Tag: Movies

The Baader-Meinhof Complex (originally Der Baader Meinhof Komplex) explores the growth and downfall of a radical leftist group in 60s / 70s Germany called the Red Army Faction (RAF) that engaged in terrorist acts as a form of political protest. It is named after its two main leaders, Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof. Unless you are German, it’s unlikely that you will be familiar with the events depicted in the film – based on real-life events – which makes the film an interesting lesson in modern history. In tone, it reminded me of Munich due to the similar subject matter – the attack on the Munich Olympics is acknowledged in this film too – except in this case the film focuses on the terrorists. The Baader-Meinhof Complex does a good job of explaining the motivations of the terrorists without glorifying them. Recommended watch for any history buff.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

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The Wave (originally Die Welle) is yet another German film that does not shy away, does not tread lightly. The setup for the film is an anti-establishment teacher in a high school who decides to offer a class on autocracy as a way of showing how fascism could have taken hold in Hitler’s Germany in a supposedly-democratic country, and things escalate quickly when the students let the power go to their head. While not quite as disturbing as the Stanford prison experiment (and films based on it), it is nevertheless considered a classic in Germany for depicting how national socialism can take root even in the modern-day world. The film just feels a tad contrived to be a rated as a “good” film.

Rating: 2.5 / 5

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The Mist – based on the novel of the same name – is perhaps the worst Stephen King film adaptation that I’ve watched. Not having read the novel, I’m not quite sure whether the fault lies in the source material or the adapted screenplay failing to capture the essence of it.

A freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.

The synopsis of the film sounds so C-grade movie that the only reason why I gave it a shot is because of the Stephen King pedigree. The monsters are silly, the suspense is lacking, and the special effects are bad without reaching hilarity-ensuing levels of Birdemic. The only saving grace is the crazy religious nut, who added an element of drama to the film.

Rating: 2 / 5

The Raid: Redemption (original title Serbuan Maut) is an Indonesian martial arts film from Welsh director Gareth Evans about a drug dealing stronghold of a building tower that is raided by a police SWAT team tasked with capturing or taking him out. The film’s cast would be practically unknown to a Western viewer, as many of them are newcomers even in the Indonesian film scene. Nevertheless, they do hold their own especially Iko Uwais in his role as the lead protagonist Rama, a member of the SWAT team; Tama Riyadi, the ruthless drug kingpin; and Donny Alamsyah as Andi, a hitman who prefers bare hands as a method of dispatching his victims.

The action is visceral as the fight scenes are based on a traditional Indonesian martial art called pencak silat that incorporates many types of weapons in mêlée combat such as a wide variety of knives, swords, and sticks in addition to limbs. Setting it within the confines of a building also adds a measure of claustrophobia which make the action scenes that much more palpably exciting.

Viewers of the English-subtitled foreign market release have an additional treat for them in form of the soundtrack in this version, which was scored by Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda. In typical Shinoda style, the brooding soundtrack with its techno beats is an adrenaline-pumping accompaniment to the action on-screen. (It’s no secret that I’m a massive Mike Shinoda fan. My favourite out of The Raid‘s OST is a track called RAZORS.OUT.)

There isn’t much character development to write home about, but Gareth Evans does succeed in making a brutally bloodthirsty action flick that stays real without the viewer feeling like they are watching video game footage.

Rating: 4 / 5