Review of The Raid (2012) by Halfwelshman — 11 Jul 2012

The Raid, or: the fine art of ultraviolence, as it really should be subtitled, is the finest martial arts film since Warrior King. Never before has human brutality looked so beautiful, presented in a way which would resemble an intricate dance if it weren't for the copious blood and bone-snapping.

It's a joy to see a relatively unknown martial art being practiced on the big screen, and the Indonesian Pencak Silat allows for the choreographing of action unlike any you've ever seen before. The plot, which involves a SWAT team fighting their way through an apartment block controlled by a malicious drug lord flies along, and the film is tense, gritty and pulse-pounding throughout.

Iko Uwais plays Rama, the film's primary protagonist, who is a young new addition to the SWAT team, and his almost supernatural skill with Silat is in unquestionable as Rama is forced to undertake the majority of the film's fights against hordes of drug cartel henchmen single-handedly.

Uwais is far more than a blunt instrument however, and in the long tradition of strong silent types with a good heart throughout film history, it is established early on in the film that Rama is only committing the acts of brutality he does to provide a safe and financially secure life for his wife and soon-to-be-born child.

The drug lord Tama (Ray Sahetapy) is also shown to be the most diabolical of evil-doers, a representation of everything wrong with contemporary Indonesia, and thoroughly deserving of everything that comes to him.

Uwais, along with Yayan Ruhian, who plays the terrifying and volatile bodyguard Mad Dog choreographed the film and made the numerous action sequences so explosive and memorable. Though the film in a sense de-sensitises you to violence, such is the extent and frequency of it on screen, you are brought crashing back down to reality by Writer/Director Gareth Evans' human characters and subtextual comments on social problems prevalent in modern Indonesia (poverty, the break-down of family units and the dominance of the illegal drugs trade are all referenced within the film's narrative).

Evans is not just incredibly talented as an action director, guiding cinematographer Matt Flannery's stylish camera work, and undertaking the striking, expert film editing himself, but he's also an effective and intelligent, though minimalistic screenwriter, and as a passionate promoter of Indonesian culture, which he clearly has a great love of.

He's certainly a real talent to watch, and I am incredibly excited to see how else he can elevate the action genre, and perhaps other areas of cinema in the future.