The Raid (2012)

The critic calls the film a slam-bang action bonanza with peerlessly shot and choreographed fight sequences. Evans is hailed as a visionary force delivering exhausting, exhilarating, high-octane filmmaking.

The critic calls the film a skull-splinteringly violent, uncompromisingly intense and simply brilliant martial arts action movie that puts western action movies to shame. They single out the stunning choreography and athleticism of lead Iko Uwais as well as the director's unflagging pace and muscular filmmaking.

The review praises the bone-crunching Indonesian action film for its ultra-violence and brilliant martial-arts choreography. Evans’s gravity-defying camera work and the performers’ personal touches in combat deliver a pure adrenaline rush.

The critic finds the film a respectful, old-school throwback to 80s cult action with blisteringly quick, inventive fight choreography that keeps viewers gasping and cheering. He notes a lack of tonal or plot variation as the main drawback.

The critic hails it as one of the most exciting action movies of the decade, praising the jaw-dropping silat fight choreography and its visceral, adrenaline-pumping spectacle.

The critic finds it a pure, exhilarating distillation of the action movie into intense, satisfying essentials, singling out the stunningly choreographed and edited fight scenes for praise despite predictable plotting.

The review describes it as a bone-crunching, brutally cool entertainment that delivers all-out action thrills through stylish staging of silat martial arts and visceral fight sequences.

The critic enjoys the pounding, proficient and bloody action, praising the best-choreographed fight scenes since Ong-bak and the director's announcement as a successor to John Woo. They note a clanking, lockstep quality to the pacing but still find it awesome overall.

The critic admires the film's humble, single-minded focus on floor-by-floor ass-kicking action and its video-game-like simplicity. He complains that the combat sequences grow monotonous after a while and that the lo-fi aesthetic and serious drama detract from momentum.

The review calls the ultraviolent action filmmaking impressive in scale but criticises its lack of emotional depth and narrative unpredictability, while praising the lead performance and fight scenes.

The critic finds the film a monotonous blur of thudding violence despite the director's grasp of genre fundamentals and the novel appeal of pencak silat. The choreographed mayhem overwhelms the thin story and characters.

The critic hails the film as an exhilarating, visceral action spectacle that delivers constant adrenaline and makes audiences gasp. Praise centers on the long-take, wide-shot choreography of the pencak silat fights and Iko Uwais's performance.

The review calls it a surprisingly exciting martial-arts film driven by impressive fight choreography filmed in long, wide takes. It singles out the relentless, inventive silat sequences for praise while complaining that the non-stop brawling becomes dull when extended too long.

The critic praises the film's relentless, inventive martial arts action and dynamic set pieces as exceptionally exciting and well-modulated. He singles out the choreography, camerawork, and Evans' energetic direction for particular admiration.

The critic calls the film an unforgettable, relentless action spectacle with supremely elegant, propulsive stunts and minimal trickery. He highlights the lead's bionic physical skill and the director's focus on visceral, dancerly violence over cartoonish elements.

The film delivers intense, surprising action with a furious pace and bass-heavy score, though low on gore. Evans shows strong technical skill in choreography and camera work, backed by a likable central performance from Uwais.

The film is an action feast that keeps finding new ways to dish out inventive kills and fights. Evans knows how to build tension to magnificent action scenes with remarkable fight choreography.

The Raid: Redemption expands scale and intensity over Evans' prior work but feels repetitive in its close-quarters fights and lacks humor or visual flair, leading to a plateau mid-film. Uwais is a nondescript lead who fails to bring needed nuance or charisma.

The critic hails it as potentially one of the best action movies in years for its intense, brutal fight sequences and introduction of Silat martial arts. Praises the gritty cinematography and simple effective structure while noting minor flaws in the second half.

Praises the raw, spectacular fight sequences with long uninterrupted shots highlighting choreography. Highlights the human core with Iko Uwais's performance and the claustrophobic setting as key strengths, calling it a potential game changer.

The Raid: Redemption is the type of hyper-violent action film that makes grown men wince and chuckle. Evans and Uwais deliver on a nonstop premise of cop-versus-building-full-of-homicidal-criminals with no room for comic relief.