We learn nothing of the vast majority of the players aside from enough to care about our protagonist which, in a lesser film, would be a major detractor.here, such detail would only slow things down. The pace is relentless and the narrative efficient, yet nothing feels rushed. This allows the actors to really perform full sequences and gives a feeling of authenticity to the action. Every head-punch, gunshot to the neck, knife wound, elbow blow, you name it, is captured in unflinching detail and usually by a camera that operates from a distance.giving the audience a full view of everything that happens. Violence in this film is relatively realistic and not at all restrained, the second film particularly ups the ante when it comes to realistic gore. Our camera is always moving but never shaky, any nausea that comes will not be from motion sickness but from the sheer level of continuous near-sadism displayed. The hits come fast and land with a cringe-inducing sense of physicality. The action is gorgeously choreographed, with reactions seemingly coming from the characters in a desperate struggle rather than feeling like the pre-choreographed dance moves that often plagues movies of this kind. There’s nothing particularly new about this concept, yet The Raid tackles it with a level of perfection seen in few other films. Protagonists must work through an entire skyscraper filled with drug runners, gangsters and lowlifes to reach the crime boss at the top. The first Raid film is often unfairly compared with the 2012 Dredd movie, despite coming out a year earlier due to their very similar premises. Though the film boasts an Indonesian cast and was shot in the country, both are written and directed by Welsh borne Gareth Evans. To me it signals that the film is more the result of a single person’s vision rather than the corporate checklist of compromise for the sake of marketability that many films are. On a personal note, I LOVE seeing the credit “written and directed by”. Very rarely does a movie leave me feeling physically exhausted but pumped with adrenaline after a viewing, and both these films deliver heaping doses. I’m going to go on record here, I believe these movies to be some of the best action and martial arts films of all time.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |