Is there any more that I can possibly write about my
anticipation for The Raid? At this point, I just want to see the damned
movie already. It certainly doesn’t help
that Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions keeps dangling film clips and
trailers in front of fans like carrots in front of Bugs Bunny. They obviously know they have one Hell of a
product on their hands, and have no compunction about teasing it up until the
zero hour. What else could possibly
explain their curious decision to rename it The
Raid: Redemption so late in the game?
Just what is that title change supposed to signify?
Perhaps to announce this curious title change, Sony has
released the U.S. trailer for the film, which amazingly has even more new
footage. Some of it reveals quieter moments
in a film that doesn’t appear to have many of them. Every other trailer or clip released up until
now has shown what happens after all Hell has already broken loose in that 30
story high-rise. The U.S trailer shows a
bit of the calm before the storm.
The opening moments show Rama doing calisthenics and combat
training early in the morning. He tenderly
kisses his pregnant wife’s belly before going out to work on what will surely
be the roughest day on the job he’s ever had.
It’s all reminiscent of Ethan Hawke's opening moments in Training Day. There are a few more shots of the villain
that stress his omnipresence in his fortress.
He seems to be someone that his minions hear from more than they
actually see.
There’s even a tip off as to exactly when and where the
squad of police pass the point of no return in the villain’s stronghold. At the
halfway point, the trailer explodes into action. The agility of the stuntmen has to be seen to
be believed. It’s simply amazing. These guys have to be the most flexible and
durable stunt players ever. The trailer
ends with Rama ramming a henchmen's head into a wall repeatedly.
Apparently there’s no such thing as overkill when it comes
to the marketing for The Raid. How can there be, when the product looks this
exciting? That sentiment appears to
carry over into the film itself, which is quite obviously bursting at the seams
with all manner of carnage and mayhem. Here
I was thinking that the ceiling of action cinema had been reached a long time
ago, and now Gareth Evans unleashes this beast upon the world.
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