Parents' Guide to

The Raid: Redemption

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Indonesian fight/chase movie is well made but ultra-violent.

Movie R 2012 101 minutes
The Raid: Redemption Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 10 parent reviews

Review_Teen
Review_Teen Adult
January 8, 2022
age 13+

Fun violent movie

I watched this movie with my mother yesterday. My mother is rather sensitive to gory things so she didn't really like the movie. I in fact do like gory movies and that brings me to my point... The Raid is a very violent and bloody movie. Machetes are used, axes, knifes, guns, you name it. It's a bloodbath movie but isn't anymore then something like Rambo.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much swearing
Bobby G.
Bobby G. Parent of 9-year-old
February 1, 2020
age 15+

Incredible action film

Brutal fistfights, shootouts, with splattering blood. Not as violent as its sequel but still very bloody and brutal. Frequent language. Very well done and extremely entertaining.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Rookie cop Rama (Iko Uwais) prepares for a day on the job as a member of a special-forces team: Their mission is to infiltrate a 15-story industrial apartment building and extract a sinister crime lord (Ray Sahetaphy). But when the team is spotted and the alarm is sounded, every resident of the building -- a collection of thieves and killers -- tries to destroy them. Rama finds himself alone, with only his martial arts skills to protect him. Things get even more complicated when he tries to save a wounded colleague, and -- even more shocking -- when he discovers the identity of the crime lord's right-hand man. It all comes down to a brutal, winner-take-all fight with the aptly-named Mad Dog (Yayan Ruhian).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10):
Kids say (11):

"Clever" may not be the right word for The Raid: Redemption, but it's certainly economical, compact, and potent. Writer/director Gareth Evans -- who was born in Wales and makes movies in Indonesia -- has come up with a good idea for a single-setting story, taking place over the course of one day, allowing for more focus on fighting.

The concept of the floors growing ever more dangerous as they get higher, with escape only on the bottom floor, is intriguing (and video game-like), and Evans brilliantly uses the look and feel of the dirty concrete and graffiti to emphasize menace. He often gets the camera close to the action, which sometimes has a visceral effect, but sometimes it's a little too close; there's some off-kilter shakiness and some routine filmmaking "tricks" that can distract from the experience. Ultimately, the movie is too purposefully violent for kids, and the "redemption" of the title never really comes into play (no one is redeemed).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Raid's intense violence. How necessary is it to the story? How does the impact of the violence in a movie like this one compare to what you might see in a horror movie?

  • Is Rama a role model? Does he believe in people's inherent goodness, even though he's surrounded by corruption? Can he be a positive role model if he hurts and/or kills so many during his ordeal?

  • Is The Raid a good demonstration of martial arts? Is it used for self-defense or for unleashing violence?

  • How does the movie's setting -- an industrial, graffiti-covered apartment building -- add to or detract from the story?

Movie Details

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