Roger Ebert sure did hate this one. He didn't like how there was no character development or storyline. I do get that this is bad, but I do think the effects were seamless and the action was some of the best choreographed that I've ever seen.
Like I said, no character development. The main character believes in god, and has a fat wife (fat with child). That's about it. Oh yeah, and he had a brother, but that's a spoiler. He's part of a swat team, and they all try to take over a building, at the top of which lives the head of a gang. All the residents attack them, and, uh, yeah. Fighty fighting ensues.
Said fighty fighting really is excellently done though. The unending barrage of gore and violence kind of depresses you, an experience I've rarely had. 'Thirst' springs to mind, though. The hand to hand fights were especially well done, and the use of sound, camera shake, and sweeping shots throughout were effective.
This movie obviously borrows for endless others, but it is suspiciously similar to the 2012 'Judge Dredd' remake: 'Dredd' which came out less than 12 months after it. I mean, it's effectively the same movie, just set in the present. To be honest, that earns it points from me. I do like an underdog, especially an underdog that's being screwed over by Hollywood without anyone noticing.
The Raid: Redemption: 39.5