The Raid: Redemption
2012100 minutes
rated R
by Scott Mendelson
It would be easy to write off The Raid: Redemption as merely a coldly mechanical genre exercise. Much of the film is basically one brutally violent action sequence after another, with only a bare minimum of plot and character to keep our rooting interest. That the action sequences are generally superb may not negate the fact that the film comes close to feeling less like a feature and more like a glorified demo reel for second-unit choreography. But writer/director Gareth Evans's film elicits a most unexpected reaction from the audience, one that allows us to take a rooting interest in those doing the killing and those being killed. Put simply, The Raid: Redemption is a genuinely scary film. The characters may be thin, and the majority of the plot is explained in the first ten minutes. But the film so viciously establishes the stakes that it is often more terrifying than exciting.
