn fun watching it, I don't know how else to talk about it. If this film is playing in your town, see it immediately. Even if you have to run across town to make it, even if it's playing in the worst theater in the area, just go.