The Raid: Redemption jumps straight into the action, with little pause for backstory. We are briefly introduced to protagonist Rama (Iko Uwais), a rookie member of an elite special-forces team. There`s little in the way of character development here; all we know is that they`re all kickass at martial arts, and the distinguishing feature of the protagonist is his pregnant wife. Oh, the film also features an obligatory veteran sergeant (Joe Taslim), a crime lord (Ray Sahetapy) and lackeys with such charming names as Mad Dog (Yayan Ruhian).
The premise of the film pans out like a video game: the special-forces team storms a rundown apartment block, fighting their way through fifteen stories of assorted baddies. The baddies fight back. It`s not a bad action film though, with director Gareth Evans displaying a keen eye for stylised fist fights, with a clarity of visuals and no shaky camera cop-outs. Martial arts enthusiasts may also be interested to know that the weapon of choice in this film is silat, which lends a unique flavour to the fight scenes.
The Raid: Redemption must be one of those most inaccurately titled movies of all time; the only thing that would have been close to being redeemed in this film would be VIP memberships for the local mortician. The name of the game in this case is testosterone-pumping, gory action sequences, which take up a conservative estimate of about 75% of the movie.
Summary: Should have been called The Raid: Redemption of Mortuary Coupons.
Rating: 3/5