The Raid (2011)

 

Holy fudging noodles, Batman! This, ladies, gentlemen and undesignated is probably one of the best high-octane action films of the last century. Sounds like hyperbole, but it is not. 

Holy hallucinating hentai, this is good stuff.

The setup is simple, yet beautiful: a SWAT team is going to a dilapidated apartment building in order to take out a crime lord. Small snag: the commanding officer didn't inform anyone else they were heading there, so there is no chance for backup and as soon as the officers are spotted, the building is locked down and they are hunted by some of the most vicious criminals in the city. It now quickly becomes a fight for survival, where one officer is more than it seems (even if they all know Pencak Silat, a martial art form of Indonesia). 

That's it. That's the entire film right there. So you might be thinking: how can this be any good? 

That's because you haven't seen the choreography and fights yet. That's why.

Now, the main fighters on display here are no slouches. Beside our lead Iko Uwais there's also people like Joe Taslim and the very recognisable Yayan Ruhian, so you know it will be good, but let's not forget the stunt people who fly, fall and fight in impressive ways. The carnage is brutal, raw, frenetic and at times will have you wincing but you can't help but watch and be in awe of the mastery on display here. 

Writer/director Gareth Evans wastes no time with elaborate setups or exhaustive backstories but gets right in the middle of it and once the bullets, punches and kicks start flying, it's a race to the finish line with just a few breathers left and right. 

Holy shit, this thing is intense. 

There is some shaky cam, to be sure, but it's impressive how the fights are still easy to follow and brutal as fudge. The sound of the kicks and punches is dialled in a bit louder for maximum impact, but where this would soon cheesy in an 80s action flick, here it emphasises how hard these guys can hit and get hit. There are some brutal deaths in here and there is a scene where Iko Uwais gets a machete cut to the face that looks and feels immensely painful and might be too much for some people. 

Nevertheless, Uwais is thé star of this show. The guy has a posure and demeanour that makes him instantly likeable and he is not some superhero. He's just doing the best he can and the bit of character development he gets, makes sense, even if you see the 'twist' of sorts coming a mile away. 

So if you want balls-to-the-wall action that doesn't let up for a moment and looks and feels impactful and friggin' awesome, you hàve to check this one out. It's a masterpiece.