So hands up who thought a couple of years ago that an Indonesian film written and directed by a Welsh guy would prove such a huge success? No, me neither. But since I first saw The Raid at Cineworld in Ilford (the only place showing the film in our 'local' area), I have been hooked. The film, neither all out action nor pure martial arts flick, is balls to the wall in set pieces but also in the tension it produces between the fights (machete and wall, enough said).
I convinced the Mister to watch the Blu Ray last night in preparation for the release of the sequel (conversation = Me: "I want to watch The Raid." Mister: "OK then." Sorted!) Unfortunately, at this point, I must confess that I did this as there is no way, at my tender age of 33, that I would make the double feature some cinemas are putting on this week. Long gone are the days when a late night at the cinema was manageable.
And onto the film. This is not a review but an appreciation of the movie. The main star is most obviously Iko Uwais as Rama, the rookie officer who enters the building with more than one mission on his mind. However, this is not to take anything away from the other characters, in particular Mad Dog and Jaka who have an amazing mid film showdown most Hollywood action men could only dream of.
Talking of Hollywood, I live in dread of the inevitable American remake. Don't get me wrong, I understand that some can be on par with the original, although very few. Instead they normally end up being sub standard and just take away from the brilliant performances and ideas that made the first film so great.
Or maybe that's the snob in me talking? :)
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