The Raid: Action cinema at it's finest.

 

There are times when you watch a movie that just blows you away. The Indonesian action powerhouse that is The Raid seemingly came out of nowhere and yet has left a lasting impression on action and martial arts fans around the world. At the time of it's release, I don't remember much in the way of the movie's promotion except for the fact that it was receiving good reviews left, right and centre. As such, I had no idea what the movie was about besides the highly regarded action and that was it. Being as big of a martial arts movie fan as I am, I decided to give the movie a shot and I am so glad that I did. It's since become one of my favourite movies of all time and I must have seen it at least 10 times now. I apologize in advance as I may not say anything in this blog post that hasn't been said about the movie already. 

The movie has a plot line that might be a bit on the thin side and resembles something one might find in a videogame but, it adequately serves the action and so it gets a pass. Opening the movie, we see our protagonist, rookie police officer Rama, reciting his morning prayers on a rug. He then proceeds to get in a heavy, physical workout before kissing his pregnant wife goodbye. This short little opening is great as it establishes that Rama is a religious man and has a family to attempt to get back to. 

We are then introduced to the rest of the SWAT team in the back of their van as it parks in front of their target's destination. We meet the lieutenant, the grey haired man wearing a bulletproof vest over a sports shirt and we learn that he set up the titular raid. His choice of attire does stand out as an odd choice because one would think that standing out would draw unwanted attention to oneself. Truly strange for a situation such as one the team are in. Anyways, the point of the raid is to find and deal with notorious crime lord, Tama who has holed up at the very top of the floor of the apartment complex. Standing between the SWAT team and Tama is an army of vicious gangsters. We also come to know that within the complex is Andi, who just so happens to be Rama's brother and thus establishes a personal reason for our protagonist to take part in the raid. 

As one might expect, the raid doesn't go according to plan and ends up with a number of casualties. What this gives us is some of the best martial arts scenes in cinema. The movie goes all out with it's action sequences and it's absolutely beautiful to observe. All of the fights are brutal, desperate and rough. They do an excellent job at displaying the desperation of the SWAT team members as well as the gangsters as they fight for survival inside a hellish complex. It feels wrong to single out one or two fights in a plethora of epic ones but Rama and Andi vs Mad Dog is sublime. Mad Dog lives up to his moniker with his brutal, sadistic fighting style and proves a challenging foe for even both of the brothers to overcome. This fight really shows just how far humans will dig to survive. It also goes to show just what an expertly choregraphed 2 vs 1 fight looks like and puts Hollyweird to shame in that department. Another stand out is the earlier fight between the Sergeant, Jaka and Mad Dog. As much as it was a shame to lose Jaka so early, it did a tremendous job of showing just how big of a threat Mad Dog is. The fight is brutal and ends when it precisely should for the sake of at least a small amount of realism. 

Major props have to be given to the choreographers and the stunt team. Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and everyone involved did an exemplary job of bringing the action to life. What I always love in my action movies is when everybody has their own fighting styles and The Raid definitely doesn't disappoint in that regard. Mad Dog has a brutal, take no prisoners, martial arts style that is a treat to behold. In contrast, the burly lieutenant is much more of a brawler and grappler as he swings heavy haymakers and tosses his opponents all over the complex. The use of Pencak Silat is wonderful. 

The camera work is also top notch as it deftly captures all of the motions and stunts. It also does a splendid job of making all of the hits feel visceral and impactful. Gareth Evans knows how to shoot action and when to keep the camera steady as well as to use slight shaky camera movements. None of it takes away from the great work of the stunt team as we get to feast our eyes on all of it. 

It's easy to overlook performances in a movie that is essentially all out action but, props must be given to the excellent cast. This movie helped propel several cast members to stardom and international fame and for good reason. Iko Uwais led the picture in the lead role and did so admirably. He displayed Rama's struggles throughout the mission brilliantly with some panache. He shows a certain vulnerability despite overcoming countless adversaries and also displays concern for his team mates when things go awry. Iko showed exactly why he deserves to be a star. Likewise, Joe Taslim shone as Jaka despite actually having much less screen time than Iko. Felt for him when he ran into Mad Dog. Speaking of Mad Dog, Yayan Ruhian portrays the savage and sadistic martial arts expert flawlessly. He felt like a true threat to the SWAT team and just had a great presence when on screen.

Overall, the movie was never going to win any of the awards for best picture or whatever at the Oscars and such but it didn't need to. It had no need to win any of the meaningless awards at any of the façade awards shows. What it did do was showcase just what expert camerawork and choreography can achieve and leaves action fans with smiles on their faces.