I first saw the trailer for The Raid roughly a year ago, and my jaw dropped for the second time in my memory for what I had just seen. For anyone wondering what the other time was, think back to Inception, and more specifically, the rotating hallway. This trailer was absolute perfection in my mind, and I almost didn't want to see the film out of the fear that it wouldn't live up to my incredibly high expectations. The trailer itself was proof enough that this film could be immortalized in action movie history, but of course, the proof is in the pudding...
Here is that trailer, in case you haven't already stumbled into it. Please do note that this is a Red Band trailer, which means that for once, it is not suitable for all audiences.
The Raid follows a group of 20 or so rookie SWAT officers into the heart of a notorious drug-lord's impenetrable fortress. Guaranteed to meet waves of junkies who feel no pain from their lives of shooting up, these cops must reach the top floor in order to bring the kingpin to justice.
This is director Gareth Evans third go at a feature length film, and although I haven't seen his first two flicks, it's safe to say that he's got it down. This could also very well be the first Indonesian film I've seen. This isn't a movie that will please everyone. In fact, it won't even please the minority. I'll even go one step further and say it will piss a lot of people off. I should mention that during my screening of it, there were two walkouts about half way through. Evans knew that his audience has become more and more desensitized with video games like Gears of War and flicks like 300. Taking advantage of this, he teamed up with his two partners, Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian from their previous film, Merantau, to push the shock factor just about as far as possible. The Raid turns the violence dial up to 11, and I'm not complaining.
The fight choreography in this film is second to none. I have no idea how the cast was able to learn every move in the four months of pre-production, especially with the length and population of some of these scenes. I know I wouldn't be able to do it, but then again, I'm sitting here writing a review. The two main choreographers were in fact two of the main actors, Uwais and Ruhian, who delivered fantastic performances. The whole cast worked pretty well with what they were given, even giving a little substance and emotion to their characters, making you cringe in your seat purely because of your attachment to them.
Before I forget: The Sountrack. Mike Shinoda (of Linkin Park) and Joseph Trapanese (who worked on Tron: Legacy with Daft Punk) developed a score that borders on dubstep at some points, and instrumental harmonies at others, with a touch of that Linkin Park feel that you've come to know mixed in. It should be noted that this wasn't the original sountrack, but instead developed specifically for American audiences. It wasn't any matter to me, the music only added to the chaos and yet was able to calm you down when the film's incredible editing brought you to a much needed cool-down period. The song in the trailer above, Razors.Out, is recognizable at a few points in the film, which only brought a smile to my face. Unfortunately, I cannot for the life of me find a instrumental-only version for download, as the original has lyrics sung by Chino Moreno (of Deftones). Like I said earlier, I immortalized the trailer in my head, and lyrics only get in the way of that. Razors.Out is the hero song, and is half of what made me want to see this film.From a technical standpoint, Evans conceded a few mistakes, which I'm sure he was unaware of during filming. Some shaky cinematography ruined a few fantastic shots, while enhancing others when it came to creating absolute madness during the action. A few sound editing issues were noticeable as well, although it was really hard to care with the sensory overload I was receiving anyways.
The Raid simply delivers. Evans has made one of the best action movies in recent years, and with the support of anyone willing to accept this monstrosity (and I mean that in the best way possible), The Raid might actually be remembered for it. This isn't a cult classic yet, but with it's 85% rating on RottenTomatoes.com and an audience knowing what they are getting themselves into, it has a chance. This movie is pure fun, and even after paying $11 for a ticket, I feel like I hadn't paid enough. If you like action flicks, make like a mad dog to see this one. Maybe you'll even get lucky and it'll leave your jaw dropped.
My Rating:
Released: April, 2012 (Limited U.S.)
Directed by: Gareth Evans
Written by: Gareth Evans
Cast: Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Ray Sahetapy, Joe Taslim, Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno
Rating: R
Length: 1 hr 41 mins
My last review was Best Picture Winning, The Artist, in February, 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment