filmbore pick of the week - The Raid

The Raid (Serbuan Maut)

Director: Gareth Evans
Screenplay: Gareth Evans
Starring: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Ray Sahetapy, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian
Year: 2011
Language: Indonesian
UK rental release: September 2012

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No doubt over the last month you've seen countless promotional material on an action film from the other side of the world called The Raid. Unless you've caught up on recent movie news over the last year or so, this film has come out of nowhere. But let me assure you...this is a picture you have to give in to.

We open on our lead, greeted with a brief montage of his regular training & religious morning routine. Rama (new found martial arts star, Iko Uwais) is a rookie SWAT member preparing for what lies ahead. He makes a promise to an old man to bring back a person dear to them, leaving his pregnant wife at home to join his comrades for duty.

On route to their destination, the team are informed of their target - Tama Rayadi (Ray Sahetapy), a god amongst criminals and ruler of an underground kingdom of wrongdoers. As the SWAT officers arrive at their destination, they are guest to their new battleground: a looming block of concrete terror; emotionless, direct, imposing. They must scale the fortress floor-by-floor as stealthily as they can in order to overthrow Tama from his throne. 

This usurping will not be a simple task. Tama holds fort along with an army of loyal fighters, and his trusted henchman: Mad Dog (Yayan Ruhian) - an expert of fist and feet who prefers to kill with his body instead of weapons - and Andi - gentler than his colleague, intelligent and composed, he is a dependable advisor. However, Tama is a force upon himself with or without his army as we meet this deity of the dark-side with a striking overhead shot of executions, as he toys with his victims like it's play time.

As our heroes begin to ascend the tower block, feeling the pressure of a calm before an inevitable storm, they chance upon a young lookout...then hell does more than just break loose! 

Rama and his colleagues have a choice, continue their mission to take down the boss, or find an escape route out of this castle of death. Either way, they'll have to fight their way out...

When I first heard about The Raid, I was excited to get a chance to see what sounded like a wonderful independent film from Gareth Evans. I had heard of this Wales-born talent after his acclaimed debut Footsteps and his follow-up after moving abroad, Merantau. However, it's his documentary about the unusual Indonesian martial art Silat that has had a larger impact on his career.

While crafting this documentary (The Mystic Arts of Indonesia: Pencak Silat), through one of the masters of this particular fighting style Evans was introduced to a promising student - Iko Uwais. Besides his obvious skill and talent, what Evans picked up most on was his natural screen presence. This encounter led him to casting Uwais for Merantau. This movie was a precursor however, as it was The Raid that Evans was destined to make with his new found star and friend.

Iko Uwais really does have on screen charisma too. Evans was right to see potential in the young man, as he has that unrefined star quality that only a select few martial art actors generally have (Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen, Jet Li), so he is definitely one to watch out for. Admittedly, with the nature of this film there is limited dialogue, but this is testament to his ability of owning the favour of the camera.

Evans does seem to have the uncanny ability of making some other interesting choices too. He switches filming styles regularly, with close ups, long drawn-out swooping cuts and plenty of overheads to give a real sense of space and intensity. The action is nicely shot as well - even though it can be quick and jolty, you still get to see everything tangibly, which is something many of our recent major Hollywood directors seem to fail at on a regular basis. It's refreshing to see a young director so mature with his filming choices, and I'm extremely impressed with what he's achieved with such a minimal budget (reported at around $1.1million).

A word of warning to the weak - this film is gruesomely bloody and the action is as gritty as it gets. It's full to the brim with imaginative kills, and with its original choreography and great fighting styles each brawl is executed with such rapid aggressiveness, baddies are dispatched quicker than you can say "head-hit-multi-tile" (you'll see what I mean!). The martial art of Silat is a brutal but effective style, which is swift and reactive. From the first scenes where this unusual style appears, it's clear to see how suited to rapid-paced action Silat is. By the end of the picture you'll feel shattered, but due to the adrenaline it feeds you, there will still be enough juice in the engine for a couple of rewinds to your favourite bits - especially those crazy corridor scenes (eat your heart out, Oldboy!).

Originally titled Serbuan Maut (meaning "Deadly Invasion"), The Raid uses the martial art of Silat as both its backbone and personality. It's wonderful to see a piece of world cinema so shrewdly produced, brilliantly captured, but at the same time doesn't shy away from it's true voice... a proper action film for anyone to enjoy. 

One word...Relentless!

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