The Raid: Redemption
Having absolutely no idea what this film was about before going to the cinema I turned up with friends looking forward to an action movie which would be fun, but no high expectations. What I came out with was an absolute adrenalin rush that lasted probably just as long as the film! Overall I really enjoyed this film, it is going directly onto my Blu Ray purchase list for the future.
Plot
Whilst it was very simple premise this film’s story line was engaging enough to make sure you weren’t just going from one fight scene to the next. The antagonists and protagonists alike had their reasons for what they were doing, my personal favourite was the guy who took the time to savour “the moment” despite his clear psychopathy.
Cast
As this film isn’t from “The West” the cast were all unknowns to me, or at least I don’t think I recognised them, but the actors were brilliant. Yes there was a certain amount of playing to stereotypes, but that actually worked very well. For instance the chief antagonists were really convincing in their malicious intent and behaviour.
Visuals & effects
The set had to be simple, because of the story premise, as there was a danger it might distract you from the action and story. However because the scenes were captured with a variety of styles, almost hand held during sections of running whilst panning neatly during fight scenes, and the set was kept neutral and uncluttered this wasn’t a problem to me.
The fights however were very brutal and didn’t have that feeling of pulled punches at all. Fast and furious in some places, but never so fast that you literally lost track of what was happening. In the scenes where there was more than a one on one fight the various combats all stitched together, often adding a little background movement to the current focus. The death scenes were stand out however, none of the classic Hollywood spectacular deaths which almost linger on the screen but rather they portrayed the abruptness of a life ending.
Soundtrack
In some films I find myself not noticing the music as the score isn’t all that strong, or noticing it because it is being used to build tension. Strangely I found that with The Raid: Redemption the soundtrack actually carried me through and only became noticeable after the scene was in full swing. The soundtrack was great as a result, nice pacing and only used where needed, which complimented the good volume levels of voices, sound effects and background noise. There were only one or two occasions where I felt like I was reaching audio overload, but that was in the thick of the fighting.
Conclusion
The Raid: Redemption is a film I would recommend to anyone who likes a modern action or martial arts movie. For instance if you like films, for example Transporter, this is more gritty and harder but this only makes it better. Not one for people who aren’t fans of guns, machete violence or gore though! This film leaves very little to the imagination when it comes down to brutal combat in an adrenalin fuelled frenzy as the characters fight their way through the tower block I hope I never end up in …
