Movin’ On Up

I must admit that martial arts action flicks have never been my favourite. That is not to say that I will not watch them, it is just that I generally lean towards other styles before I would choose this type of movie. I recently saw the 2011 action film The Raid: Redemption, a motion picture that falls within this genre and was impressed by its extensive fight scenes.

Written and directed by Gareth Evans, the story follows a SWAT team as they enter an apartment building run by Tama Riyadi (Ray Sahetapy), a vile crime boss who owns the shady complex – where he houses some of the most corrupt criminals in the city of Jakarta. Their goal: to scale the many floors of the tenement to capture and arrest the hardened felon, who resides at the top of the building where he watches everything on a number of screens that are linked to endless security cameras. They will likely also have to deal with his two most trusted henchmen, Mad Dog (Yayan Ruhian) and Andi (Donny Alamsyah), who help with security and also counsel the seemingly untouchable individual. Likewise, each new floor and turned corner could possibly bring another complicated scenario, as the locale is filled with an alarming mixture of druggies, dealers, felons, murderers and countless other dangerous outlaws – who are all under Tama’s protective bubble.

Our de facto protagonist is Rama (Iko Uwais), a young officer who is about to become a father in a very short time. The talented martial artist is joined by a SWAT team that also includes veteran Lieutenant Wahyu (Pierre Gruno), the youthful Sergeant Jaka (Joe Taslim), Officer Dagu (Eka ‘Piranha’ Rahmadia) as well as numerous other reinforcements. Things go off without a hitch until they reach the sixth floor, where a lookout spots the team and sets off the alarm, which warns Tama and soon causes all hell to break loose. What follows is about an hour and a half of nearly non-stop action as the team fight for their lives in the inhospitable building. Like rats in an endless maze, they try going up, down or in any direction to find some safety in a high-rise that holds uncountable hordes of unruly renters as well as Tama’s relentless security team who are constantly tracking their dwindling numbers. . . and, it seems like at every turn there is yet another enemy or dead end.

The Raid: Redemption is a rather simple film to review – as it cuts out typical branch out stories, leaving only a linear tale that is about fighting for your life to survive. There is no romance, flashbacks, or back story – which leads to the fitting and humourous tagline: “99 minutes of action, 1 minute of romance”. And I will tell you, it is pretty tough to find that one minute of romance. Though the story is pared down to its most basic elements, that does not mean that there won’t be a few minor twists and turns that add to the intrigue.

Really, what drives this film is simply its action. All of the stops are pulled out in this one – you will see martial arts, manoeuvres that resemble something out of the World Wrestling Entertainment industry, gun fighting, explosions and everything in between. It even features not one but two scenes where a character drops their weapon to deal with an opponent in the more honourable format of hand to hand combat (even though I have always been more partial to the way in which Indiana Jones dispatched the threatening, sword wielding villain in Raiders of the Lost Ark). And though this will likely lead to some shaking their heads in dismay, what follows are two beautifully choreographed fight scenes that are astounding to watch. Actually, the whole movie is quite miraculous when you consider that it was filmed on a measly budget of 1.1 million dollars. Every scene one ups the next, demonstrating visionary levels of planning from the creative team as well as outstanding talent from the large group of actors who participate in the violent shenanigans.

Though it will never win an Academy Award for best screenplay, The Raid: Redemption is a serviceable action flick. Though there are a few flaws in the diminutive script (such as the confounding use and lack thereof of the security cameras by the baddies, as well as a few other things), this film must be commended for its countless outstanding action scenes. If you are tuning in to watch this movie for some other reason, you are in the wrong place, but if you want to see some hard-hitting action, you’d be hard pressed to find more bang for you buck. So, give this one a gander, your adrenaline will be on a constant rise as the team try to ‘move on up to that deluxe apartment in the sky’, oh sorry, that’s something completely different.

This movie is subtitled.