The Raid: RedemptionMovie Reviews

Avg. Critic Score: 73 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

not for kids

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

88

Boston Globe | Ty Burr
Poised at the midway point between an ultraviolent video game and a neo-classic dance musical. As midnight-movie mash-ups go, it's pretty amazing. Read full review
88

USA Today | Scott Bowles
Unapologetically brutal and unencumbered by much plot, Raid is the year's most turbo-charged film. Read full review
80

NPR | Mark Jenkins
Arguably the most dynamic Asian action film since the 1990s peaks of John Woo and Tsui Hark, The Raid: Redemption works as sheer gladiatorial ballet. Read full review
75

Movieline |
There's a sliver of a plot to The Raid, but it's really not worth going over -- when the characters pause to talk, which is rare, it does tend to kill the film's momentum. Read full review
75

San Francisco Chronicle |
Iko Uwais is not exactly a household name, but the Indonesian heartthrob appears to be well on his way with The Raid: Redemption, a clever, action-packed film that showcases his movie-star looks, low-key charisma and breathtaking martial arts skills. Read full review
75

New York Post | Lou Lumenick
The action is brutal, bloody and virtually nonstop in this adrenaline-packed riff on "Assault on Precinct 13.'' Read full review
75

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) | Liam Lacey
Plot, characterization and dialogue are merely the frame here for the real goods, an immersion into the Indonesian martial arts form known as silat. Read full review
75

ReelViews | James Berardinelli
When it comes to The Raid: Redemption, there are no pretentions. Pure and simple, this is about violence. As we used to say, "kickin' ass and takin' names." Read full review
67

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
I do wish that Evans were a better storyteller. When he isn't turning mad-dog violence into visual rock & roll, The Raid shreds narrative coherence to ribbons. Read full review
60

New York Daily News | Joe Neumaier
The special effects here are wiry martial artists grunting their way through fight after fight. It's exhausting but exhilarating. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for The Raid: Redemption on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says not for kids Indonesian fight/chase movie is well made but ultra-violent.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that The Raid: Redemption is an ultra-violent Indonesian chase/fight movie. The entire movie is basically one extended battle, with guns and knives, as well as hammers, billy clubs, machetes, and martial arts. There's extensive blood, many dead bodies, and many other painful moments of bashing and smashing. Though the movie is spoken in Indonesian, language is also an issue in the English subtitles: "f--k" is used often, as well as "s--t" and other strong words. The movie's main setting houses a drug lab, and some of the occupants are junkies, but these things are only shown in brief flashes. Sex isn't an issue, and the hero is a fairly positive role model, despite the high number of dead and wounded he leaves in his wake -- he's an exceptional martial artist, and he always tries to do the right thing. Still, the movie is too intense for all but the most mature teens.

Families can talk about The Raid's intense violence. How necessary is it to the story? How does the impact of the violence in a movie like this one compare to what you might see in a horror movie?
Is Rama a role model? Does he believe in people's inherent goodness, even though he's surrounded by corruption? Can he be a positive role model if he hurts and/or kills so many during his ordeal?
Is The Raid a good demonstration of martial arts? Is it used for self-defense or for unleashing violence?
How does the movie's setting -- an industrial, graffiti-covered apartment building -- add to or detract from the story?

The good stuff

Positive messages: The titular raid is undertaken for all the wrong reasons, and many deaths come of it. In the meantime, two estranged brothers do learn to work together again. But despite the title, no one is really redeemed.
Positive role models: The main character, Rama, is a good-hearted rookie cop who unexpectedly discovers that his current assignment was arranged for crooked reasons. He tries to make the best of it, saving as many people as he can (though also killing/wounding many). He's also trying to get home alive to his pregnant wife so that he can be a good father. He's also an exceptional martial artist.

What to watch for

Violence: Dozens of characters die in this movie, which is essentially one extended fight sequence. Characters are shot, stabbed, sliced, bashed, smashed, blown to bits, and dropped from heights -- sometimes in close-up. Weapons include machetes, axes, hammers, billy clubs, broken glass, knives, pistols, and automatic weapons. Viewers see squirting and spraying blood, and various bones are broken. There's also a scene of torture and violence against a boy of about 9.
Sexy stuff: The main character says a fond goodbye to his pregnant wife/girlfriend as he leaves for work. He kisses her baby bump.
Language: Though the movie is in Indonesian, "f--k" and "s--t" appear fairly often in the English subtitles. "Piss," "c--t," and "a--hole" are used once each. During the closing credits, a crude hip-hop song plays (in English), with words such as "bitch" and "boobies." There's also graffiti all over the walls of the building. Though the camera never lingers on anything, it's possible that freeze-framing a DVD could reveal more strong words.
Consumerism: Not an issue
Drinking, drugs and smoking: The entire movie takes place in a huge apartment complex that operates as a drug lab. Viewers see quick images of this lab (just a few moments), as well very quick flashes of junkies and drug users in their apartments as the main characters run through.

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