Even though this is a blog about screenwriting and the value of well-crafted scripts that tell well-constructed stories, occasionally we come across something that is the complete antithesis of all of that, and yet is still entertaining and fun. It proves that in the hands of a good director and a good editor, a film that is basically a bunch of fights and stunts with very little story, can still do the job. It’s obviously better when the story is good, but not every film needs it.

And with that, I present to you “The Raid: Redemption”.

This is an Indonesian film that was shot in Jakarta by a Welsh writer/director/editor. It follows a rookie cop who, with his squad, raids a hotel run by a brutal crime boss and his syndicate. The squad manages to get up to the eighth floor before they’re discovered, and they need to fight their way out before they’re all killed.

I will tell you right now that this is one of the most violent films I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of violent films. The fact that it’s so well shot and edited allows you to actually see every punch, stab and bone-break that happens. Then, with some clever directing, the main character finds himself walking through a hallway where a previous fight took place, and wounded and dying men are still moaning in agony. One of my favorite shots in the movie shows a head get slammed into a wall, pan down a foot and the head gets slammed into the wall again before another pan down another foot and a third head slam into the wall with the camera stopping each time the poor bastard’s head hits the wall. It’s bloody fun.

There are also very intense and graphic moments of violence that start early on. The filmmakers set up right away how ruthless the crime boss is when he executes five men, four of whom get bullets to the back of the head. When he runs out of bullets before he can shoot the fifth man, he rests the gun on the man’s shoulder and walks to his desk. He opens a drawer where the bullets are, but chooses a hammer instead. You never know what these men did to bring this on themselves, but you know right away that this is a ruthless man and anyone going up against him will put himself in a very dangerous situation.

All of this isn’t to say that there is no good story or character work in this film. The director did a good job of introducing the main character in the very beginning, and roughly half way through the film, the story is given a little more depth. It’s not a lot, but it at least keeps it somewhat interesting after the barrage of violence you’ve spent the past hour or so enduring.

It is that barrage of violence, however, that makes this roller coaster ride of a film so exciting and entertaining. As I mentioned above, the fights are shot and edited well, but it is the choreography of the fighting that makes it so entertaining. These actors and stuntmen are masters of their craft, and it is entertaining to watch any master do what they do and do it well.

The martial arts in this film are amazing.

In a way, it’s like watching a sadistic ballet or Cirque du Soleil type of performance. The timing and precision that goes into this type of entertainment is done so well that you can’t help but marvel at the talent that it must take for such a performance. I saw the film last weekend at the Arc Light in Pasadena with two friends and there were probably 10 other people in the audience. What was noticeable to me was that after a while, everyone was having the same reactions to the horrific violence we were seeing. For the most part, we were all laughing. There were moments where everyone squirmed in their seats because something truly gut wrenching happened, but the rest of the martial arts were really like watching a group of dancers perform and the violence was so over the top that you couldn’t help but laugh at it in order to keep from being wildly disgusted. But I have the feeling that we were laughing with the filmmakers rather than laughing at them.

So put away your movie snobbery for a couple hours. Remember that not every movie needs to have the perfect script, but rather it should have a script that is a perfect fit. Not all movies need to be about the story, but they had better have enough of something else to make the movie work. What “The Raid: Redemption” has is a bloodbath of epic proportions that could make the hardest man squirm in his seat.

Check out the trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0hSL3a_kaw