Directed by Gareth Evans
Starring Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Yayn Ruhian, Ray Sahetapy

A SWAT team move in to reclaim a tower block from a crime lord. Once they get arrive, the tenants, loyal to the crime lord, trap them inside. The only way out is to fight.

This is an hour and a half of adrenaline. Aside from the 5 minutes of scene-setting at the start, The Raid is a relentless ride until the end and it’s excellent. It’s a lot more brutal and graphic than I expected but only enhanced the film, making a lot grittier. The leads (none of whom I know or have seen before) were excellent, it looks good and soundtrack, whilst not instantly memorable, suited the film. But the elements that I enjoyed the most were the fights – I don’t watch many martial arts films – these were powerful and graceful all in one motion. If you like the sound of men screaming “yeeeeeeeeee” all the time they fight then I recommend this film. To be clearer: if you like action, if you like fast paced films, if you want to see something a bit different, then see this film. You will enjoy it.

If you like this then you might like:

Attack the Block (the British version of an assault on a tower block), Die Hard (action and comedy in a tower), Ong-Bak (martial arts showcase)