The Raid: Redemption

Starring Some Indonesian geniuses.
Wow and double wow! That's the only way to describe this movie. For the serious martial arts and shoot em up film buff, this movie is more than enough to hold you over for the next 10 years.
Our "story" (and there aint much of one) concerns a special forces unit on a raid in a building that is owned and operated by a crime lord. The building and opposing police are both heavily armed and the goal for the good guys is simple, take out the main bad guy hiding inside.
What sounds simple on paper soon turns complicated within the first few minutes as our heroes soon find themselves grossly outnumbered and with no back up.
O.k now on to the blood bath of literal jaw dropping fight sequences and ear popping shoot outs. I dont even know what was more impressive but would have to give the hand to hand sequences the edge as they were far more creative than anything I have seen in a long long time. Imagine Jackie Chan in his prime and now imagine he gets his ass handed to him. The level of expertise showcased here by the stars and stuntmen alike is unequaled in anything I have ever seen in film.
I cannot even stop there with how great it truly is, so heres another paragraph. This is better than Rambo and Crouching Tiger hidden Dragon if the two were to have a film baby. I mean that film baby would get beaten up by the Raid. This is so good that you dont even care about the fact that its in a different language. It transcends language.
Featuring actual martial arts champions and genuine fight scenes this one easily trumps anything that Hollywood has produced recently ie the entire Bourne series and anything else remotely offering fight scenes shot with a budget. The money here is virtually absent and yet we are left with some of the most crisp and mind bending choreography this side of a Michael Jackson video.
Now to cement my opinion on this one in grand and audacious fashion. The Raid is better than Die Hard and Enter The Dragon combined. I said it.
See it.

Rating 5 broken backs out of 5

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Safehouse

Starring Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds

At long last here it is! Here is a movie with a bevy of car chase scenes that dont seem formulaic or fake. Here is a movie where the hand to hand fight scenes are actually shown in great detail and not in some shaky close up and choppy fashion. And sometimes its the small things but finally we have a movie with decent make up! That's right I said make up. The sweat and blood and attention to detail in every characters visage is in a class of its own.
On a technical level, this movie is far superior to any of the Bourne movies and certainly holds its own against the last 5 Bond films as well. So refreshing is it to NOT be bored during a fist fight these days. And what a welcome turn to see stunt work with actual locations as opposed to manufactured sets.
Never mind the story really, there's a bad guy that has to brought in and there are some double crosses etc but because the acting and direction is so exceptional you really cant focus too much on plot.
Both leads are at the top of their game and deserve every accolade that comes their way as this Juggernaut tours the world.
With no hope for a sequel this may have to be one of those rare occasions for me where it warrants a second viewing in the theaters because and I will be honest with you, I was distracted once or twice by a douchebag in the cineplex with a glowing cellphone and I would totally pay to see this one again to catch the few glimpses I may have initially missed.
Seldom do I gush over action fare but what can I say? Go see this tomorrow or today based on whenever you are reading this and do yourself a favour and see it on the big screen and take advantage of the wonderful surround sound as that too is an achievement in this cant miss shoot em up.

Rating 4 1/2 double crosses out of 5

Chronicle

Finally a super hero movie without the hype and huge expectations and guess what? It works!
Our story begins with a teen living a rough life with a mother dying of cancer and an alcoholic father that blames him for everything. Add the super popular jock running for student council and the cool kid who happens to be cousins with the first guy. All caught up? Kay. So these three dudes stumble across something other worldly that passes along some very unique gifts to our three amigos and the fun begins.
As the old adage goes, with great power comes great responsibility. But what if you don't give a damn about responsibility? This is where the movie really kicks into high gear.
Without giving too much away I can say that you should try your best to imagine these things happening to you and how you may react differently.
The special effects are fairly decent, less some initial sloppy wire work and simple reverse filming techniques but when they want to impress, they really do.
The most common advice I like to give with flicks like this is to simply check your brain at the door and try to enjoy. That is made all the easier when you consider that there aren't any superstars in this one so it sort of seems easier to believe.

Rating 3 lifted skirts out of 5

Ride 'em Low