Remove the 2-on-1 fight, and there's absolutely nothing in this movie. No acting, no real plot, no memorable character
-
sextamental — 12 years ago(March 23, 2014 07:03 AM)
It is a masterfully done
fight
movie with a simple plot that serves its straight-forward premise. It was never sold as anything more. No protracted, over-stuffed, under-written, exposition-laden, patronizing, cookie-cutter, generic, CGI-loaded/teen-pandering, CRAP like what we get out of Hollywood nowadays. Don't act like Hollywood is pumping out classics now in this totally bland and vacuous era saturated with nothing but endless Superhero movies, remakes, and sequels. Saying this would be more welcomed in the 90's is more a credit to that era that a disservice. That was the period after all, that gave us such action favorites as Terminator 2, Lon ( The Professional ), Heat, La Femme Nikita, Point Break, Die Hard With A vengeance, True Romance, Reservoir Dogs, Ronin, The Usual Suspects, just to name a few of the many from that decade.
If you really want lazy/generic filmmaking, I give you the so-called action cinema of 2000's Hollywood
( the place ruled by interfering studio execs and their hacks/tools passing as writers & directors )
i.e. > The era of
"film-by-committee"
Fast & Furious series / Need For Speed / Transformers
( and other Michael bay dreck )
/ Youth novel teen-pandering flicks < Hunger games/Twilight/ The Host/Divergent/etc > / "PG-13" Reboots/sequels of superior films from the 80's
< Terminator/RoboCop/Die Hard/Alien & Predator flicks, etc >
/ Battleship / Pacific Rim / Underworld / Resident Evil garbage / G.I. Joe / Red / Waaaaaay too many Superhero movies, all telling the same beep story over and over and over and over and over, while bludgeoning you with corny dialogue and repetitive CGI spfx.
Don't act like action films are something special now, they're definitely not. This is the absolute WORST era in action filmmaking, and a simple stripped-down/non-Hollywood-BS foreign flick shows it up for what it really is > A pretentious/generic/unimaginative and creatively-shallow period where every studio just aims to pump out the next big CGI-stuffed/PG-13 tent-pole drudgery to draw in kids and shallow people with ever-shortening attention spans and even shorter memories. This is the era of the Video-gamer/MTV-gen/CGI-eye-candy nerds, and the vapid, indiscernible, mostly forgettable movies, reflect it perfectly.
You op, can stick to your Transformers and your comic-book superhero movies. True fans of real action cinema appreciate the very few times we can get a gem like The Raid given the limelight for a change.
And I look forward with high expectation for the sure-to-be gangster-epic fight-movie 'The Raid 2: Berandal'.
SPIRAL OUT!..KEEP GOING! -
TrepeeD — 12 years ago(March 23, 2014 10:46 AM)
It is a masterfully done fight movie with a simple plot that serves its straight-forward premise. It was never sold as anything more.
"Masterfully done fight movie"? No. One masterfully done fight, maybe. A movie, nope. See the OP why.
No protracted, over-stuffed, under-written, exposition-laden, patronizing, cookie-cutter, generic, CGI-loaded/teen-pandering, CRAP like what we get out of Hollywood nowadays.
It's obvious that you need to watch more movies than the ones you list further below in your own post.
Terminator 2, Lon ( The Professional ), Heat, La Femme Nikita, Point Break, Die Hard With A vengeance, True Romance, Reservoir Dogs, Ronin, The Usual Suspects
So, you just compared a mindless Bruce Lee-esque action movie with this list?
Fast & Furious series / Need For Speed Resident Evil garbage / G.I. Joe / Red / Waaaaaay too many Superhero movies
Oh, I agree with that list - although I haven't seen half of those movies because the label is clear before you open the can. BUT, that's exactly the list where this movie belongs (minus that one fight).
This is the era of the Video-gamer/MTV-gen/CGI-eye-candy nerds, and the vapid, indiscernible, mostly forgettable movies, reflect it perfectly.
First of all, this movie is clearly inspired by video games such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. A final fist fight between a hero and the uber-villain is the stuff of fantasy these days. It doesn't happen anymore. Except in video games.
Secondly, like I said, you need to watch more movies. In the 90's a movie like Raid passed as an action movie - you didn't need anything else in a movie. Today, hardly anybody watches this sort of garbage - which is why they aren't made. They are flops.
If you want real action movies, watch the Bourne Series. Or better yet, watch Dredd, which as a whole movie is a much better experience than this one-fight, one-trick pony.
You op, can stick to your Transformers and your comic-book superhero movies.
Because between Raid and Transformers, you have the action movie universe covered. :facepalm: -
abs-ghosh — 11 years ago(June 22, 2014 10:29 PM)
Very few movies come to mind that do martial arts flicks with a good plot. The most recent movie that comes to mind that centers are around pure martial arts philosophy is Red Belt.
I am curious to know what movies that you would consider well done in this particular genre of movie. Cause honestly Red Belt was a heartfelt movie but it wasn't quite about the action.
Good plot can always make a movie better no doubt, but I don't think its fair to say there is no place for movies that are more physical. Like video games there are genera and categories that cater to a wide bunch of people. If its not masterful for you I am not sure why you keep wasting your time here. There are obviously movies out there that suits your needs better.
In my case I was looking for a good action flick and this was well done. Fighting movies don't have the best logic or reason to engage in close quarter when a gun can easily solve all problems. But then I am not walking into a movie such as this looking for deep embedded realism.
"SeagullS!!!! Francine this time they could drive!!" - Stan Smith -
DelarkArms — 11 years ago(December 22, 2014 05:08 PM)
this movie is clearly inspired by video games such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. A final fist fight between a hero and the uber-villain is the stuff of fantasy these days. It doesn't happen anymore. Except in video games.
Because only video games depict a final battle between good and evil. . . -
lorddeseiz — 11 years ago(April 10, 2014 10:18 AM)
Well said.
Anyone not liking this because its an action movie hasnt got the slightest idea what action movies supposed to do.
And this one provided by the truck loads. With every single movie comming from those parts of the world im more and more in awe of the skill to put perfectly filmed brutal and almost horrific realistic violence on the screen.
Nothing but respect for the asian film industry.
Claiming this to be bad acting aswell is nothing short of having no clue whatsoever. I admire the zeal of the actors, side actors, main actors, heck even figurants. Pretty sure more then one drop of blood was shed during the making of The Raid, not to mention broken bones and bruises, that alone deserves respect.
And bad acting? What bad acting, everyone was believable no one was over acting.
Collection
http://www.imdb.com/list/4zXrE3AAzT4/ -
zozogogo — 11 years ago(April 11, 2014 11:16 AM)
Amusingly, I thought the final 2v1 fight was the worst part of the movie. Rama's
brother was already stabbed through the hand
and being worked over before the fight begins, yet he is able to keep up and fight basically on par with Rama. Plus these guys are landing disgustingly hard blows on each other and shrugging them off until the time limit runs out and suddenly the fights over. It ends up feeling like "a bunch of stuff" despite their impressive display of skills.
The prior fights in the movie weren't like that and felt like each blow landed actually mattered. That's why I enjoyed those so much more. Still a solid action movie though. -
everlone_2000 — 11 years ago(December 15, 2014 01:06 AM)
Amusingly, I thought the final 2v1 fight was the worst part of the movie. Rama's and being worked over before the fight begins, yet he is able to keep up and fight basically on par with Rama. Plus these guys are landing disgustingly hard blows on each other and shrugging them off until the time limit runs out and suddenly the fights over. It ends up feeling like "a bunch of stuff" despite their impressive display of skills.
Yeah, I agree. That 2-on-1 fight was numbing and ludicrous. The movie was terrific up until that point - striking a great balance of exciting and fun, and tense, but that final fight took it into the realms of genre cliche, IMO. You went from great stuff like Rama being so shaken as to barely be able to walk after his 20ft dive out the window - which felt visceral and plausible - to these guys just doling out and absorbing a comical level of damage.
Still loved the film, but that fight didn't have the thrill or drama of earlier set pieces. -
Straight_Pride — 11 years ago(April 13, 2014 12:08 PM)
But it DOES have the final fight, so your point is irrelevant
"Transformers wouldn't have made so much money without the CGI robots!"
What's your point man? we came for some fighting action and we got it -
indiratiarani — 11 years ago(April 19, 2014 04:10 AM)
Since you're not Indonesian, you can't judge their acting level. So your opinion on their acting is irrelevant. No memorable character you said ? I am pretty sure everyone who watch this movie will never forget Mad Dog.
-
perniciouspen@hotmail.com — 11 years ago(May 08, 2014 07:46 AM)
Don't go looking for 'character development' or indeed, quality acting. This film, like Ong Bak, is simply a show piece to show off the amazing fighting skills of the central character, Iko Uwais. Director Gareth Evans 'discovered' Uwais in Indonesia and asked if he had ever done any acting. He hadn't. The whole 'plot' of the film (such as it is)was simply done as a means to let Uwais do what he does best. I should think that most of the cast are, at best, stunt men for the Indonesian film industry and don't have much in the way of acting skills anyway. They are martial artistsnot thespians. It's like one of those musical stage shows that feature the songs of a particular artist (Queen, Spice girls, Frankie Valli etc)..the 'story' is just an excuse to squeeze in as many songs as possible. This is no different. The 'plot' is merely a frame onto which all the fight scenes can be hung.
-
narcan — 11 years ago(June 21, 2014 12:52 PM)
A real indonesian (or any) swat team would not be this poorly equipped and be trained not to stand in the line of fire in a windowed room. They have militairy grade (armored) personel transport vehicles and weapons + tactictal body armor and nightvision equipment (specialy in buildings, where it is the swat who cuts the power). They would come in from above and below after the surrounding area has been swepped clean. Indonesian swat also wears facemasks, need I go on This already annoys me after 10 minutes of watching this.