Deep in the heart of Jakarta's slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world's most dangerous killers and gangsters. Until now, the run-down apartment block has been considered untouchable to even the bravest of police. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite swat team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. But when a chance encounter with a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the drug lord, the building's lights are cut and all the exits blocked. Stranded on the sixth floor with no way out, the unit must fight their way through the city's worst to survive their mission. Starring Indonesian martial arts sensation Iko Uwais.
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Nate H. reviewed The Raid (2012)
Review from the comment
There are certain action films that reshape the genre. These are films that after watching them, a certain sense of “holy s—t , that was awesome” comes to mind. So in the vein of movies like The Terminator, The Matrix, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; along comes The Raid. The Raid is not similar to any of the aforementioned movies in either plot or style. It is similar to them only in that after watching, you will walk away feeling like you just saw something that is unlike any action movie you have ever seen. Make no mistake: The Raid is easily the best film in the genre in the last 5 years and arguably the last decade. The plot is pretty simple: Bad drug lord is at the top of a housing project full of thugs, good cops are outside and need to go get him. About 7 minutes into it the bullets and fists start to fly and they do not let up until the credits roll. The choreography here (by stars Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian) is amazing. Even the most mundane of fight scenes is expertly crafted. The western release of the film also boasts a superb score by Linkin Park MC Mike Shinoda which helps to further capture the heart pounding intensity of each dust up. This is definitely a can’t miss experience.
A private user reviewed The Raid (2012)
Review from the comment
If you follow cinema, you have heard of this film. Numerous critics and moviegoers have hailed it as the second coming of action films. The one that is going to make you forget all about other previous martial arts movies. Well, it started here locally, and I can safely say that it delivers on all the buzz that I had been hearing about. The premise is very simple, A SWAT team, led by a charismatic Sergeant, a veteran Lieutenant and a cast of rookies infiltrates a drug lords apartment complex, in hopes of bringing him in. Of course, the train falls off the tracks, and one of the rookies (Rama - Iko Uwais)is taken to task to clean house. Let me just say, I have seen many Martial Arts films, and this has to rank in the top 5. There is so much ass kicking in this film, that I can't recall right off the top of my head if there has been one with this much carnage in recent memory. The fight scenes are savage, but beautifully choreographed. Welsh director Gareth Evans, obviously knows what he's doing behind the camera and it's great to hear that there will be two more films to make this an eagerly awaited trilogy. Made on an amazing 1.1 million budget, it is already getting a U.S. remake. I can tell you right now, with no doubt, the one that true cinephiles will remember, and the one that will be added to Blu-Ray collections will be the one that starred a new action hero that spoke Indonesian. Go see it now!