The Raid: Redemption (***1/2 out of ****)

Film as an art form should stimulate the mind in some sense. The Raid (As it was originally called) is a pure adrenaline trip. A take no prisoners, balls to the wall and ultimately kick-ass action film. An action film is art in a lot of ways. The fighting choreography is like a dance and The Raid has it all.

Twenty elite SWAT members head into an apartment building with a crime lord as their target. The apartment is haven for criminals were scrum can rent a room, no questions asked. The SWAT members move floor to floor to get to the top and capture the mastermind. Well things do go smoothly and a bloodbath wall happen. 

The Raid is a cerebral encounter. Pulse-pounding music, dazzling fight scenes and characters that appropriately fit their role. The story is bland, but the movie is meant to be watched as a thrill ride. The fight scenes are brutal, fun and brilliant all at the same time. The Raid is the action of the year, one of the best in ten years even.

***1/2 out ****