Sigh…… It’s only inevitable that Hong Kong would eventually lose its place as the reigning champ of martial arts movies. After over three decades of domination by the likes of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, and then to a lesser degree Jet Li and Donnie Yen, its hold on the genre is being seriously threatened not by China, which seems more interested in big-budget historical spectacles replete with grand sweeping battle scenes and beautiful cinematography, but southeast Asia in the form of Thailand and Indonesia.
Back in 2003, ‘Ong Bak’ took the world by storm when Thai Muay Thai superstar Tony Jaa dazzled us with his unbelievable gravity-defying moves reminiscent of a young Jackie Chan, circa 1980. It was followed by two sequels (actually prequels given the timeline) which further cemented Jaa as the heir-apparent to Chan, although their styles are considerably different aside from that the laws of physics and gravity don’t apply to them as much as to us ordinary folks. Now neighboring Indonesia has crashed the party with ‘The Raid,' which combined high-octane martial arts action (Indonesia’s own traditional brand of martial arts is called ‘Pencak Silat’) with the SWAT genre popular in Hong Kong as evidenced by such series as ‘Hit Team’ and ‘First Option.’
As another movie critic pointed out, ‘The Raid’ is like [insert your favorite chop-socky Bruce Lee classic here] on steroids, as if today’s XBOX-playing, spasm-ed out adrenaline junkies have ruined it for the rest of us. But once that bar has been raised (or Pandora’s Box opened depending on your opinion), there is no turning back. ‘Ong Bak’ and its two sequels have set a new standard for everything else that is to follow.
The plot of ‘The Raid’ IS simple. A tactical SWAT unit enters the lair of a crime lord to capture him ‘dead or alive.’ However, the proverbial ‘stuff’ soon hits the fan and the team finds itself in a desperate struggle to survive and escape the death trap they’re in. As you might expect, there are corrupt cops, characters with ambiguous motives, complications, an evil henchmen who’s totally badass in martial arts and of course, a protagonist whom you root for because all he wanted is to get back to his family. While I admit all this does sound a bit clichéd, it is the execution where this movie truly shined and made it a thrill-ride worth buying an E-ticket to.
The actors are all unknown outside of southeast Asia, but Iko Uwais (who plays our hero Rama) is one to watch as Indonesia’s answer to Thailand’s Tony Jaa. Kudos should also go to Yayan Ruhian as ‘Mad Dog,’ the diminutive but sadistic evil henchman who transforms into a supercharged dynamo when it comes to the art of ‘Pencak Silat.’
The well choreographed, hyperkinetic action sequences in this movie would please even the most demanding and jaded martial arts action movie fan. Move over, Hong Kong. Thailand and Indonesia have arrived.
8.5 out of 10
8.5 out of 10
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