I was lucky enough to grow up when action movies were comin’ in hard and fast at the theaters. Maybe not so lucky — I did have to sit through more than my fair share of Steven Seagal — but my formative years were spent in a haze of Stallone (Rambo, not Judge Dredd), Jackie Chan (Police Story, not Shanghai Noon), and of course, Ah-nuld. Which is to say I’m a geez. So when my crotchety ol’ self got wind of a new martial arts movie from Indonesia, a film that promised to bring back the awesome fight choreography I loved from Chinatown-theaters-only films of the 80s, I was all in. And I’ve gotta say that if tough-as-nails action is your thing, The Raid: Redemption is the movie you’ve gotta see.
If you’re thinking “but I don’t like subtitles! Reading hard!” Then really, you need to rethink your priorities. Do Not Let Subtitles Put You Off This Film. Because if you love badass martial arts, if you enjoy nonstop action, you will enjoy The Raid: Redemption. This is the type of film that has me slinging overused reviewer cliches like “action-packed thrill ride!”, “best film I’ve seen all year!” and “instant genre classic!” Why? Because they’re true.
