This is a very simple review to write. If you are an action fan, you have to see The Raid. I wish I saw this in theaters, for some reason I slept on it and decided to wait for it to hit home screens. Writer and Director Gareth Evans has some serious talent.

Set in Jakarta, there is an apartment complex that is run by a crimelord that no one has been able to touch for years. It’s considered off limits to authorities, until an elite squad of officers are assembled to go in and bring out the crimelord. He’s believed to be on the 30th floor, the very top of the building. The team makes it to the sixth.

This movie is just packed with some of the best fight choreography seen in years. Guns, an alarming amount of knives, fist and feet aplenty go flying for an hour and a half. It’s hard to describe the amount and quality of athletic prowess on display. The direction is expertly thought out and serves up clear widescreen carnage that very few American directors even dare to think about. Really heroic stuff matched musically by Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park).

A must watch, The Raid has it all. Solid actors with a simple and effective plot and a story that keeps you engaged through every tight and explosive action scene. People will be passing this around for years as an example of the best of the genre. If this is just the beginning, the sequel is going to redefine the game.