The Raid (2011)

I think other reviewers have explained the film quite detail so I only write about the experience I get over this film.

The background story is about a SWAT team trying to bring a ruthless and untouchable crime lord to justice. However this film is only focusing on a specific event in that story : THE RAID part - that turns into a brutal, and bloody survival game. It's become a final match or showdown between good vs bad guys. And you should see it that way if you want to really enjoy it.

We don't watch a final sport's match, any soccer, football, MMA fight etc looking for the plot, do we? We come because we want a great show, excellent executions and brutal take down, and any other things that could rush our adrenalin to the max. So forget about the plot!

We enter the building along with the good guys. We scream, yell, jump etc every time they score, though some bad guys are so nasty that they also caught our attention. We are scared, worried, angry when their luck runs out. Our heart is pounding when we know exactly or we think they're entering a deadly situations. We hold our breath on some very tense moments (and this film has quite a lot of it), even feel their pain. In the end we go home feel that we're just attending a good. exciting and satisfying game - which we want to see it again and again if we can, and the good thing is, we certainly can.

The combination of the cinematography, choreography, shot's angles, the original score (I'm curious how Mike Shinoda will outperform an already good score), effects and the editing are so perfect as if you're there. And if you think the trailer is cool, it's just a tip on the ocean's surface from an enormous iceberg below. The film itself is super-super cool!

100 mins flies so fast and when the credit rolls, I still sit there, thinking if I could catch the next show - which sadly impossible because the ticket has sold out in minutes, several days before.

Of course, The Raid is not without flaws. The acting, the dialogs, the CGI, the twist - you know - those usual unconvincing stuff which you can find even in some blockbuster martial arts/action movies, can be improved. But overall it is a superb action movie so I understand the high-praised comments from those film festivals.

Now, you may wonder why I compare it to Star Wars. Back then, when I first saw Star Wars, I was very amazed not by the story, plots or the acting, but by the cinematography, special effects, the laser saber duel, the sound effects, the robots, all those hi-tech stuff which are so an eye opener that we have no choice to compare the next sci-fi movies with it.

The Raid does the same thing for action genre. And I will be waiting eagerly for the sequels or even the prequels just like Star Wars.

This film is best seen with your group of friends who enjoy hardcore and bloody fights, so you can cheer, scream, yell, sigh together and talk about it (and probably count how many ways to die/kill people in this film) on the way home. Go to toilet before the shows so you don't miss any scenes. Snacks and drinks could be considered as 'nice to have' items. I was seating on the edge of my seat and my eyes were glued to the screen almost all the time that I only sip my drink once in the first 10 minutes and haven't touch my snack until the credit rolls.

9.5 out of 10! Sorry for my English.