Tama Riyadi (Ray Sahetapy) is a legend in the underworld, a ruthless crime lord looked at like a god by pushers, gang members, and killers. For 10 years, his apartment building in Jakarta, Indonesia has been his safe house and a no-go zone for the police—either because he’s had the cops on his payroll, or because they’ve been too scared to enter. Lieutenant Wahyu (Pierre Gruno) is about to lead a team of nearly two dozen S.W.A.T. officers on a raid of the tenement, going floor-by-floor snatching known criminals while making their way up to the 15th floor where Tama runs his in-house narcotics lab. However, Tama has security cameras and scouts watching every floor, along with vicious right hand man Mad Dog (Yayan Ruhian), and the brains of his operation, Andi (Donny Alamsyah).
Helping to organize the raid is Sergeant Jaka (Joe Taslim, Warrior), but Lieutenant Wahyu is disappointed that he has enlisted the help of rookies like Rama (Iko Uwais, Expend4bles) to fill their numbers. As the S.W.A.T. team makes their way into the building, Tama is alerted, and he calls in snipers from a neighboring building, sends Mad Dog and other men to take on the officers, and uses the building’s intercom to mobilize the residents offering up free rent in exchange for bodies. The S.W.A.T. team soon finds themselves severely outnumbered, with swarms of killers and thugs coming at them with guns and machetes. With no way out, they must proceed with their mission, but as their ranks are depleted, and with no chance of backup coming, the situation seems hopeless. However, the Lieutenant and Tama have severely underestimated rookie Rama, a skilled martial artist who is able to single-handedly clear a room or corridor. Rama is determined to make it back home to his pregnant wife, and won’t let anything get in his way. He also has another ulterior motive for signing up for this mission.
The Raid: Redemption comes from Welsh writer/director Gareth Evans, who may seem like an odd choice for this kind of film, but any doubts are quickly dispelled as this feels like a genuine Asian action film. This is a bloody and often brutal film, with characters using guns, axes, knives and machetes to take down their enemies. Iko Uwais, who was also one of the film’s fight coordinators, does an excellent job. Whether he’s fighting with a knife, a baton, or just his hands and feet, he’s a force to be reckoned with. The choreography of the fights looks natural and is always exciting. Despite being in this one building, the filmmakers have found interesting and creative ways to take the action to different floors, rooms and environments, keeping things fresh and exciting. This is a very fast-paced and visceral film that never lets up. It really embraces and makes use of the confined spaces of this tenement to add to the tension, and the hand-held cameras put the viewer right in the middle of all of the fast-paced action. The filmmakers also mix things up with some creative shots—at one point Rama is disoriented, and the camera twists and spins along with him, making the viewer feel that same sense of confusion.
Sony had previously released The Raid: Redemption on Blu-ray back in 2012, but this new SteelBook release is the first time the film has gotten the 4K treatment. It had been a long time since I last watched this movie and so in my head I kept getting some of the finer details mixed up with Dredd—another film with a very similar premise that was released the same year—but both films have their own unique aesthetics. The 4K release features brand new Dolby Vision color-grading, giving it a very noticeable and remarkable upgrade over the previous Blu-ray release. The picture is much sharper, with a very nice level of detail in close-ups. Looking at the Blu-ray after watching this, that picture looks quite dull and washed out. Here, even the darker scenes look phenomenal and detailed. The only negative I had with the new 4K picture was with scenes involving flickering lights. In the old Blu-ray version, this flickering looked more natural, but on the 4K disc, it looks more like film dirt or pixelization every time the lights flashed—almost like you were watching a horror film and there was some ghosting in the image.
The release offers a variety of audio options, including both English and Indonesian tracks and options of original music or the score by Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda. I watched with the 4K disc’s new Indonesian Dolby Atmos track, and was quite impressed. The track provides clean dialogue, but also a fully immersive experience as the action kicks in—from the rain overhead as the S.W.A.T. van arrives at the building, to the spraying of bullets in every direction, to the sound of the intercom echoing through the building, to the sounds of chaos as the melee ensues, and the thud as every kick and punch lands. Along with this, there’s the heart-pumping thump of the score. The track also does a nice job of putting the viewer into the heads of the officers. At one point, one of the cops is injured, and the sound deafens and is replaced by a high-pitched squeal.
Sony’s 4K release features beautiful new SteelBook packaging, with a raised title and silhouette of Rama on the front. The 4K and Blu-ray discs reside on the right side of the case, while an insert provides instructions for redeeming a 4K Movies Anywhere digital copy of the unrated cut of film plus an HD version of the theatrical cut. There are no bonus features on the 4K disc, but the contents of the Blu-ray disc are identical to the previous 2012 release, and include all of the same legacy features.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:41:03)
- 2160p / Widescreen 1.78:1
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- Audio: Music by Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda: Indonesian/Bahasa Indonesia Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible), Indonesian/Bahasa Indonesia 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; Original Music: Indonesian/Bahasa Indonesia Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible), Indonesian/Bahasa Indonesia 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio: Original Music: Indonesian/Bahasa 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; Music by Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda: Indonesian/Bahasa 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish
- Digital copy, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu
(When redeemed at Movies Anywhere, it gives the Unrated Edition in 4K and the Theatrical cut in HD) - Commentary with Gareth Evans (1:41:04)
Writer/director Gareth Evans provides an interesting and informative commentary about working on the film. Subtitles offered in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. - Behind-the-Scenes Video Blogs (39:32)
A 6-part look at the making of the film with the cast/creators. They talk about fight preparation, training and choreography, the sets, cameras, make up and special effects, filming some of the big action sequences, the cast, editing the film, the score, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Gareth Evans, producer Ario Sagantoro, martial art choreographers Iko Uwais (“Rama”) & Yayan Ruhian (“Mad Dog”), art director Moti D. Setyanto, make up special effects Jerry Octavianus, and actors Joe Taslim (“Jaka”), Pierre Gruno (“Wahyu”), Donny Alamsyah (“Andi”) & Ray Sahetapy (“Tama”). Play All, or select from:- Bootcamp (7:23)
- Set Location, Camera & Lighting, Make Up & Visual Effects, Riot Van (7:05)
- Courtyard, Hole Drop (6:15)
- Drug Lab, Tama’s Office (6:00)
- Machete Gang & Corridor, Jaka vs. Mad Dog (6:01)
- Post Production (7:16)
- An Evening with Gareth Evans, Mike Shinoda and Joe Trapanese (40:40)
Following a screening of the film, writer/director Gareth Evans and composers Mike Shinoda & Joe Trapanese sit down with moderator Hadrian Belove to discuss the film and field audience questions. - Behind the Music with Mike Shinoda and Joe Trapanese (11:05)
Composers Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park) & Joe Trapanese and music supervisor Kier Lehman discuss and demonstrate creating the film’s score. - Anatomy of a Scene with Gareth Evans (2:15)
Writer/director Gareth Evans takes viewers through “the hole-drop scene”. - In Conversation with Gareth Evans and Mike Shinoda (11:30)
Collection of short interviews with writer/director Gareth Evans and composer Mike Shinoda, who discuss working on the film—from the most difficult scenes to shoot, the score, the stunts and more. Play All, or select from:- Hard Shoot (1:59)
- Score (3:33)
- Stunts (2:07)
- Themes (3:51)
- Inside the Score (1:23)
Short promotional musical montage featuring review quotes, and clips from the film and of the composers. - Claycat’s The Raid (2:56)
Animated claymation short version of the film. - The Raid TV show ad (circa 1994) (:44)
TV ad for anime version of the story. - Theatrical Trailer (2:06)
- Previews (11:40)
Trailers for Sony Blu-ray (2:27), Looper (1:48), Starship Troopers Invasion (1:17), Resident Evil Damnation (1:11), The Words (2:32) & Safety Not Guaranteed (2:25) play back-to-back.
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4K UHD:
Blu-ray:
Digital (Limited time offer):
Extras:
All bonus material can only be found on the Blu-ray disc, the contents of which are identical to the 2012 release
Final Thoughts:
The Raid: Redemption still holds up well a decade later, giving viewers an exciting 100 minutes of non-stop action. Unfortunately there is no new bonus material, but the release also includes a copy of the 2012 Blu-ray with all of its legacy features. Sony’s new 4K release provides a noticeable improvement over the previous Blu-ray, and comes in a new SteelBook case, which looks beautiful with its raised elements. This makes it an easy recommendation for fans of the film, even for those who are just looking to upgrade.
The Raid: Redemption SteelBook (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) [4K UHD]
47% Off $45.99 $24.29 (as of November 7, 2024 17:11 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
The Raid: Redemption
$3.99 (as of November 7, 2024 17:11 GMT -05:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
