The Raid (2012)
If you are to believe the hype then this Indonesian film is the greatest movie to hit action film land since sliced bread. Its not. It may well be the best action film this year, but then again i can't think of any other pure action films that have been released this year.
Unquestionably The Raid does have some brilliant set pieces and some of the hand to hand combat is quite breathtaking. There is also one scene of palm sweating tension involving a machete, a wall and a cheekbone.
Having said all that though the fighting is no better than the superb action in recent films such as Ong Bak. What loses the film marks as far as i'm concerned is the film lacks an emotional punch on the whole. Its just faceless cops fighting equally faceless bad guys. Unlike the aforementioned Ong Bak there isn't a Tony Jaa to get behind, or care what might happen to them. In this sense the film isn't much different to watching someone playing a computer game. If this makes any sense, it lacks a scene such as the Predator helicopter moments, instantly giving the film some recognised characters in as short a time as possible. This is a fault that many films share, not just The Raid.
Basically The Raid is entertaining, certainly worth watching and owning, but not as good as its hyped up to be.
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