--- title: "The Raid: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-raid/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-raid" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Raid (2012): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 14 reviews: 11 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics welcome The Raid as a forceful, tightly focused action film, with praise concentrated on its martial-arts choreography and the physical skill of Iko Uwais. The reviews repeatedly credit Evans with filming the fights clearly, using long takes and wide shots that let the performers’ work register. The editing and sustained pace also draw approval. For its admirers, the simple story gives the inventive combat enough space to carry the film. The reservations concern repetition, thin characterisation and how little the tone varies between fights. Even some enthusiastic reviews find the prolonged violence wearing, though most consider the choreography sufficient compensation. The New York Times finds the action monotonous and the people overwhelmed by it. The Playlist also questions Uwais’s charisma, a notable departure from the broader praise for his performance; the divide is chiefly over how much dramatic interest the fighting can supply. ## Los Angeles Times — Gary Goldstein Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 March 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. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-mar-23-la-et-raid-redemption-capsule-20120323-story.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/may/17/the-raid-review) ## The New Yorker — Bruce Diones Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 April 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-raid-redemption-2) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating B+. 22 March 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-raid-redemption-1798172083) ## Little White Lies — Matt Bochenski Rating 3/4/4. 17 May 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-raid) ## Radio Times — Lucy Barrick Rating 4/5. 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. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-uu2bj8/the-raid/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2011. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-raid/5031891.article) ## The Telegraph — Tim Robey Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/9273008/The-Raid-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Jaime N. Christley Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 March 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-raid-redemption/) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 3/5. 8 May 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-raid) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 22 March 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/movies/the-raid-redemption-directed-by-gareth-huw-evans.html) ## Empire 18 May 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/raid-review/) ## Evening Standard 30 July 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-raid-review-7763571.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 9 September 2011. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/raid-toronto-review-233596/) ## Vulture — David Edelstein 23 March 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2012/03/movie-reviews-deep-blue-sea-the-raid.html) ## HeyUGuys — Jamie Neish Rating 5/5. 17 May 2012. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/gff-2012-the-raid-review/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating A-. 22 March 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-raid-redemption-review/) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating C-. 20 March 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/counterpoint-review-the-raid-redemption-adds-a-little-bit-of-steroids-to-the-same-martial-arts-film-youve-seen-twice-before-20120320/) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 4 out of 5. 29 February 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-raid-review/) ## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones Rating 5. 22 March 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a370791/the-raid-review-a-brutal-and-engrossing-action-thriller/) ## Paste — Michael Burgin Rating 8.4. 5 April 2012. 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. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-raid-redemption) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-raid.md