Original title: Serbuan MautEnglish title: The Raid: Redemption (reviewed version); The Raid (elsewhere)
Writer: Gareth Evans
Director: Gareth Evans
Producer: Ario Sagantoro
Cinematographer: Matt Flannery & Dimas Imam Subhono
Editor: Gareth Evans
Composer: Fajar Yuskemal & Aria Prayogi (International version); Mike Shinoda & Joseph Trapanese (North American version)
Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno, Tegar Setrya, Ray Sahetapy
Released: 23 March 2012 (Indonesia); 23 March 2012 to 16 June 2013 (everywhere else)
Film, just as all other forms of storytelling, is a portal into human society. By simple virtue of its themes, it exposes the facets of our culture that say more about us than we think, from what we find funny and interesting to what we consider inappropriate. As Impressions of Jogja progresses, reviews of films made in Indonesia will play in a role in introducing you to little-known gems, along with helping us learn about Indonesian culture.
That isn't to say that The Raid: Redemption says anything significant about the Indonesian identity, however, considering its international success. Nor does its appearance as the first film we decided to discuss mean it warrants special attention, the reasons for which will become clear as you read further. We were hesitant to call this a review, because what it is instead is a running commentary of the film, done through Skype.
Why did we decide on this format instead of an actual review? Well, you will learn that soon enough, but for those who wish to skip to the conclusion (stop reading here to avoid spoilers!): neither of us enjoyed The Raid, and trying to analyse it did not seem terribly appealing. However, with its popularity in mind, tackling it seemed like the apt thing to do. Midway through the film, we came upon a solution: paste our conversation, providing readers with a blow-by-blow account. After all, what better way to analyse something with no depth?
Below you can read along as we watch The Raid: Redemption, dragging our patience along, one facepalm at a time.
