The Raid
2012 · Directed by Gareth Evans
Original language: Indonesian
- action
- thriller
- crime
The story
Deep in the heart of Jakarta's slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world's most dangerous killers and gangsters. Until now, the run-down apartment block has been considered untouchable to even the bravest of police. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite swat team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. But when a chance encounter with a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the drug lord, the building's lights are cut and all the exits blocked. Stranded on the sixth floor with no way out, the unit must fight their way through the city's worst to survive their mission. Starring Indonesian martial arts sensation Iko Uwais.
What it’s like
Cramped, dim, and relentlessly kinetic: most of the frame is a tight, sweat-lit stairwell or a cluttered tenement corridor, lit by flickering overhead fluorescents, the occasional bare bulb and the cold blue of a monitor glow. The camera stays close and mobile, following bodies through narrow spaces with long, unbroken fight takes that let you read every strike, and the grain and grime of the concrete give the whole thing a gritty, worn-in texture. The score is a driving electronic pulse that drops out at key moments so that the thud of fists, the scrape of boots and heavy breathing take over. The vibe is tense, sweaty, and punishing, a single night pressed into one building. Its violence is frequent, close-quarters and brutal, with real impact, blood, and stabbings, while sexual content is absent and cruelty is present but not lingered on. It suits a late night alone with the sound turned up, and it is for viewers who want martial arts that feel physical and unbroken rather than glossy, and who can handle a steady, unrelenting intensity.
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