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24th June 2014, 02:32 PM
#251
Junior Member
Newbie Hubber
Raid 2 : Berandal [2014 : Indonesian : 2h30m : Crime (Martial Arts, Gangster)]
(‘Brendal’ translates to 'Thug', film maker Gareth Evans clarifies)
Written, Edited, Stunt Choreography & Directed by Gareth Evans
Stunt Choreographed and executed by Iko Uwais
Music by Fajar Yuskemal, Aria Prayogi, Joseph Trapanese
Cinematography Matt Flannery & Dimas Imam Subhono
From Left to right (standing) :
Yayan Ruhian as Koso : Hitman. ( He was the 'impossible-to-kill' short guy who is fed with tube lights in Raid : Redemption, where Rama and his brother try to put him on floor with too much difficulty)
Cok Simbara as Bunawar : The Chief of Anti-Corruption Squad
Oka Antara as Eka : Right-hand man to Bangun (the local Crime Lord)
Kazuki Kitamura as Ryuichi : Adviser to Goto (the Japanese Crime Lord)
Iko Uwais as - Rama real name / Yada undercover name : The KickA§§
Arifin Putra as Uco : Successor / Son of Bangun
Alex Abbad as Bejo : Villathi Villan
Ryűhei Matsuda as Keiichi : Successor / Son of Goto
Cecep Arif Rahman as The Smiling Assassin : Team Bejo - Karambit-a-karan (Karambits is an Indonesian traditional dagger-like weapon, which is like a Kokki)
Julie Estelle as Alicia : Team Bejo - Hammer Girl
Very Tri Yulisman as Nameless : Team Bejo - Baseball Bat Man
Sitting Left - Tio Pakusodewo as Bangun, the local Crime Lord
Sitting Right - Kenichi Endo as Goto, the Japanese Crime Lord
Weapons : Kitchen knife/chopper/furniture/stove plate-hot indeed, Car, Long flat blade, Surgical Scalpel Blade, Sharp tiny metal objects, glass pieces, bottles, chairs/table, door, Glass door, walls, battens, rock, flush toilet, mineral water cans, metal racks, karambits, Hammer, Base-ball bat, Revolver, Shot-gun, Rapid-Fire firearms along with 2 hands & legs and anything else from my 'missed-list'.
Martial Art style : Pencak Silat (Indonesian)
Other Stunts involve : Gunfights, car chases, brawl, riot, rumble, melee
Rated more than R : Not for people who faint just by hearing the bones smashing noise, they show how its done ! And to be very clear - shotgun meets the face.
Last edited by mappi; 24th June 2014 at 02:46 PM.
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24th June 2014 02:32 PM
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24th June 2014, 02:33 PM
#252
Junior Member
Newbie Hubber
Soon after the Tower episode, Officer Bunawar corners Rama to take up another assignment to finish off the loose ends once and for all. Scared of putting his family (supported by his wife and a boy child), Rama goes under cover to flush out the corrupted list while taking sides between 2 warring gang lords. Admits of his task on hand, he has to seek revenge too, upon an unknown who goes by the name Bejo, the motive revealed in the opening scene of the movie. To track Bejo, Rama befriends Uco, the son of the local gang lord Bangun. The time when he finds out the den of Bejo, Uco's thrist for hierarchical succession puts not only Rama's plan but his under-cover life in danger, when Uco decides to team up with Bejo and take the city for himself by settling the score with the Japanese Warlord Goto. When things turn out nasty, Rama goes in all by himself to put an end to the clash not only because his identity cannot be reversed but also to save his family by sacrificing his own life in the attempt to pull the tongue of the dragon.
Raid 2 is surprisingly and completely different from Raid : Redemption. The predecessor just had a line : "Hey Rama, go into this tower and don't die", then its all about a MAN vs MEN. Raid 2 takes a look at emotional level including tense decision makings engulfed with a gangster backdrop. There are solid characters and some grains of performance too. So it becomes a treat for both the genre movie lovers : where the story is fluid with some twisty things happening in the corrupted world mixed with some extraordinary stunts, that tries to beat the former and largely succeeds, packetted in a Gangster film.
Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Julie Estelle, Very Tri Yulisman, Cecep Arif Rahman, along with all the flying side kicks steal the entire show. They all have individual fight scenes and meet up with Ika Uwais (exclusing Koso) for a wonderful Boss fights. The long Kitchen action block with 'Kokki Kumar' was an eye popper. At a point of time, they find themselves fallen beside a kitchen furniture, and its there they fight it out without moving away for a lengthy while. Simply Amazing. The music is top notch, mounts you very high during action sequences and silences itself during tense moments so that you are not distracted. It becomes a part of the choreography. An extremely well thought and filmed work, where you start to wonder where was this guy holding the camera during the action blocks. Editing puts a tight grip over the sequences. An ultimate unison of "men at work".
The first fight begins in a closed toilet, admits the flash backs, where the very first victim meets the flush toilet. Next one is sent flying to the adjacent rest room, while another is found caught right between his legs over the toilet door. Brilliant.
Following is a riot in the prison, where a hulk gets his legs twisted while another guy gets stabbed 25 times in 1 second. People willingly take the battens, while the clash ends with a rock in the face. All this happening in a marshy mud floor.
Koso's solo in the restaurant reminds us of Jackie Chan's rumbles, only here there is no mercy. Koso just does a ton of things to keep himself from dying, he even tries to rub a man's face into the wall. That did give him a temporary gap from death.
Rama is put inside a Car and taken away. One mistake - they did not tie him up. The car becomes the boxing ring where 4 remaining guys sharing the space with him are taken for a tour around the interior of the car. Parallelly there is a chase happening, where Eka confronts with a "window-seeing-dude-with-a-shotgun" all while driving with a wounded leg. He just does not mind to spray some bullets here and there while succeeding in pushing a motorist under his car. Rama ends this awesome action block with a daring 'Arambam-Ajith-Jump'.
Rama does not need a weapon, anything he owns is a weapon. He pulls the car into a garage taking a man on the way, then he reverses it taking down another. He jumps off and takes a dozen of side kicks. The last one, before he climbs up, gets exactly the beating that he practices in the prison. A must watch and to be noted. And yeah, for records, during Rama's free time he draws a human shape on the wall (similar to the one in the poster) and caresses it with his knuckles.
Once inside the building he faces the 3 prime menaces of Bejo. He takes the first 2 at the same time in the corridor and then parties with the 3rd one in the kitchen. Decision of the day - Kill the bosses with the weapons they carry. Simple, and that’s what complicates things for Rama. So who are these 3 mini-bosses - Hammer Girl is the one who nails people in the train, Baseball Bat Man practices his swings on humans & 'Kokki Kumar' actually has 4 hands, the Karambit pair is used more than his normal fists, and he has a smiling face that does not bring down the menace, no, not even a millimetre. The 2h+ practice sessions for Rama, is put under some real test with these three awesome villains.
[Hammer Girl (take a look at the poster posted by LM), Hammer Girl for Evans is what Gogo is for Quentin Tarantino. Deadly]
In-between all the above, the gangster story of greed & deception slides in then and there, making it an engaging film. Its just everything multiplied by two.
Raid 2 : Berandal -
Last edited by mappi; 24th June 2014 at 02:43 PM.
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2nd November 2014, 07:22 PM
#253
Junior Member
Newbie Hubber
The Viral Factor (Chinese)
If you have a solid 2 hours to spend over a solid 'action' film, this movie is what you should be watching.
Rest of the infos are on the DVD cover below.
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2nd November 2014, 10:23 PM
#254
Junior Member
Newbie Hubber
That Demon Within (Chinese)
Another film from Dante Lam.
Admist shootout action, 'That Demon Within' follows a dark twisty psycological tale, spun together with mystry, horror, crime & suspense.
Last edited by mappi; 2nd November 2014 at 10:27 PM.
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3rd November 2014, 03:11 AM
#255
Junior Member
Newbie Hubber
The Great Hypnotist (Chinese)
An amazing film. For those who have watched several such films, the ACT 3 would be interesting. For the rest, the whole film, esp. ACT 2 will be quite convincing and creepy.
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22nd April 2015, 04:58 PM
#256
Junior Member
Newbie Hubber
Dragon Blade [2015 : Epic (Historical, War, Drama) : Mandarin / English : 2h10m]
Country : China
Written & Directed by Daniel Lee (Black Mask, 14 Blades)
Stunts : Jackie Chan
Starring : Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody & others
When the Eagles meet the Dragons
Jackie Chan does not stop to suprise me. In his latest film Dragon Blades, he participates in registering a huge 'historical posibility' by playing the lead role and also taking care of what he is best at, the stunts. Joining him are John Cusack and Adrien Brody who give some excellent performences, and also other chinese artists who carry forward the film through their supportive roles. Jakie Chan still gaurds his gimmicks while performing close combats and takes the physical strains of rolling, getting up or allowing heavy objects fall on him, etc. He does not stop to mesmerise the kids. He is often amoung children either playing with them or saving them in this film too. As usual the violence is at a greater check as in any other Jackie Chan movies. For an Epic War film like this truck load of red liquid is imported. In Dragon Blade you get see not more that 50Cl of blood or stabbing or cut-throats. No over-the-top special effects were used which is indeed quite pleasing. The sets were huge and the film is quite crowded giving it an natural ambience.
Dragon Blade is about the collaboration of Romans & the Chinese (various clans) and then, how they shoulder together to destory the coming evil by proving that War is not the answer but peace and healthy relationship is what thats going to take humanity to places. A great tale told quite emotionaly with needed humour, action & thrills sprinkled everywhere. The Archer Fight sequence gets a special mention, as it is more exciting than a gun shoot-out. The ACT3 is the best part and the tension it mounts is fabulous. The Climax is a 'suprise-shocker'.
Drangon Blade : 'Turn foes into friends'
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19th May 2015, 03:33 PM
#257
Junior Member
Newbie Hubber
Double Dhamaka - South Korean Films - Cirme-Thrillers
Cold Eyes (Gamsijadeul) [2013 : Korean : Crime (Action, Thriller) : 2hrs]
Remake of 2007 Chinese movie Eye in the Sky.
The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.
- Oscar Wilde
After a smooth & flawless bank robbery, a survilence team starts to investigate the crime scene, notably with the help of Cold Eyes, the street cameras. This team has limitations such as they are to report and not take any action. Begins the hunt of the unknown - the master-mind, who is hidden amoung the crowd.
The movie is about detailing, as its naration too. The premises is quite intriguing, and the flow is fluid. The film takes just the 15 first minutes to introduce its principle characters, which also holds the heist. The rest of the film is gripping.
Cold Eyes - Power of Sight
Montage ( Mong-ta-ju) [2013 : Korean : Crime (Mystery, Thriller) : 2hrs]
"The door will always, always be open, and mother will always be waiting at it for me.”
- Maimie Mannering in 'Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens' by Sir James Matthew Barrie
Detectives are running against time to bring back safe the kidnapped child, as well as get the kidnapper. Detective Ho comes in terms with reality, as a kidnap case he had been investigating for the past 15 years comes to its end of terms, declared unsolved. When his assosiate contacts him over the new kidnap case, Ho finds the similarities and is sure its this kidnapper he has been chasing past 15 years. Kidnapper is back in town, so is Detetive Ho.
I wish not talk about the screenplay and take away the charm, you will come face to face with it. Twist, but don't Turn, you will miss another Twist. Experience the 2 hours filled with suspense, including the sentiments of all those involved. The post climax is a tearjerker.
Montage - Medley of Mystery
Last edited by mappi; 19th May 2015 at 03:46 PM.
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12th August 2015, 01:32 PM
#258
Junior Member
Newbie Hubber
Hard Day [2014 : Korean : 1h50m : Crime (Thriller, Buddy Cop, Satire)]
Country : South Korea
Written & directed by Kim Seong-hun
Starring Lee Sun-kyun (Helpless) & Cho Jin-woong (Perfect Number)
Humoristic, thrilling & dark, the mix in Hard Day-the film, is just too good. It has a lot of suituations which are funny at the same time ticking like a timer-bomb. An usual recomendation - if you wish to get the best out of the film, don't look for any reviews. Just into the 3rd minute, the film should take you inside, if you are a fan of Korean Crime Cinema.
The story line is simple, a simple hit & run case. But how the circumstances cripple the hero Gun-su is fun to watch at the same time interesting. The climax was just wonderful and I think the 2 actors have given one of their best. Music gladly sets into the film, and the Camera works were cool, esp. during road & lane pursues. Kim Seong-hun has narrated his story quite efficiently with minor twists thrown here and there & the social take is appealing.
Hard Day - 'Oh What a Day! What A Lovely Day!'*
* From MadMax
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8th September 2015, 08:21 PM
#259
Junior Member
Newbie Hubber
Man of Vendetta [2010 : Korean : 1h50 : Crime (Thriller, Suspense, Drama)]
Country : South Korea
Written & Directed by Woo Min-ho
Rated R - not much of blood & gore but some scenes could shock viewers
Joo is a pastor who preaches to forgive the enemy. When his daughter is abducted, he finds ways to liberate her but fails. Loosing faith, he finds alternate ways to forget the disappearance episode until the kidnapper calls him after 8 years claiming that his daughter is still alive. Time to show the man who devastated his life that he is no more a pastor who preaches to forgive the enemy.
I liked the atmosphere of the movie - gloomy. A well shot film with good performences from the main characters. The BGM was intriguing esp. the piece that covers the climax.
Man of Vendetta - Butterfly Chase
Last edited by mappi; 8th September 2015 at 08:37 PM.
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19th January 2016, 07:41 PM
#260
Senior Member
Platinum Hubber
Maapii, havent seen any asian films recently?
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