Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

The Raid: Redemption 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

An early 2024 must-have 4K release!

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 16, 2024

You wouldn't necessarily be wrong if you noted the ahem similarities between fan-favorite cult classic Dredd, from writer Alex Garland and director Pete Travis, and filmmaker Gareth Evans's The Raid: Redemption. For the record, The Raid came first, by a year, which tells us two things: first, if anything, Dredd took its cues from its Thai cousin, but second, the two were released too close together for either one to inform much of the other. Sometimes coincidence shines on cinema on two continents. You also wouldn't be the first to confuse Welsh director Gareth Evans with British director Gareth Edwards, of Star Wars: Rogue One and 2014 Godzilla relaunch fame (or infamy, depending on your outlook). They are verifiably, um, two different people. So, with any nagging plagiaristic concerns and identity crises out of the way, on to The Raid: Redemption(!), a ballsy, no holds barred, ultraviolent, low-budget/high-impact Indonesian martial arts film that hits every bit as hard in 2023 -- harder actually, when you learn how much of the stunt work is borderline real -- as it did more than ten years ago.

Scratch that. Before you get to The Raid, you may have another nagging question: how did an upstart Welsh filmmaker like Evans come to helm a Thai martial arts series that includes the likes of Redemption? Though Wikipedia is full of accuracy landmines, it provides our answer! "After directing a small-budget film called Footsteps, Evans was hired as a freelance director for a documentary about the Indonesian martial art pencak silat. He became fascinated with it, and discovered Indonesian martial artist Iko Uwais, who was working as a deliveryman for a phone company. Evans cast Uwais in his 2009 film Merantau. He planned to produce a larger action film, but scaled the production budget down and created an action film with Uwais called The Raid (2011). After the success of The Raid, the larger action film eventually became the basis for its sequel, The Raid 2: Berandal (2014)" Sooo with all questions now answered, on to The Raid: Redemption...

Synopsis: Deep in the heart of Jakarta's slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world's most dangerous killers and gangsters. Until now, the rundown apartment block has been considered untouchable. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite SWAT team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. But when a chance encounter with a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the top floor, the members of the SWAT team find themselves stranded on the 6th floor with no way out. The unit must fight their way through the city's worst to survive their mission. The Raid: Redemption stars Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian and Pierre Gruno.

Good movie gods, if The Raid isn't pure, bottled martial arts insanity, nothing is. (Other than The Raid 2, but more on that another day.) Evans creates a confined space and then *gasp* allows the film to feel confined (something others would do well to emulate), fashioning a truly claustrophobic experience that plants you right in the boots of Uwais's Rama and Taslim's Jaka. Anxiety and panic aren't far behind as sweat pours, blood spatters and eyes widen to the point that it all seems a touch too real. All of which is a very, very good thing. The fights come fast and fierce, playing out with less choreographed nuance and more brutal, edge of your seat intensity. Every punch, kick and knee to the midsection carries weight and, more importantly, seems the thing that's needed to escape, to survive -- not to win -- but simply to keep going. There's a desperation to each showdown that speaks to the stakes. Screen action is replaced with such spontaneity, or rather such a sense of spontaneity that you'll undoubtedly wonder if any character will possibly live to see the end credits roll. Top that off with even more beatdowns, bruises, bloody battles, and hallway/stairwell fisticuffs and you have an action movie that redefines what action can be. Short version: The Raid makes The Expendables look like child's play.

Then there's Uwais and his co-stars. I'm not exactly sure what's in the actors' water bottles in Indonesia but it's something Hollywood doesn't have on tap. Perhaps it's the unfamiliarity of the stars' faces; more likely it's the convincing ferocity with which they commit to every scene. I believe, even all these years later, that Rama is a bonafide SWAT officer, that his plight will decide whether he lives or dies, that his friendships and bonds are anything less than air-tight, or that his fights to the death something other than what they appear to be: utterly real. The sets only further the illusion. And "sets" may be the wrong word. For all intents and purposes, the building at the center of The Raid's raid is as dilapidated and rundown a location as it appears; rust, mold, water stains, cracked cement, dank corridors, low lighting et al. This combination of space and characters give the film its power, even when dialogue gets a tad chewy, plotting chunky or twists and turns predictable. The Raid is still, after all, an action flick and could be accused of weaponizing one too many tropes. No matter. You'll come for the action, cheer for the action and remember the action. Everything else is just icing.

The Raid: Redemption 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Raid: Redemption is presented in 4K with an HVEC-encoded remastered transfer that features a completely new color grade created under director Gareth Evans's supervision. This new edition of the film comes courtesy of XYZ Films and Merantau Films. First things first, the new color grading is dramatic, representing a substantial shift in the tone and appearance of the image. Black levels are much, much deeper and shadow delineation is more punishing to background detail. However, the benefits far outweigh any complaint that could be levied against the presentation. Colors are far warmer, more robust and vibrant, with hotly saturated skin tones puncturing the darkness and lending cinematic flair to the image; an image that was obnoxiously brightened, horribly desaturated, and overly flat and two-dimensional in its previous Blu-ray release. Here the hallways stretch into the background convincingly, with foreground elements that pop and fine textures that are exacting and precise. Grain is also present and refined throughout, granting the photography a filmic aesthetic that's appreciated. Again, it's a dark shift into some even darker color grading. Very dark. But to my eye it's far more pleasing and much more in keeping with the tone and tenor of what's happening on screen. It's also important to note this is still a low budget film that no amount of remastering could transform into a polished modern actioner. There is some softness, crush and other issues inherent to the source. But none that appeared to me to be tied to the encoding efforts. This is by all measures The Raid Gareth Evans wants you to see.

Note: I made an attempt to capture screenshots that best represent the fullness of the upgrade and the resulting quality of the image. However, it should be noted that The Raid proved to be one of the most difficult films I've ever had to screenshot. The action is so fast, so fierce, that screenshots don't do the presentation justice. In motion, the film looks pretty incredible.

The Raid: Redemption 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are actually four Indonesian-language audio options included on the 4K disc: Dolby Atmos (with Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatibility) and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks that feature the film's original Indonesian music score, and Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks that feature Mike Shinoda (Linkin' Park) and Joe Trapanese's international music score. (English-language and Castilian Spanish dubs are also included, via two DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mixes.) The result? So long as you select an Indonesian-language track, you're sure to be delighted with the payoff. Dialogue is intelligible, crisp and nicely prioritized, even amidst all the chaos. LFE output is aggressive and sternum-pounding, adding a physical element to an aural experience. The rear speakers are assertive and engaging, crafting a fully immersive soundfield with directional accuracy and action-scene complexity. The Atmos mix is especially electrifying, granting the listener an even more rousing, enveloping beatdown that's every bit as convincing as you could hope for. This is how The Raid's original sound design was meant to be heard.

The Raid: Redemption 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of the 4K edition's supplemental content is found on the Blu-ray copy of the film (including the director's audio commentary). As mentioned above, the Blu-ray disc is the same outdated Sony disc that was released in 2012, complete with the previous color grading. It would have been nice to see a new commentary or featurette, detailing the process and choices behind the remaster, but so it goes. Below is Martin Liebman's overview of the special features you'll find in this 2-disc set:

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Gareth Evans serves up a detailed, intriguing track that covers his journey from Whales to Indonesian filmmaking, his cinematic influences, ideas for the film and budget limitations, this film's visual style, the picture's dark humor, filmmaking style and techniques, casting, sets and filming locales, the picture's music, crafting big action scenes on a budget, and much more. With optional English, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles.
• Behind the Scenes Video Blogs (1080p): Included is Bootcamp (7:23), a feature showcasing the actors physically preparing for their roles and learning to use firearms; Set Location, Camera & Lighting, Make Up & Visual Effects, Riot Van (7:05), a compilation piece examining all of the listed elements; Courtyard, Hole Drop (6:15), a short feature highlighting the construction of a specific style of set for the filming of two critical scenes; Drug Lab, Tama's Office (6:00), a deeper look into two of the film's sets; Machete Gang & Corridor, Jaka vs. Mad Dog (6:01), a look at fight choreography, style, and filming fight scenes; and Post Production (7:16), a fascinating but too-short examination of the process of putting together a finished product when shooting ends. In both English and Indonesian with English subtitles.
• An Evening with Gareth Evans, Mike Shinoda & Joe Trapanese (1080p, 40:40): The director and composers sit down with Moderator Hadrian Belove to field questions surrounding the film.
• Behind the Music with Mike Shinoda and Joe Trapanese (1080p, 11:05): The composers discuss their style and composing for The Raid: Redemption.
• Anatomy of a Scene with Gareth Evans (1080p, 2:15): The writer/director takes audiences in-depth into the "hole drop" scene and shares his vision for the film's style.
• In Conversation with Gareth Evans and Mike Shinoda (1080p): The filmmakers speak on a variety of topics. The supplement is broken into the following four segments: Hard Shoot (1:59), Score (3:33), Stunts (2:07), and Themes (3:51).
• Inside the Score (1080p, 1:23): A sample of the score set to scenes from the film and critic blurbs.
• Claycat's The Raid (1080p, 2:56): The movie remade with Claymation cats.
• THE RAID TV Show ad (circa 1994) (1080p, 0:44): A vintage-styled animated ad for the film.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:06)
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

The Raid: Redemption 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I love The Raid and its sequel. I particularly enjoyed the first film this go-round, with a newly minted presentation featuring new color grading and an image overhaul courtesy of director Gareth Evans himself. The upgrade is well worth the cost of admission, as this is The Raid in a whole new light (or darkness as it were). Some may not approve of the change but I found it to be an excellent update to an old favorite. Sony's 4K Blu-ray release is even better with an excellent video transfer and a wide array of audio options that deliver the goods. It also features all the bonus content of previous editions, although the extras are found on the set's standard Blu-ray disc, which is presented with the now wildly outdated original video transfer. All told, this is one of the first must-own 4K releases of 2024. Enjoy!