By Adrian Smith
Although we mainly stick to the golden
age of movies here at Cinema Retro, occasionally a new movie does grab our
attention. This summer saw the release of
The Expendables 2, a creaking collection of aging action stars desperate to
get one last gasp out of a tired genre. It could have at least been a comedy,
about the relevance of the muscular Eighties hero in the 21st century, but
sadly it failed on all levels. One look at The
Expendables 2 would lead you to believe that the action genre needs a
bullet in the head to put it out of its misery. Thankfully a film has come along that firmly blows away the cobwebs and
kicks those geriatrics back to the retirement home they belong in. The Raid (known as The Raid: Redemption in the US), is a film which so utterly
revitalises the action genre that you will feel like you have never actually
seen people fighting in a movie before.
Shot in Indonesia with mostly
non-professional actors, The Raid is
the first major release from Welsh director Gareth Evans. A thirty story
building is home to gangsters, murderers, drug dealers and thieves, with one
major crime lord overseeing it all. The police, armed to the teeth, are sent in
with the express purpose of clearing the building and taking him down.
Outnumbered, outgunned and double-crossed, they find themselves trapped and
almost certain no to make it out alive. The plot of the film is mainly an
excuse for some phenomenal martial arts fighting which is photographed in such
inventive, bone-crunching and frenetic style that each scene feels fresh and
exciting. At the heart of the film is Iko Uwais, playing a rookie cop desperate
to make it out alive to get back to his pregnant wife. Incredibly he has only
acted once before, and he has terrific screen presence, balancing charisma and
vulnerability with the absolute assurance in his own skills. Discovered by
Evans in a Silat martial arts class just five years ago, he is clearly going to
become a major star, and it is no exaggeration to compare him with Bruce Lee or
a young Jackie Chan.
The Raid
will make you look at action cinema with raised expectations from now on, and
many films are going to struggle to make an impact in its wake. It is now
available on both DVD and Blu-ray, and is certainly worth seeing as soon as
possible. There are plenty of features which take you further into the story
behind the film, which will make you want to jump up from your armchair and get
straight to your nearest self-defense class.
(Note: Smith's review is of the UK Blu-ray release)
Click here to order the American Blu-ray special edition