Showing posts with label Martial Arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martial Arts. Show all posts

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Movie Review: The Raid: Redemption (2011)


The Raid: Redemption (2011)


Written and directed by Gareth Evans, the movie focusses on an ill-fated attempt by a team of elite cops to storm a building that happens to be the stronghold of an infamous gangster, Tama (Ray Sahetapy). The opening shots of the movie introduce us to Rama (Iko Uwais), a rookie cop and a soon-to-be father. Rama has a long day ahead, thanks to the aforementioned raid.

Rama and his teammates are led by Sergeant Jaka (Joe Taslim). Tama is assisted by Mad Dog and Andy, the brawn and brains respectively. The team enters the building as planned but find themselves the target of an array of opponents, including machete wielding thugs and sharpshooters. Does Rama manage to come out with life and limb intact?

Gareth shows a deft hand in direction and has incorporated some twists and turns along the way that may not surprise astute viewers, but does help raise the movie a notch above than being just another run-of-the-mill actioner. 

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Iko has the dashing looks and martial arts skills and looks all set to have a successful career ahead. He also handled the stunts (along with Yayan Ruhian) and the action choreography is just plain amazing. Special mention must be made of Rama’s encounter with the machete gang. This is easily the best fight scene in the movie, possibly rivaled by the climactic fight with Mad Dog.

Some of the Mad Dog’s scenes reminded me of The Dark Knight’s Joker. I believe the director wanted to create a sense of dread of an implacable enemy akin to the Joker. While Joker was a madman bent on anarchy using his smarts, Mad Dog is the polar opposite. He lives up to his name and uses his physical skills to beat his opponent(s) to death.

Ray Sahetapy is a veteran actor and gives us a great villain in Tama, who is quite ruthless when it comes to protecting his turf.

Ray Sahetapy as Tama in The Raid: Redemption
Ray Sahetapy as Tama

The theme music by Mike Shinoda enhances the movie, especially in the climactic scenes.

This is one heck of an action movie with enough character moments for the actors to become more than just cardboard cutouts as is usually the case in movies of this genre.


Iko Uwais in 'The Raid: Redemption'
Iko Uwais in 'The Raid: Redemption'

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Image Sources: WikipediaActionFestAceShowBiz


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Friday, November 25, 2011

Movie Review: Iron Monkey (1993)


Iron Monkey movie review poster
Donnie Yen and Yu Rongguang in Iron Monkey

Yuen Woo-ping directed this classic martial arts movie. Yu Rongguang plays the role of a good-hearted doctor, who moonlights as the titular character. Iron Monkey steals from the rich and corrupt and helps the poor and needy. The corrupt government forces Wong Kei-ying (Donnie Yen) to capture Iron Monkey in 7 days by holding his son Wong Fei-hung as hostage. 

While Wong Kei-ying pursues Iron Monkey, there is a change in the government for the worse. Rest of the movie should be familiar to anyone who has watched similar movies of this genre or any action movie for that matter. 

The action sequences in the movie are top-notch, which should not be surprising considering the cast and crew involved. Woo-ping is renowned for his martial arts choreography work in martial arts movies in the East. His fame was to shoot through the stratosphere shortly, following his work in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix Trilogy.


Yuen Woo ping matrix action choreographer
Yuen Woo-ping, the director

Rongguang and Yen are both very accomplished martial artists and their skills electrify the screen in the insanely choreographed action sequences in the film.

Donnie Yen is one of my favorite martial artists and his work in this movie is as good as ever. I have enjoyed all of his movies from Once Upon a Time in China II to Hero to the recent hit Ip Man series. His role as Snowman in Blade II was one of the best things in that movie.

Iron Monkey has a lot of the action sequences and boy, do they pack a punch... 

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If you are a fan of the martial arts movie genre or action movies in general, I would highly recommend this movie to you. Trust me, you will not be disappointed!

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Image Source: Missing Reel 

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