crom-dubh

I'm a big fan of both Raid films so I was interested to see a film in that style starring Tom Hardy. Unfortunately the results are nowhere near as good.

The writing in this movie is really bad. The dialog is ridiculous and full of clichés. The actual plot of the movie is so stupid if you actually stop to think about it: Hardy's character has to find and protect two people who are now wanted by a foreign mob because... they were in the same building where a bunch of their people were killed. They have zero reason to believe that they were the ones who even did it, but here they're 100% sure.

The look of the movie is rather bad. It's trying to be super gritty like a Batman movie but everything looks so fake. Even basic shots of cars driving on a road look like CGI (probably because they are). Most of the action is done with horrible shaky cam so good luck even being able to tell what's happening half the time. Everyone basically has infinite bullets so it's just people getting splattered all over the place repeatedly. There's even a scene in a hospital where a guy unloads on a woman over and over again with a pistol that apparently behaves like an Uzi. I don't think the director knows how guns work.

In spite of it all, there are some entertaining action scenes with some gnarly kills that will evoke The Raid. I'm being pretty generous with my 6/10 rating because for all the movie's many flaws, I was at least not bored. But this is not a great movie - this is *not* on the same level as Evans best, and Hardy is pretty wasted here.

I have no idea how this is rated so low on here, nor can I rationally explain the poor reviews. Did we even watch the same film? For my money this is better than even the first film in the series. The acting, direction, fight choreography are all so much better than anything else in the franchise so far.

The only way I can think to explain why people hate this so much is that Van Damme doesn't really play a major role in the film until the final act. I personally like this decision. His character is set up to be struggling with who he is, what he was made to be, and then eventually he's unleashed. The heightened anticipation this creates is really well done, and even with somewhat limited screen time Van Damme proves that he's capable of being a good dramatic actor in addition to a great action star.

I really appreciate the direction that John Hyams has taken the series, with it's darker tone and more brutal combat. The stories and darker themes are a breath of fresh air. I wish more people seemed to "get it", but I guess this and the sequel, Day of Reckoning, will remain under-appreciated gems of the action genre.

It's hard to believe this is now 13 years old. I would have thought that it would enjoy a stronger cult status at this point, but its current 6.1 rating here is such a sorry underappraisal of this film.

The common criticism I see is that it's too excessive, too much like a Troma film. It's hard to argue the first point, at least it's full of over-the-top violence. Whether it's excessive or not is subjective, and of course I disagree. The world portrayed here is an ugly one, but it's also obvious that they were trying to walk that line of violence that's so over-the-top it becomes simultaneously horrific and funny, and in that I think they succeeded.

I definitely disagree that this is in the same league as most Troma films though. That is to say, it's not a fair comparison because this is far better. Despite the fact that superficially it resembles the kind of schlock that Troma has become famous for, this is actually a very really well-crafted film. If you actually pay attention, the calibre of filmmaking here is on another level. It's honestly a little disappointing to me that more people seem to have missed that, and can seriously lump this in with your average exploitation film in terms of quality.

Not only are the direction and writing really great here, but Hauer gives what I'll unironically call one of the best of his career. In fact, credit should go to all of the cast for doing an outstanding job. Gregory Smith and Nick Bateman deserve props for their memorable portrayal of the sadistic duo Slick and Ivan. The music is fantastic, at times reminiscent of Ennio Morricone and at times evoking more of a John Carpenter vibe. There is never a dull moment here - the film comes out of the gate strong and doesn't let up until the end.

If you are into wild rides, this movie will have you doing a "chef's kiss." It's funny, hilariously violent, and even at times poignant. I can honestly say I haven't seen anything quite like it before or since.