Watched: The Raid: Redemption (2011).
See that slightly-blurry still? There’s a reason for that - The Raid: Redemption is a furiously kinetic film, and finding a frame where fists aren’t mid-punch is difficult. The plot is simple enough: a tower block run by a crime lord is targeted by a police force who rapidly learn that they got more than they bargained for, and one officer emerges as the only one who stands a chance of getting out alive. There are some other subplots here, including the crime lord’s right-hand man having a connection to the officer in question, but that’s largely beside the point - there’s just enough exposition to give the action scenes an emotional heft, but this film is all about action from start to finish.
The fight scenes, of which there are many, are brilliantly choreographed, balletic yet brutal, and performed often in wide-angle by the actors themselves. There’s a reality to the scenes that you rarely see in Western movies (directed by a Welshman, this was filmed in Indonesia and has an entirely-Indonesian cast), and it had me glued to the screen and gripping the sofa cushions until my knuckles turned white. That’s the thing that elevates this film to the level of brilliance it occupies. A film with lesser character to its action that kept the same thin plot would feel somewhat lacking; as it is, you’re almost grateful that the plot stays out of the way when you need it to.