Is THE RAID One Of The Best Action Movies Ever Made?

Hello friends! Let's talk about The Raid. You know, that 2011 Indonesian masterpiece where a SWAT team tries to bust a crime lord in a decrepit apartment complex, fighting their way up level by level, only to realize, oh crap, we just walked into a blender. Yeah, that movie. If you haven't seen it, first of all, what are you even doing with your life? And second, imagine if Die Hard, John Wick, and a fever dream about getting your teeth kicked in had a baby. That's The Raid. Now, some of you might be thinking, well wait a minute, wasn't that the plot of the big Hollywood movie Dredd? Oh, you sweet summer child. Yes, Dredd has the exact same storyline, except with a sci-fi coat of paint, a judge who never takes off his helmet, and a distinct lack of Indonesian martial arts. Which is like saying a pizza is the same thing as a cardboard circle with ketchup on it. Was Dredd a blatant rip-off of The Raid? I don't know. I mean, I'm not saying they copied The Raid, but if The Raid was released in 2011 and Dredd came out in 2012, well listen, I've seen enough Hollywood coincidences to know how the game works. Now, let's talk about the action in The Raid. As a former movie stuntman and martial artist, I have thrown myself into walls, tables, and occasionally other people for a paycheck. I know what it takes to make an action scene look real. And folks, the people in this movie, they suffered. They bled for your entertainment. Their bones are probably still holding grudges. This movie is relentless. The action starts within the first 10 minutes, and once it goes, it does not let up. It's like being thrown into a washing machine filled with knives and angry gymnasts. And the fight scenes, oh my god. They're like ballet, if ballet involved stabbing people in the face and throwing them out of windows. Now, the filmmakers wanted a quasi-documentary style, which is just a fancy way of saying, we're gonna hold the camera like a caffeinated lunatic and hope it captures the insanity. And somehow, it works. The cinematography puts you right in the middle of the action, so close that you can practically feel the air leave the guy's lungs when he gets his ribcage shattered. Now, some people say that The Raid is thin on plot. You know what else is thin on plot? A sledgehammer to the face. Do you need Shakespeare when you've got hand-to-hand combat so intense it makes the UFC look like a senior citizen water aerobics class? No. This movie is martial arts torture porn in the best possible way. Every single fight is a symphony of pain. Throats are slit, arms are snapped, bullets fly, and somehow, there's still a level of poetry to it. Gareth Evans, the director, knew exactly what he was doing. He understood that this just wasn't about violence. It was about violence with a Now, the sequel? The Raid 2? It's also great, but it doesn't have the same raw, claustrophobic energy as the original. It's like if someone gave you a bigger, fancier blender to jump into instead of the old busted one. More elaborate, but somehow not quite as effective. And then there was supposed to be a third one, but guess what? Canceled because life is unfair. Look, action movies today? Most of them wish they had what The Raid had. Compare it to western action movies, where half the time, the fights are just a blur of shaky camera and quick cuts to hide the fact that the lead actor moves like a refrigerator. In The Raid, there is nowhere to hide. These actors trained in real martial arts, and you can see every hit, every block, every moment of pure, unfiltered carnage. Some people call The Raid the greatest action film of all time, and you know what? It's definitely up there. So, if you love action, if you love martial arts, or if you just love watching bad guys get absolutely obliterated with surgical precision, watch The Raid. And then watch it again. And then force your friends to watch it. So, thanks for watching this video, and before you go, hit that like button, subscribe to the channel, and let me know in the comments, what's your pick for best action movie ever? But if you say dread, we're gonna have words. We'll see you next time.