Nikita is former Russian Spetsnaz operative soldier whose father is killed by famous criminal The Ghost when Nikita was small boy. Now, a shady businessman hires Nikita and a crew of tough fighters to neutralize large security detachment in a liquor factory so he could extort it from the shareholders. What they don’t realize is that real owners of the factory are Ghost and his men and he sends his private army to dispose of intruders. Now, this is the story of Russian action movie that copies the more popular and similar in story ‘The Raid’, a phenomenal action movie from Indonesia. But, it copies it just in idea, realization is much worse. Action scenes are poor and stupid first half of the movie when Nikita and his crew fight security detachment by beating them and tying them down. When Ghost and his criminals join the fight, it starts for real and it turns into one man against many, cat and mouse fight and shootout throughout the factory and its tight corridors until the final fight between Nikita and Ghost, one of the most dangerous men in Russia with connections deep within the military. This movie suffers from same syndrome that most of the newer Russian movies suffer. It starts good, goes and runs good and then gets lost somewhere along the way and its ending is poorly executed. ‘Russian Raid’ is not the only Russian movie that suffers from that syndrome quite the contrary.
Acting: 6/10 axes – there are mostly stereotyped characters, again typical for newer Russian cinematography. But acting is stretching from stereotypical almost plastic characters and acting to main character Nikita, who is larger than life, along with main villain Ghost, thus reminding me of John Woo and his Hong Kong contemporaries.
Conclusion: 7/10 axes – this is a decent action packed movie, good for one time evening watching and not something you will keep in mind forever. Shootout scenes are tense and worth watching, along with some of the fighting scenes too. Not food for brains, but action relaxation movie.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 