Comfort Films 93: The Raid: Redemption (2011)

In this last episode of our martial arts film month, we welcome guest Frank Bonanno as we shift our focus from Hong Kong to Indonesia with Gareth Evans's bone-crunching film The Raid: Redemption. We discuss the many types of martial arts featured in the film - most notably, pencak silat, an indigenous class of martial arts from Indonesia, the speed, style, and innovation of the cinematography, the mixing of survival horror video game and slasher horror conventions that make this a unique action film, the many fast action/fighting films that The Raid: Redemption paved the way for (including John Wick), the boundless creativity of low-budget film, how a movie this brutal could still be a comfort film, and the absolutely insane stunt work that makes this film a modern masterpiece. Slap on your body armor and storm this building with us!