Details
Film Title: The Raid: Redemption
Year: 2011
Directed by: Gareth Evans
Stars: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno
Running Time: 101 mins, 1 hr 41 mins
Language: Indonesian(Bahasa Indonesia)
Rough Plot Synopsis: At an apartment block in Jakarta's slums, a 20-man elite police squad arrives undetected, including rookie Officer Rama, Officer Bowo, Sergeant Jaka, and Lieutenant Wahyu. The team intends to kill crime lord Tama Riyadi, who owns the block and lets criminals around the city rent rooms under his protection. However, what they thought was going to be a successful raid on their part turns out to be a trap set for them all along.
Thoughts
Prior to this, I don't believe I've seen any other Indonesian films. I am however very pleased that The Raid: Redemption was the first Indonesian film that I watched. I watched it in the cinema with some of my buddies and I remember on that day that I had no idea what we were watching or what it was about, I was just looking to hang out and one of them had heard of and wanted to watch this film. The Raid: Redemption started out much like any other action flick and I thought that was all it would turn out to be. I did like the cinematography right away and thought the dirty and gritty look really added to the atmosphere and gave the apartment block a decrepit and neglected feel that immediately came across as foreboding. The beginning of the film involved the failed raid attempt and it was entertaining, but I still wasn't exactly blown away. It was not until after the first 20 mins or so, when the first fight sequence along the corridor began, that I honestly went "Wow, this is fucking cool."
The martial art primarily showcased in this film is the traditional Indonesian martial art Pencak Silat, choreographed(along with co-star Yayan Ruhian) and executed to shocking perfection by main actor Iko Uwais, who has been practicing the martial art since he was 10 years old. The fight sequences in this film are non-pretentious, fast-paced, visceral and believably pragmatic which will surely leave you speechless or at least going "Holy shit!". It is incredibly violent, but not overtly or redundantly so, but sufficient enough to serve the characters, situation and story.
The closest action/martial-arts films that I can use to give some sort of comparison with would be the Thai films Ong-Bak(2003) and Tom-Yum-Goong(2005), both starring Tony Jaa as the lead bad-ass. However, after watching The Raid: Redemption, I honestly prefer it to the Thai films, mainly because the fight sequences seem to have a greater sense of verisimilitude and the storyline is not downright ridiculous. The acting is great and the fighting is incredible.
Definitely becoming one of my favourite action/martial-arts films of all time, The Raid: Redemption is a must watch for action fans or martial-arts enthusiasts. It promises a decent storyline, excellent fight choreography, interesting characters and plenty of blood and scenes that will make you go "Oh, that's gotta hurt!".
Film Title: The Raid: Redemption
Year: 2011
Directed by: Gareth Evans
Stars: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno
Running Time: 101 mins, 1 hr 41 mins
Language: Indonesian(Bahasa Indonesia)
Rough Plot Synopsis: At an apartment block in Jakarta's slums, a 20-man elite police squad arrives undetected, including rookie Officer Rama, Officer Bowo, Sergeant Jaka, and Lieutenant Wahyu. The team intends to kill crime lord Tama Riyadi, who owns the block and lets criminals around the city rent rooms under his protection. However, what they thought was going to be a successful raid on their part turns out to be a trap set for them all along.
Thoughts
Prior to this, I don't believe I've seen any other Indonesian films. I am however very pleased that The Raid: Redemption was the first Indonesian film that I watched. I watched it in the cinema with some of my buddies and I remember on that day that I had no idea what we were watching or what it was about, I was just looking to hang out and one of them had heard of and wanted to watch this film. The Raid: Redemption started out much like any other action flick and I thought that was all it would turn out to be. I did like the cinematography right away and thought the dirty and gritty look really added to the atmosphere and gave the apartment block a decrepit and neglected feel that immediately came across as foreboding. The beginning of the film involved the failed raid attempt and it was entertaining, but I still wasn't exactly blown away. It was not until after the first 20 mins or so, when the first fight sequence along the corridor began, that I honestly went "Wow, this is fucking cool."
The martial art primarily showcased in this film is the traditional Indonesian martial art Pencak Silat, choreographed(along with co-star Yayan Ruhian) and executed to shocking perfection by main actor Iko Uwais, who has been practicing the martial art since he was 10 years old. The fight sequences in this film are non-pretentious, fast-paced, visceral and believably pragmatic which will surely leave you speechless or at least going "Holy shit!". It is incredibly violent, but not overtly or redundantly so, but sufficient enough to serve the characters, situation and story.
The closest action/martial-arts films that I can use to give some sort of comparison with would be the Thai films Ong-Bak(2003) and Tom-Yum-Goong(2005), both starring Tony Jaa as the lead bad-ass. However, after watching The Raid: Redemption, I honestly prefer it to the Thai films, mainly because the fight sequences seem to have a greater sense of verisimilitude and the storyline is not downright ridiculous. The acting is great and the fighting is incredible.
Definitely becoming one of my favourite action/martial-arts films of all time, The Raid: Redemption is a must watch for action fans or martial-arts enthusiasts. It promises a decent storyline, excellent fight choreography, interesting characters and plenty of blood and scenes that will make you go "Oh, that's gotta hurt!".