Mirroring Thom's thoughts on THE RAID 2: BERANDAL, I finally sat down to watch the film that kicked off the inferno of ultra-violent love and worship among action flick fans. The story is beyond simple. Cops go into a tenement building a local drug lord holds sway over, in an attempt to bring him out and to justice. A couple of plot twists, and a whole lot of action. But as I watched the force of invading police make their way through the gauntlet, going room to room in an escalating bloodbath, I got as bored as I do watching someone play CALL OF DUTY. I love the team behind THE RAID films, and their initial outing with the very Bruce Lee-esque fable MERANTAU is still one of my favorites. but they've excised heart and emotional content for set piece after set piece after set piece of ass kicking with THE RAID: REDEMPTION. Like a movie that relies only on gore, I find it numbing and all kind of pointless. I don't give a damn about the characters, therefor I don't give a damn about the outcome of the (endless) fight scenes. I'd be more fulfilled watching a good martial arts bout as a sporting event, where the stakes have something to them.
A disappointment. Again, I'd suggest that MERANTAU is a more rewarding experience. There's not a lot for me to say about THE RAID other than...ouch, that's gotta hoyt! Unlike our Thom Carnell, I highly prefer the sequel!
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
~Sean Smithson
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