The movie: Martial arts action movies are thin on plot at the best of times - and for good reason: a bit like porn flicks, the story tends to get in the way of what it is audiences have come to see, which, in the case of a movie dedicated to fisticuffs, is plenty of action. The Raid: Redemption's plot, about a SWAT team sent to infiltrate an apartment block and take out the gangster at the top, could be written on a napkin, which is precisely why it's such an effective action movie from start to finish. What makes it a potential cult classic: Ultra low budget and shot with a cast of unknowns by Welsh(!) director Gareth Evans, The Raid: Redemption feels like it belongs to martial arts movies of yesteryear, when health and safety regulations took second place to intricately choreographed, lengthy fight sequences. Few films since the heyday of Hong Kong kung fu movies have delivered quite so much gleeful fun for your money - its cult status may well already be well and truly secure.
