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Monday, June 2, 2014

DVD Review: Raze


She might not be a household name just yet but Zoe Bell is destined to be the next bad ass female action star and Raze is a prime example of her awesomeness.

The story revolves around women abducted and forced to fight to the death tournament for the enjoyment of an elite group of people or their loved ones will be killed. It's a no holds barred assault as we see the lengths a woman will go to protect what she loves, whether it's herself or a child or a mother or whatever else they hold dear.  

It's a bad ass film to be sure. It's full of heavy hits, brutal and intense fights that are not for the faint of heart. On the surface it's women beating the ever loving hell out of each other, beating each other to death to be honest. But underneath that, there's more and the performances of the cast do so much to bring that subtext to life. 

These are women in an insane situation and between fights they care for each other, they get to know each other and that makes what is to come all the more difficult. They know what they are going to have to do yet, for most of the characters anyway, they still attempt to connect with cell mates or whatever interaction they have that doesn't result in a brutal battle.

There is an underlying humanity to the story and at times you aren't sure who you are rooting for amongst the women. We're connected most to Zoe Bell's character and she is the protagonist but when events happen involving the others, you definitely feel for them. It's a fascinating paradox of brutality and humanity and of the idea of what one, whether you are female or male, will do in that type of situation.

Diretor Josh C. Waller has done a great job with this film.  We of get time with each character and they're featured enough that we start to care about their fates. Everyone matter to the viewer. No one feels disposable. His eye for the action is just as strong as his eye for the quieter moments and the tense suspenseful ones. He is one to watch.

It all leads up to an ending I won't spoil but it is definitely one that will have you talking and one with a wide variety of opinions.

The DVD is packed with features including interviews, commentaries, featurettes, extended and deleted scenes, and more. I'm unsure why they didn't do a blu-ray for this but the DVD does look great none the less and believe me you are feeling every hit and punch thrown on this one.

Raze is an intense, action packed, brutal film that is definitely not for everyone and those that watch it probably will all have different reasons for doing so. It is a very well done film and it is thought provoking. You'll get great fight scenes, and a couple silly villains but you'll also get a stunning performance from Zoe Bell, one that should open a lot of doors for her in Hollywood, I hope so anyway. 

Raze is available on DVD now.

9/10 Uppercuts

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