Remove the 2-on-1 fight, and there's absolutely nothing in this movie. No acting, no real plot, no memorable character -- just a bunch of random fist fights. There was a time for these kinds of movies 20 years ago - but not today.
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I think that's kind of the point, mindless action flicks aren't generally known for much more than bare-bones plot and action...can't really see why if there was time for this in 1994 why that would change now, they're just as fun to watch today as they were back then...I love high concept "art" and philosophy-oriented films as anyone, but for those of us who grew up with mindless action and horror flicks as well there's no reason there isn't plenty of room for both to flourish...it's not like there's some "movie limit" and this action flick is forcing plot-heavy philosophy films off the map.
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*+_Charos_+*
"I have often laughed at weaklings
who thought themselves good because
they had no claws."
If you had a plot-less, one-trick, one-scene movie in 1994, it would fly because there was nothing else. In 2014, putting people through 2 hours of B grade action for a single final fight is simply laziness and pure yawn.
There are grades between artsy philosophy and mindless action.
Wrapping your climactic final fight in a half-decent plot with half-decent actors takes nothing away from good action. It makes it all the more memorable.
It is a masterfully done fight movie with a simple plot that serves its straight-forward premise. It was never sold as anything more. No protracted, over-stuffed, under-written, exposition-laden, patronizing, cookie-cutter, generic, CGI-loaded/teen-pandering, CRAP like what we get out of Hollywood nowadays. Don't act like Hollywood is pumping out classics now in this totally bland and vacuous era saturated with nothing but endless Superhero movies, remakes, and sequels. Saying this would be more welcomed in the 90's is more a credit to that era that a disservice. That was the period after all, that gave us such action favorites as Terminator 2, Léon ( The Professional ), Heat, La Femme Nikita, Point Break, Die Hard With A vengeance, True Romance, Reservoir Dogs, Ronin, The Usual Suspects, ......... just to name a few of the many from that decade.
If you really want lazy/generic filmmaking, I give you the so-called action cinema of 2000's Hollywood ( the place ruled by interfering studio execs and their hacks/tools passing as writers & directors ) i.e. > The era of "film-by-committee"
Fast & Furious series / Need For Speed / Transformers ( and other Michael bay dreck ) / Youth novel teen-pandering flicks < Hunger games/Twilight/ The Host/Divergent/etc > / "PG-13" Reboots/sequels of superior films from the 80's < Terminator/RoboCop/Die Hard/Alien & Predator flicks, etc > / Battleship / Pacific Rim / Underworld / Resident Evil garbage / G.I. Joe / Red / Waaaaaay too many Superhero movies, all telling the same *beep* story over and over and over and over and over, while bludgeoning you with corny dialogue and repetitive CGI spfx.
Don't act like action films are something special now, they're definitely not. This is the absolute WORST era in action filmmaking, and a simple stripped-down/non-Hollywood-BS foreign flick shows it up for what it really is > A pretentious/generic/unimaginative and creatively-shallow period where every studio just aims to pump out the next big CGI-stuffed/PG-13 tent-pole drudgery to draw in kids and shallow people with ever-shortening attention spans and even shorter memories. This is the era of the Video-gamer/MTV-gen/CGI-eye-candy nerds, and the vapid, indiscernible, mostly forgettable movies, reflect it perfectly.
You op, can stick to your Transformers and your comic-book superhero movies. True fans of real action cinema appreciate the very few times we can get a gem like The Raid given the limelight for a change.
And I look forward with high expectation for the sure-to-be gangster-epic fight-movie 'The Raid 2: Berandal'.
SPIRAL OUT!........KEEP GOING!
It is a masterfully done fight movie with a simple plot that serves its straight-forward premise. It was never sold as anything more.
No protracted, over-stuffed, under-written, exposition-laden, patronizing, cookie-cutter, generic, CGI-loaded/teen-pandering, CRAP like what we get out of Hollywood nowadays.
Terminator 2, Léon ( The Professional ), Heat, La Femme Nikita, Point Break, Die Hard With A vengeance, True Romance, Reservoir Dogs, Ronin, The Usual Suspects
Fast & Furious series / Need For Speed ... Resident Evil garbage / G.I. Joe / Red / Waaaaaay too many Superhero movies
This is the era of the Video-gamer/MTV-gen/CGI-eye-candy nerds, and the vapid, indiscernible, mostly forgettable movies, reflect it perfectly.
You op, can stick to your Transformers and your comic-book superhero movies.
Very few movies come to mind that do martial arts flicks with a good plot. The most recent movie that comes to mind that centers are around pure martial arts philosophy is Red Belt.
I am curious to know what movies that you would consider well done in this particular genre of movie. Cause honestly Red Belt was a heartfelt movie but it wasn't quite about the action.
Good plot can always make a movie better no doubt, but I don't think its fair to say there is no place for movies that are more physical. Like video games there are genera and categories that cater to a wide bunch of people. If its not masterful for you I am not sure why you keep wasting your time here. There are obviously movies out there that suits your needs better.
In my case I was looking for a good action flick and this was well done. Fighting movies don't have the best logic or reason to engage in close quarter when a gun can easily solve all problems. But then I am not walking into a movie such as this looking for deep embedded realism.
"SeagullS!!!! Francine this time they could drive!!" - Stan Smith
this movie is clearly inspired by video games such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. A final fist fight between a hero and the uber-villain is the stuff of fantasy these days. It doesn't happen anymore. Except in video games.
Well said.
Anyone not liking this because its an action movie hasnt got the slightest idea what action movies supposed to do.
And this one provided by the truck loads. With every single movie comming from those parts of the world im more and more in awe of the skill to put perfectly filmed brutal and almost horrific realistic violence on the screen.
Nothing but respect for the asian film industry.
Claiming this to be bad acting aswell is nothing short of having no clue whatsoever. I admire the zeal of the actors, side actors, main actors, heck even figurants. Pretty sure more then one drop of blood was shed during the making of The Raid, not to mention broken bones and bruises, that alone deserves respect.
And ... bad acting? What bad acting, everyone was believable no one was over acting.
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Very well put sir!! 👆
shareThe plots of modern action movies revolve around "America is evil".
shareTrepeeD you're pretty embarrassing. This movie is an action classic. Your opinion is rendered irrelevant by the guys who responded to you. Go watch captain america 2
shareanother Twilight fans said..
shareYou belong in a garbage can.
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Amusingly, I thought the final 2v1 fight was the worst part of the movie. Rama's brother was already stabbed through the hand and being worked over before the fight begins, yet he is able to keep up and fight basically on par with Rama. Plus these guys are landing disgustingly hard blows on each other and shrugging them off until the time limit runs out and suddenly the fights over. It ends up feeling like "a bunch of stuff" despite their impressive display of skills.
The prior fights in the movie weren't like that and felt like each blow landed actually mattered. That's why I enjoyed those so much more. Still a solid action movie though.
Amusingly, I thought the final 2v1 fight was the worst part of the movie. Rama's and being worked over before the fight begins, yet he is able to keep up and fight basically on par with Rama. Plus these guys are landing disgustingly hard blows on each other and shrugging them off until the time limit runs out and suddenly the fights over. It ends up feeling like "a bunch of stuff" despite their impressive display of skills.
But it DOES have the final fight, so your point is irrelevant
"Transformers wouldn't have made so much money without the CGI robots!"
What's your point man? we came for some fighting action and we got it