THE RAID 2
A full throttle thrill ride from start to finish that contains some of the most impressive fight choreography since the Ip Man films. It truly is a brutal (but brilliant) film that had me feeling exhausted when I came out of the cinema.
Gareth Evans (The writer and Director of both Raid films) has tried to provide a more complex and mature storyline this time round with an almost Internal Affairs-esque feel to the plot. However, as much as he does accomplish this, its the fight sequences most people have come to see and each of these epic set pieces are outstanding. It was brilliant to hear the whole audience gasp, "ooo" and "awww" during the spectacular stand offs. More than anything, I was just blown away by the creativity behind some of the violence and was truly in awe of all the actors on screen.
However, despite the grand scale of some of the more lavish scenes featuring numerous bodies (such as the jail yard brawl and the outstanding car chase battle sequence), it's the good old fashioned stand off between the films hero, Rama and the character known only as, The Assassin, that really stands out as being simply sublime. Purists of the martial arts genre will love seeing these two incredibly skilled fighters go at it, mano e mano, for what must the greatest square go in the history of mankind. Breath taking stuff.
Most people find it quite strange that these films have come from the mind of a Welshman. However, if you've ever been in Cardiff or Swansea on a Saturday night, you'll know just where his inspiration for violence came from :P
Not for the faint hearted
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
Considering this character has been my least favourite of the marvel films so far, I didn't go in to this with high expectations. However, I ended up finding it so enjoyable I started using the lid of my bin as my very on Captain american shield when I got home.
I thought it was a great storyline, not just for the character but for the whole Marvel universe. The film was as much about S.H.I.E.LD as it was the good captain and it'll be interesting to see what happens next and how they tie it into the next marvel film. The actual Winter Soldier was suitably bad ass and the introduction of Anthony Mackie as Falcon provided some much needed touches of humour from time to time.
HEADS UP: There is mid-credit AND post credit scenes after the film. although the end credit one is hardly worth staying for.
8/10
NOAH
I don't really want to waste much time reviewing this film as it is easily one of the worst films I have ever seen. The only reason I would recommend people to watch it, is so they can see just how bad it is.
Rock Angels!? Anesthetized animals!?
Atrocious.
2/10
