My quick rating - 6,0/10. A different look on the women behind bars story. These women are held captive and forced to fight to the death in an underground "dungeon"? That is what it looked like. Very brutal and quite depressing movie showing the violent side of the fighting coupled with the bonds this women create before they must face the inevitable if they win. They will have to fight each other. Pretty decent acting for the very limited budget. Didn't know who Zoe Bell was before (the main character) but she did a good job. Also to note, a very good ending that may or may not leave the door open for a sequel. Fighting scenes are not for the squemmish but beyond that, nice diamond in the unheard of rough.
65 Reviews
Could have been great.
vee-vee2 August 2013
When I read the synopsis in the Fantasia Film Festival program, I was intrigued. Even though the premise was about abducted women, it did not seem like your typical movie about helpless women tortured under the hand of men. It also did not seem like a cliché women on women violence type of movie. It also used words like "empowered" and "different".
And so I went in expecting just that. Something different. I especially went in expecting this movie to make some kind of statement about the way this society views women in general. I actually thought that the organization that abducts the women was a metaphor for the patriarchal system and that the "empowered" women portrayed would eventually break free from that system.
And so when the movie ended, I felt let down. Like somehow, the filmmaker was telling us that no matter how hard we fought, we could not defeat the system.
I was lucky enough to attend a screening after which the director of the movie as well as the principal actress were both there to answer questions from the audience. And so when I pointed that out, the filmmaker became defensive and explained that he did not want to make any kind of political statement whatsoever and that he just wanted to give us an "enjoyable fun movie to watch with lots of fighting." He also made a point to tell me that if it had been men fighting, I wouldn't have made the comment I made.
Exactly. But this movie was about women, strong women, who were imprisoned by a cruel system forcing them to fight one another. It had everything in place to make a strong statement, give us something to reflect upon and do what a good movie should always do: teach us something.
And yet, this movie has no depth and isn't different from any other action movie with fights. To be "different", this movie needed a message beyond "look, chicks fighting and it looks real!".
In the end, the plot of "Raze" falls into the typical normalization of helpless women forced to behave a certain way by an oppressive system passed on from father to son. To me, this is the precise opposite of "empowered".
I'm awfully disappointed.
And so I went in expecting just that. Something different. I especially went in expecting this movie to make some kind of statement about the way this society views women in general. I actually thought that the organization that abducts the women was a metaphor for the patriarchal system and that the "empowered" women portrayed would eventually break free from that system.
And so when the movie ended, I felt let down. Like somehow, the filmmaker was telling us that no matter how hard we fought, we could not defeat the system.
I was lucky enough to attend a screening after which the director of the movie as well as the principal actress were both there to answer questions from the audience. And so when I pointed that out, the filmmaker became defensive and explained that he did not want to make any kind of political statement whatsoever and that he just wanted to give us an "enjoyable fun movie to watch with lots of fighting." He also made a point to tell me that if it had been men fighting, I wouldn't have made the comment I made.
Exactly. But this movie was about women, strong women, who were imprisoned by a cruel system forcing them to fight one another. It had everything in place to make a strong statement, give us something to reflect upon and do what a good movie should always do: teach us something.
And yet, this movie has no depth and isn't different from any other action movie with fights. To be "different", this movie needed a message beyond "look, chicks fighting and it looks real!".
In the end, the plot of "Raze" falls into the typical normalization of helpless women forced to behave a certain way by an oppressive system passed on from father to son. To me, this is the precise opposite of "empowered".
I'm awfully disappointed.
Not bad, but missed potential...big time.
Mike_T-Little_Mtn_Sound_Archive26 April 2020
Short and sweet review.
Honestly, all facets of the film (but one) are no worse than at least average, with some being quite good. The acting is fine, camera work is ok, story is interesting and a good plot, sound and other post-production are good...but they missed the mark, in my opinion, on presentation.
This is essentially a new take on the "women in prison" sub genre. It's very violent, in the sense that the plot is women having one-on-one fights to the death; the violence is ALMOST exclusively hand-to-hand combat violence. That said, Raze is essentially an exploitation film, minus the parts that make exploitation films exploitative. There is very little blood, no nudity, and no real gore. The content, or lack thereof, essentially renders this as exploitationless exploitation. While it is just MY opinion, if you're gonna make an exploitation film, then make an exploitation film. Make it ultra-violent, supremely bloody, nastily gory, and throw in some nudity for good measure. Seriously. Now, it's obvious that budget was an issue, and the inclusion of a bunch of gore would have added a relative amount to the cost, but it sure would have been cool had they done so.
All in all, it's a very watchable film...even enjoyable. Nothing to write home about, but worth the time, and since it's streaming on multiple platforms, it's likely free as well. If you're not a fan of violence or martial arts type films, this is definitely not for you, but it's nowhere near as brutal and dark as some reviews suggest.
Honestly, all facets of the film (but one) are no worse than at least average, with some being quite good. The acting is fine, camera work is ok, story is interesting and a good plot, sound and other post-production are good...but they missed the mark, in my opinion, on presentation.
This is essentially a new take on the "women in prison" sub genre. It's very violent, in the sense that the plot is women having one-on-one fights to the death; the violence is ALMOST exclusively hand-to-hand combat violence. That said, Raze is essentially an exploitation film, minus the parts that make exploitation films exploitative. There is very little blood, no nudity, and no real gore. The content, or lack thereof, essentially renders this as exploitationless exploitation. While it is just MY opinion, if you're gonna make an exploitation film, then make an exploitation film. Make it ultra-violent, supremely bloody, nastily gory, and throw in some nudity for good measure. Seriously. Now, it's obvious that budget was an issue, and the inclusion of a bunch of gore would have added a relative amount to the cost, but it sure would have been cool had they done so.
All in all, it's a very watchable film...even enjoyable. Nothing to write home about, but worth the time, and since it's streaming on multiple platforms, it's likely free as well. If you're not a fan of violence or martial arts type films, this is definitely not for you, but it's nowhere near as brutal and dark as some reviews suggest.
Nothing But a Pseudo-Snuff Film
Zoltanko22 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Words fail in describing how depraved this film is - or more accurately the filmmakers - but I'll try.
It's one thing to make a file about attractive, scantily clad women who are forced to fight one another to amuse a group of sadistic rich people. That kind of exploitation has been around forever. But Raze takes it to a new extreme of brutal, senseless misogyny. I like watching a well-choreographed fight as well as the next person. But I really don't want to see a woman repeatedly pound the face of another one until nothing remains but a bloody pulp. These women are being forced to kill each other to protect their loved ones; but I don't understand what drives them to overkill, unless it is the deranged psycho-sexual desires of the people responsible for this film. It's horrible. And Josh Waller has become my new poster boy (replacing M. Night Shyamalan) for world's most incompetent, clueless film director.
What I think bothers me most is the deceit behind the film listing Rachel Nichols as not only the star, but executive producer as well. What the hell? She is the first victim in the film and appears in it all of 10-15 minutes. (Except for a brief flashback that I guess somehow was put there to remind us she's in it.) Just long enough to have Zoe Bell pummel her enough times to spill her brains onto the floor for our viewing pleasure.
I don't often suggest we take all the original footage of a movie and every copy that exists to an incinerator and burn it, but Raze has no redeeming social or entertainment value whatsoever. Truly the worst movie I have ever seen.
It's one thing to make a file about attractive, scantily clad women who are forced to fight one another to amuse a group of sadistic rich people. That kind of exploitation has been around forever. But Raze takes it to a new extreme of brutal, senseless misogyny. I like watching a well-choreographed fight as well as the next person. But I really don't want to see a woman repeatedly pound the face of another one until nothing remains but a bloody pulp. These women are being forced to kill each other to protect their loved ones; but I don't understand what drives them to overkill, unless it is the deranged psycho-sexual desires of the people responsible for this film. It's horrible. And Josh Waller has become my new poster boy (replacing M. Night Shyamalan) for world's most incompetent, clueless film director.
What I think bothers me most is the deceit behind the film listing Rachel Nichols as not only the star, but executive producer as well. What the hell? She is the first victim in the film and appears in it all of 10-15 minutes. (Except for a brief flashback that I guess somehow was put there to remind us she's in it.) Just long enough to have Zoe Bell pummel her enough times to spill her brains onto the floor for our viewing pleasure.
I don't often suggest we take all the original footage of a movie and every copy that exists to an incinerator and burn it, but Raze has no redeeming social or entertainment value whatsoever. Truly the worst movie I have ever seen.
Brutal movie, but totally meaningless...
paul_haakonsen4 June 2014
This is without a doubt one of the most pointless movies that I have seen. The storyline is nearly non-existing. Basically this is a movie about a group of women held captive and forced to fight one another to the death, under the threat of harm and death to their loved ones.
And that was it.
Sure, there were some good enough fight scenes throughout the movie, but it hardly made up for the total and complete lack of a proper storyline.
And truth be told, I actually fell asleep during the movie, only to wake up because of some loud noise from the movie. And even having slept for a part of the movie, I was missing not a single beat of what was going on; women having to kill each other.
While the cast were doing good enough jobs with their given roles, they just had nothing to work with and whatever was there was stacked against them. The characters were meaningless and without any background stories, which ultimately made you distance yourself from them, as there was nothing to care about or anything to be drawn in by.
There are some fairly brutal moments throughout the movie, but again, this does absolutely nothing to make up for the horrible lack of a proper storyline.
All in all, then "Raze" is a pointless movie experience about violence amongst captive women. I believe if you are a fan of anyone on the cast list that you might find some enjoyment in this movie. Otherwise, then I find it next to impossible to find any reason for recommending you wasting your time on this.
And that was it.
Sure, there were some good enough fight scenes throughout the movie, but it hardly made up for the total and complete lack of a proper storyline.
And truth be told, I actually fell asleep during the movie, only to wake up because of some loud noise from the movie. And even having slept for a part of the movie, I was missing not a single beat of what was going on; women having to kill each other.
While the cast were doing good enough jobs with their given roles, they just had nothing to work with and whatever was there was stacked against them. The characters were meaningless and without any background stories, which ultimately made you distance yourself from them, as there was nothing to care about or anything to be drawn in by.
There are some fairly brutal moments throughout the movie, but again, this does absolutely nothing to make up for the horrible lack of a proper storyline.
All in all, then "Raze" is a pointless movie experience about violence amongst captive women. I believe if you are a fan of anyone on the cast list that you might find some enjoyment in this movie. Otherwise, then I find it next to impossible to find any reason for recommending you wasting your time on this.
very disappointing
czernoog13 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
don't waste your time watching this.
*spoiler* Extremely glad that Zoe's character died in the end. was real crap how she played stupid in the beginning to beat Rachel Nichols' character. Not to mention how stupid she was. kill the couple first before you try to rescue the girl tied up. And never did she check for phones to call 911 on any of the people she killed. And Sherilyn Fenn's character. Zoe: "You're a woman" Sherilyn: "Exactly". What sense did that make? What a waste of time watching this. My only thoughts while watching this was how twisted to make women that have learned to defend and protect themselves from being a victim are being force to fight each other to the death. The only reason i kept watching was in hope that maybe there would be some further back story on Rachel Nichols' character from the description that says it focuses on two abducted women. I was wrong. unless you are a sadistic person, you will not like this movie.
*spoiler* Extremely glad that Zoe's character died in the end. was real crap how she played stupid in the beginning to beat Rachel Nichols' character. Not to mention how stupid she was. kill the couple first before you try to rescue the girl tied up. And never did she check for phones to call 911 on any of the people she killed. And Sherilyn Fenn's character. Zoe: "You're a woman" Sherilyn: "Exactly". What sense did that make? What a waste of time watching this. My only thoughts while watching this was how twisted to make women that have learned to defend and protect themselves from being a victim are being force to fight each other to the death. The only reason i kept watching was in hope that maybe there would be some further back story on Rachel Nichols' character from the description that says it focuses on two abducted women. I was wrong. unless you are a sadistic person, you will not like this movie.
Not your regular 90 minutes martial arts flick
AndreasHardcastle12 January 2014
It is really good. Unfortunately a lot of people seem to watch it with the completely wrong ideas about it in their head. This movie is not about empowered women and it doesn't make any political statements. It shows how women from different walks of life act when thrown into an impossible situation. For this the organization who kidnaps them chose women who know how to fight or else the whole setup wouldn't make much sense. But it is not like your regular 90 minutes martial arts flick. There is nothing heroic about it. The directing, the lighting, the soundtrack - that's all closer to what you see in horror movies and they way they went about making this film reminded me a little bit of Saw.
I gave it 7/10. The acting is damn good and the general mood of the movie is dark. The fighting isn't glorified and flashy like in your regular action movie where male fighters have to fight in a to-the-death tournament. It is extreme, unpretty and direct. If they had given the story a little bit more room for getting into the surroundings and the organization who's holding the fights I'd probably have given it an 8. A few things were to compressed in my opinion.
I gave it 7/10. The acting is damn good and the general mood of the movie is dark. The fighting isn't glorified and flashy like in your regular action movie where male fighters have to fight in a to-the-death tournament. It is extreme, unpretty and direct. If they had given the story a little bit more room for getting into the surroundings and the organization who's holding the fights I'd probably have given it an 8. A few things were to compressed in my opinion.
DO NOT WATCH or support this awful movie
elidrys15 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I saw the picture and read the synopsis like anyone else, I was curious if there was any statement made, or if this movie would have any substance beyond just a bunch of disgustingly brutal fight scenes. I wasn't entirely hopeful, but I was curious and went in open minded. I glanced at the cast list. Zoie Bell is a stunt person who has done a bit of acting, but really she is known for brutal and bad-ass stunt work and fighting. I saw Rachel Nichols and got a bit more optimistic. Rachel Nichols is a very talented actress, very good at portraying real heartfelt emotions, and relatable vulnerability, among other things. I felt like she might be able to add some heart to the movie.
So I begin to watch...
SPOILDER WARNING SPOILDER WARNING SPOILDER WARNING The movie opens with Rachel's character. Again I am a little optimistic. She gets kidnapped predictably. Then she wakes up in the facility where you know everyone is kept and the fighting will happen. She meets Zoie Bell's character, who leads her to enter a room. The door closes, trapping them both inside, then Sabrina (Zoie) attacks Jamie (Rachel). Screen cuts to a black screen announcing this is basically fight 1 Sabrina vs Jamie. Jamie really feels like the human here and Sabrina's humanity has already or very nearly been lost, as she's been here and done this before. Jamie tries to defend herself. She tries to subdue her attacker into some kind of submission, keeps telling her to stop. She puts up a good fight for a bit, she even gets her on the ground and almost has her choked out, but Sabrina 'taps out' asking for mercy.
Jamie gives it to her, thinking Sabrina will stop. Instead Sabrina takes advantage, turns the tables, hits her brutally in the head and throws her against the wall. Jamie, reeling from the blow, tired, shaken and disoriented realizes she's screwed and there is no stopping someone like Sabrina. The look on Sabrina's face is completely monstrous and the look gets colder and crueler in the next few seconds. Jamie stands back up and half heartedly tries to defend herself with the last of her strength, but Sabrina comes at her hard. When Sabrina knocks her to the ground and straddles her, she doesn't just beat her or kill her, she beats her, kills her and keeps beating her in such grotesque fashion it was unbearable to watch.
Sometimes in movies a character will kill someone and keep beating their face in to show how unhinged they are. This scene went back and forth showing the lovely Rachel Nichols' face recognizable but bloodied, and then flashed to Sabrina's. Each time it flashed back and forth Rachel was less recognizable and so was Sabrina. Any shred of humanity was gone from Sabrina and any desire in me to watch any further was gone too. Although Jamie felt like she could have been a good protagonist, a heartfelt human element, she was snuffed out (with disgusting brutality) by a monster in just THE FIRST 12 MINUTES! Then we are supposed to watch another 80 minutes cheering or rallying behind that monster as some sort of twisted protagonist. No thanks.
Now I am an avid movie watcher and hardly of weak heart. I've seen some nasty movies, some bad movies, some gross but great movies - all kinds of movies. This was just terrible. I would literally call it unwatchable past the first 10 minutes.
So I begin to watch...
SPOILDER WARNING SPOILDER WARNING SPOILDER WARNING The movie opens with Rachel's character. Again I am a little optimistic. She gets kidnapped predictably. Then she wakes up in the facility where you know everyone is kept and the fighting will happen. She meets Zoie Bell's character, who leads her to enter a room. The door closes, trapping them both inside, then Sabrina (Zoie) attacks Jamie (Rachel). Screen cuts to a black screen announcing this is basically fight 1 Sabrina vs Jamie. Jamie really feels like the human here and Sabrina's humanity has already or very nearly been lost, as she's been here and done this before. Jamie tries to defend herself. She tries to subdue her attacker into some kind of submission, keeps telling her to stop. She puts up a good fight for a bit, she even gets her on the ground and almost has her choked out, but Sabrina 'taps out' asking for mercy.
Jamie gives it to her, thinking Sabrina will stop. Instead Sabrina takes advantage, turns the tables, hits her brutally in the head and throws her against the wall. Jamie, reeling from the blow, tired, shaken and disoriented realizes she's screwed and there is no stopping someone like Sabrina. The look on Sabrina's face is completely monstrous and the look gets colder and crueler in the next few seconds. Jamie stands back up and half heartedly tries to defend herself with the last of her strength, but Sabrina comes at her hard. When Sabrina knocks her to the ground and straddles her, she doesn't just beat her or kill her, she beats her, kills her and keeps beating her in such grotesque fashion it was unbearable to watch.
Sometimes in movies a character will kill someone and keep beating their face in to show how unhinged they are. This scene went back and forth showing the lovely Rachel Nichols' face recognizable but bloodied, and then flashed to Sabrina's. Each time it flashed back and forth Rachel was less recognizable and so was Sabrina. Any shred of humanity was gone from Sabrina and any desire in me to watch any further was gone too. Although Jamie felt like she could have been a good protagonist, a heartfelt human element, she was snuffed out (with disgusting brutality) by a monster in just THE FIRST 12 MINUTES! Then we are supposed to watch another 80 minutes cheering or rallying behind that monster as some sort of twisted protagonist. No thanks.
Now I am an avid movie watcher and hardly of weak heart. I've seen some nasty movies, some bad movies, some gross but great movies - all kinds of movies. This was just terrible. I would literally call it unwatchable past the first 10 minutes.
Fast paced, great acting
floatingpolarbear5 November 2015
This was a great action/horror flick with excellent acting and many touching scenes as well as some gruesome ones. The characters bring you inside them and you feel the psychological torture that precedes the physical one. Each fight scene is unique and the dialogue is superbly crafted. You can feel the female touch in the making of this movie as the actors are not presented as titillation but as human beings undergoing the most extreme situation. I wish there was more elaboration on the purpose of the cult. It reminded me a bit of the atmosphere of Martyrs, bringing that sense of intrigue and shock. I would definitely see a sequel.
Dark and Gore!
MajorBaleegh25 June 2014
Every person in this world has his/her own way of thinking and judging things as per his/her wishes, but after watching the movie "raze", it left me thinking what was the theme of making such a movie; in which women are shown fighting for their life just to please some rich people ultimately saving their loved ones or get killed if negated too. This is such a sick movie where women are shown as pets fighting for their lives while rich people watch and make fun out of it. I really didn't like the idea of treating women in this fashion as women is a symbol of love, affection, tenderness, cuteness, beauty, prettiness and sacrifice; where as in this movie they are shown as fierce animals who are ready to kill another women for the sake of saving their beloveds and ultimately providing entertainment to the high classes of the society. I will rate this movie two out of ten; as I don't like the idea nor I don't like the story and the same can be judged with the amount of box office earning for this movie on Wikipedia.
Raze your glass to Waller and Bell...
Clockwork-Avacado26 September 2014
The subject matter of this prison/cage fighting movie is pure exploitation, and it is marketed as such rather adroitly. However, by the time the first fight scene has concluded, there is little in the way of cheap thrills to be had from this sort of thing, and instead, we're presented with the kind of gritty brutality that only comes along in indy, low-budget concept pieces like this, from Josh Waller, directing his feature film debut with a lot of grass-roots style and a panache that is all the more skillful in its' lack of show-off techniques. Instead, we're given a very raw, lean piece of work which focuses on violence, rather on well-crafted fight scenes, despite the presence of a well-choreographed team of stunt performers, fronted by one of the most physically talented stuntwomen in the business, Zoe Bell.
There is little time devoted to navel-gazing, and yet the characterisation does sometimes feel a little on the clunky side, although it is doubtful that its' absence would provide us with anything better. Without it, there would be fight after fight, followed by scenes of painful silence, and the full horror of the situation. Whilst the teary eyed drama makes a precarious balance with the blood and guts of the fight scenes, perhaps the most impressive feature here is the sense of hopelessness which is created. Hopeful, this movie isn't, and in many ways, it's an adult, and female, version of "Lord of the Flies", only with a more artificially constructed set up. The idea here, is that by fighting, killing and surviving, the survivor of this ordeal will become somehow awakened, enlightened, and open themselves up to a wider world of awareness. That this idea is set up by a bunch of mad-eyed religious fanatics strains credibility, although the contrast between opulent upper class, and filthy stone-walled dungeons is nothing new, yet remains valid. The ending tells us, quite simply, that this is a load of rubbish, and, rather than being designed for this purpose, the idea of nobility through killing, of a "Napoleon" complex, is a myth, and that killing actually provides nothing but thrills for the rich, and that, for the survivor, no matter how tough she is, they will always be stronger. Contrived? Perhaps. But the drama is played out convincingly, and the power of the hellish fight scenes is arguably as anti-stereotypical as anything seen in films. There are not a series of carefully contrived, well-scripted and erotically filmed scenes of rolling around and grunting. This is brutal, survival of the fittest stuff, and the edginess of the movie's central dilemma – kill to save your loved ones, or do nothing and let them die – is well utilised. The tagline; "No man could handle this" is well put; This scenario with a male cast would scarcely feature the same level of horror, and uneasiness, and the reversion to savagery would be far less of a shock.
Acting is generally nothing special, but then, the real drama of this situation comes not from the script, or the over-embellishment of certain of the actresses, but in the heat of the fight sequences, in the minute reactions, in the bursting of the welled up emotions and fears, and in sharing that feeling. It's a film not so much about the journey of its characters, or their own personal features, but rather, about seeing how you would react in this situation yourself; in short, it is a film which speaks directly to the audience, with a well-shaped hell of anti-humanity. Throughout the entire ninety minutes, the feeling of impending doom, of inner pain, and futile hopelessness, as relationships build feebly, only to be broken down again minutes later, or as they realise just how little they can actually do.
Which is why, in the truest sense of the word, this is a horror film, about the horrors of being faced with that most primal of dramas. And be sure that this isn't just a bad excuse for trotting out some more niche genre fare; You will feel every punch, and every angry exhalation, and realise that fights are basically just someone pummelling bits of their body against bits of someone else's, in the hope that they'll break before you do, and that death isn't administered with a quick twist, or a carefully placed blow. It takes time, and it isn't exciting, or cool. It's actually the worst thing that you can imagine. Even the climactic fight scene, when Sabrina takes on the films supposed "villain" – i.e, the one who's enjoying it all – is deliberately restrained, rather than being played out for drama. Every kind of painful situation is played, and it is when the film is at its' most explicitly brutal, that it becomes the most emotionally painful. Hey, look. Someone has made violence in horror movies scary again. And all it took was a small, dedicated cast of women, and a director with a strong vision, and sense of purpose.
There is little time devoted to navel-gazing, and yet the characterisation does sometimes feel a little on the clunky side, although it is doubtful that its' absence would provide us with anything better. Without it, there would be fight after fight, followed by scenes of painful silence, and the full horror of the situation. Whilst the teary eyed drama makes a precarious balance with the blood and guts of the fight scenes, perhaps the most impressive feature here is the sense of hopelessness which is created. Hopeful, this movie isn't, and in many ways, it's an adult, and female, version of "Lord of the Flies", only with a more artificially constructed set up. The idea here, is that by fighting, killing and surviving, the survivor of this ordeal will become somehow awakened, enlightened, and open themselves up to a wider world of awareness. That this idea is set up by a bunch of mad-eyed religious fanatics strains credibility, although the contrast between opulent upper class, and filthy stone-walled dungeons is nothing new, yet remains valid. The ending tells us, quite simply, that this is a load of rubbish, and, rather than being designed for this purpose, the idea of nobility through killing, of a "Napoleon" complex, is a myth, and that killing actually provides nothing but thrills for the rich, and that, for the survivor, no matter how tough she is, they will always be stronger. Contrived? Perhaps. But the drama is played out convincingly, and the power of the hellish fight scenes is arguably as anti-stereotypical as anything seen in films. There are not a series of carefully contrived, well-scripted and erotically filmed scenes of rolling around and grunting. This is brutal, survival of the fittest stuff, and the edginess of the movie's central dilemma – kill to save your loved ones, or do nothing and let them die – is well utilised. The tagline; "No man could handle this" is well put; This scenario with a male cast would scarcely feature the same level of horror, and uneasiness, and the reversion to savagery would be far less of a shock.
Acting is generally nothing special, but then, the real drama of this situation comes not from the script, or the over-embellishment of certain of the actresses, but in the heat of the fight sequences, in the minute reactions, in the bursting of the welled up emotions and fears, and in sharing that feeling. It's a film not so much about the journey of its characters, or their own personal features, but rather, about seeing how you would react in this situation yourself; in short, it is a film which speaks directly to the audience, with a well-shaped hell of anti-humanity. Throughout the entire ninety minutes, the feeling of impending doom, of inner pain, and futile hopelessness, as relationships build feebly, only to be broken down again minutes later, or as they realise just how little they can actually do.
Which is why, in the truest sense of the word, this is a horror film, about the horrors of being faced with that most primal of dramas. And be sure that this isn't just a bad excuse for trotting out some more niche genre fare; You will feel every punch, and every angry exhalation, and realise that fights are basically just someone pummelling bits of their body against bits of someone else's, in the hope that they'll break before you do, and that death isn't administered with a quick twist, or a carefully placed blow. It takes time, and it isn't exciting, or cool. It's actually the worst thing that you can imagine. Even the climactic fight scene, when Sabrina takes on the films supposed "villain" – i.e, the one who's enjoying it all – is deliberately restrained, rather than being played out for drama. Every kind of painful situation is played, and it is when the film is at its' most explicitly brutal, that it becomes the most emotionally painful. Hey, look. Someone has made violence in horror movies scary again. And all it took was a small, dedicated cast of women, and a director with a strong vision, and sense of purpose.
"Raze"n hell. Ha.. Did you see what I did there? I'm a genius, you should read my review.
davidnhewko5 June 2014
I'm going to start this review with a secret: I decided to watch this movie because it looked hot. I mean, hot chicks brawling in prison, there's bound to be at least a nip-slip and if it sucks, there's a good chance I'll see some nudity, so I still win. So, as soon as the girlfriend left, I pressed play. Then I saw Zoe Bell cave some chicks head in.... game changer, not what I was expecting at all. At that point I realized there probably won't be a lesbian shower scene. But, as soon as I recognized Zoe from "Death Proof" I got a little excited in another way because I also remembered that she's a freaking awesome stunt performer. From that point on, the movie went in the direction I hoped it would. The action was quality and ruthless. Zoe Bell should star in more action movies, she's one of the few females in Hollywood (I know she's Australian, but you know what I mean, don't be a smart ass.) that I could easily take seriously as an action hero. I'm not sexist, it's just that many women in Hollywood are super skinny and frail looking (like, how much would getting punched by Kate Beckinsale really hurt? seriously?). There were even moments in this movie where I uncontrollably cheered aloud, at home... by myself... in my underwear.
For the people with children, if you're even considering showing this to your kids, you're a bad parent. For the dudes with significant others, you might want to watch this one alone. She probably won't like it, and she might question you're sanity because you'll like it.. which will probably come up again in some sort of fight 3 months later. So I recommend putting it on a shelf with the porn and wait till she's out to watch it. For the ladies, if your the metal-head/horror movie type, you'll probably like this and somehow find it empowering.
I just noticed that all I did was praise this movie and you're probably wondering why I gave it a 7? The story was a little weak and nothing can be perfect...except for "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" Dave
For the people with children, if you're even considering showing this to your kids, you're a bad parent. For the dudes with significant others, you might want to watch this one alone. She probably won't like it, and she might question you're sanity because you'll like it.. which will probably come up again in some sort of fight 3 months later. So I recommend putting it on a shelf with the porn and wait till she's out to watch it. For the ladies, if your the metal-head/horror movie type, you'll probably like this and somehow find it empowering.
I just noticed that all I did was praise this movie and you're probably wondering why I gave it a 7? The story was a little weak and nothing can be perfect...except for "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" Dave
Horrible!
coljam2126 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Wow. Why did they even bother trying to make this into a movie? They clearly wanted to focus only on the fighting and gore so why not just make a movie about that and exclude the feeble attempt at acting? It like with a horrible porn. Skip the acting and get to the action. The movie never even fully explained the ruse that was used to abduct the women, and we never really got a glimpse into the personal lives of any of the women whereby not feeling any kind of connection or sympathy for the women.
The man and his wife who did the abducting tried to come off as regal and mysterious but instead came off as silly and campy. This whole production was a travesty. An embarrassment. None of the characters had acting ability, probably took their first acting class before production began. After the first 15 minutes of the film I pretty much skipped to the end because it was not worth the hour and change of my time.
The man and his wife who did the abducting tried to come off as regal and mysterious but instead came off as silly and campy. This whole production was a travesty. An embarrassment. None of the characters had acting ability, probably took their first acting class before production began. After the first 15 minutes of the film I pretty much skipped to the end because it was not worth the hour and change of my time.
Gender reversal
kosmasp2 May 2014
Normally you see this type of movie with men in the main roles and having a go at it. So you might find it refreshing seeing women "beating" each other (it's still just a movie, don't forget that). But it has the same downfalls as the movies with male fighters have. What the movie doesn't do, although they cast pretty women, is exploiting them, in the sense that you'll see them naked (you won't).
It's also a nice touch having Zoe Bell in the main role. Some may know her as stunt woman, though recently she also took on some acting gigs. She does her job as good as the script allows it. But the main attraction is the "bad" woman in here. And I don't mean any uber villain, but one of the prisoners (Phoebe) who while is only looking out for herself, actually is the one that has all the highlights of the movie in the end
It's also a nice touch having Zoe Bell in the main role. Some may know her as stunt woman, though recently she also took on some acting gigs. She does her job as good as the script allows it. But the main attraction is the "bad" woman in here. And I don't mean any uber villain, but one of the prisoners (Phoebe) who while is only looking out for herself, actually is the one that has all the highlights of the movie in the end
awful movie
us1001129 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the Hollywood's worst movie i have ever seen.Senseless,meaningless I mean how can a crazy group of a people can run a whole series of fights with abducted girls without a concern of police.In the whole movie there not a word from police about investigation about abducted girls.The only thing is a meaningless senseless fights between girls.
I WOULD SUGGEST NOT TO WASTE YOUR TIME ON WATCHING THIS MOVIE.
I think the director of this movie made it like that there is no police or 911 type thing in this world.I have watched so many movies on abduction and serial killing but this is the movie made by empty brains.
I WOULD SUGGEST NOT TO WASTE YOUR TIME ON WATCHING THIS MOVIE.
I think the director of this movie made it like that there is no police or 911 type thing in this world.I have watched so many movies on abduction and serial killing but this is the movie made by empty brains.
The first rule of Raze is go watch Fight Club
utgard145 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Gender twist on a familiar plot. Women are abducted and forced to fight each other to the death for the amusement of rich people. Rachel Nichols gets the Janet Leigh treatment, introduced as if she were the star but killed off very early. The real star is Zoë Bell, who's reunited with her Deathproof costars Tracie Thoms and Rosario Dawson (the latter of which is supposed to be a surprise but IMDb's trivia section spoiled it for me). Bell, for those who don't know, is an accomplished stuntwoman who's done surprisingly well when given acting jobs up until now. Here, however, I'll just say that as an actress Zoë makes a great stuntwoman. When it comes to squinting her way through action scenes, she's a regular Clint Eastwood. The rest of the time she's pretty weak. Rebecca Marshall chews scenery as the fighter who likes killing. Doug Jones and Sherilyn Fenn are the bad guys but they're sadly given little to work with. The fight scenes are brutal and bloody. I won't compliment them for their choreography as they aren't staged to be dramatic but to be realistic. How is that entertaining? I'll take Lionheart over this nauseating mess. Depressing ending is the cherry on top of the crap sundae.
Rrrrr...
zuhairvazir27 January 2014
Who doesn't like a decent, bare-fist (and kicks and what have you) cat fight? However the fights in this brutal film do not end at KOs, you guessed it. The ladies have to fight each other till the very end. There is however some hair pulling/tearing.
The film has some very attractive women going at each other and not Dwayne Johnson and Dutch from 'Predator, 1987' so yes, it's sorta like a feminist film saying bad things about feminism.
If you ever liked or still like the B films from the Sixties' films like, 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)' that exploit the then newly invented 'emancipation', you will like 'Raze'. More films for the sake of commonality would be 'Martyrs, (2010)' and '13, 2008'.
Perhaps my nose will be be pretty close to the grindstone if I say the action sequences in the film (highly realistic and pretty close to Fincher's swing at us back in 1999) reminded me of Tarantino's much disliked Grindhouse, 2007.
I liked Snake Plisskin as the maniac driver with a killer of a muscle ride (Death Proof, 2007) and also the treatment of 'Grindhouse' - (Planet Terror is a favorite). Plus Zoe Bell, the lead actor in this film started her career as an actress in 'Death Proof'. Before Tarantino offered her the role, she was a stunt double at Hollywood. She is ferocious in this film, and fights with calculated rage. Watch out for the 'Cody vs. Phoebe' sequence, it does not have Sabrina (Bell), but watch it closely for reasons only film lovers would appreciate.
The plot is paper thin, only a handful of dialogue make you feel, however the direction is fast and the pace quite intense. No wonder they call it a 'pacemaker'. Bad Joke, however apt for this review. For you see, this film belongs to a quite peculiar and a risqué genre: 'kill stranger and win freedom'. A genre made popular by J. D. Salinger and then Kinji Fukasaku made the mother of them all in 2000.
Also watch out for the cameos.
I liked it, it was entertaining, if I may.
The film has some very attractive women going at each other and not Dwayne Johnson and Dutch from 'Predator, 1987' so yes, it's sorta like a feminist film saying bad things about feminism.
If you ever liked or still like the B films from the Sixties' films like, 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)' that exploit the then newly invented 'emancipation', you will like 'Raze'. More films for the sake of commonality would be 'Martyrs, (2010)' and '13, 2008'.
Perhaps my nose will be be pretty close to the grindstone if I say the action sequences in the film (highly realistic and pretty close to Fincher's swing at us back in 1999) reminded me of Tarantino's much disliked Grindhouse, 2007.
I liked Snake Plisskin as the maniac driver with a killer of a muscle ride (Death Proof, 2007) and also the treatment of 'Grindhouse' - (Planet Terror is a favorite). Plus Zoe Bell, the lead actor in this film started her career as an actress in 'Death Proof'. Before Tarantino offered her the role, she was a stunt double at Hollywood. She is ferocious in this film, and fights with calculated rage. Watch out for the 'Cody vs. Phoebe' sequence, it does not have Sabrina (Bell), but watch it closely for reasons only film lovers would appreciate.
The plot is paper thin, only a handful of dialogue make you feel, however the direction is fast and the pace quite intense. No wonder they call it a 'pacemaker'. Bad Joke, however apt for this review. For you see, this film belongs to a quite peculiar and a risqué genre: 'kill stranger and win freedom'. A genre made popular by J. D. Salinger and then Kinji Fukasaku made the mother of them all in 2000.
Also watch out for the cameos.
I liked it, it was entertaining, if I may.
On the Fence with Rating
westsideschl14 June 2014
On the down side a somewhat well worn storyline of people suddenly waking up in some undisclosed secure location and have to fight or kill follow abductees to find freedom. Has been done in many manifestations before. Nothing new here; same cameras with our hidden captor at first known only through their voice. Typical cage fighting - martial arts or whatever one can come up with for fighting. Back story, also done before, of wealthy audience being entertained throughout as inmates fight-for-life. Overacting, bad person roles especially; thus, not too believable. Ending scenes came across as even less believable and therefore viewer engaging.
On the up side, follow up with the slightly similar "The Seasoning House".
On the up side, follow up with the slightly similar "The Seasoning House".
Fight Or Die
Foutainoflife4 May 2021
Not a bad film. It's different, pretty brutal and bloody so if that's your thing, check it out.
My only complaints about it are that we didn't get enough info on the reasons why. There is a brief explanation but I would've liked elaboration and a better look at who the members of this society really were.
I'm on the fence about the ending. Some will love it. Some will hate it. I just don't know which group I fit into yet.
I say check it out. It's found a place amongst my "So Glad I Gave It A Chance" films.
My only complaints about it are that we didn't get enough info on the reasons why. There is a brief explanation but I would've liked elaboration and a better look at who the members of this society really were.
I'm on the fence about the ending. Some will love it. Some will hate it. I just don't know which group I fit into yet.
I say check it out. It's found a place amongst my "So Glad I Gave It A Chance" films.
Searching an identity
destroyerwod20 May 2014
Warning: Spoilers
When you watch this movie you have a feeling you are not really sure what you watch. Sorry this review will be full of spoilers, but i don't know how to put it otherwise, in any case there ain't much story to it in the first place.
So these women are kidnap, forced to fight "to the death" and being locked away during all the other time. First flaw is that they show the main character in a very completely bad set up. She ambush in a way a new comer, faint "submitting" to only sucker punch her, and yes i get it they have to kill them, but do they have to beat them to a bloody pulp? I guess the movie wanted to shock, and show lots of violence but damn show your "bad guy" doing that, not the hero. She could had just slap her neck...
Oh and by the way that was Rachel Nichols... you know the more known of the bunch, one that got top billing and make you think she star in the movie... yeah 10 min and she is out... bye bye.
Then there is the fact that every women is a fairly attractive one... no bulky manish woman here, only pretty girl. The "bad guy" of the movie is a sick crazy super hot chicks who probably has the best acting of the movie, she play her role great, but sadly the fight with her is rather disappointing and lead to a weird anti climatic finale.
Speaking about the ending... you heard it, they say its bad... well yeah it is... and hard to believe...
For the fights you may ask? Well there bloody for sure, and made to be realistic, but they lack entertainment to my own opinion... the fights are really not a reason why you should watch this...
Despise all the flaws, i still enjoyed it enough to not be bored, but i would had hope the story would had been better developed, the fights more entertaining, and the ending better for sure.
Ill give them credit because they tried to do something different with an old concept.
So these women are kidnap, forced to fight "to the death" and being locked away during all the other time. First flaw is that they show the main character in a very completely bad set up. She ambush in a way a new comer, faint "submitting" to only sucker punch her, and yes i get it they have to kill them, but do they have to beat them to a bloody pulp? I guess the movie wanted to shock, and show lots of violence but damn show your "bad guy" doing that, not the hero. She could had just slap her neck...
Oh and by the way that was Rachel Nichols... you know the more known of the bunch, one that got top billing and make you think she star in the movie... yeah 10 min and she is out... bye bye.
Then there is the fact that every women is a fairly attractive one... no bulky manish woman here, only pretty girl. The "bad guy" of the movie is a sick crazy super hot chicks who probably has the best acting of the movie, she play her role great, but sadly the fight with her is rather disappointing and lead to a weird anti climatic finale.
Speaking about the ending... you heard it, they say its bad... well yeah it is... and hard to believe...
For the fights you may ask? Well there bloody for sure, and made to be realistic, but they lack entertainment to my own opinion... the fights are really not a reason why you should watch this...
Despise all the flaws, i still enjoyed it enough to not be bored, but i would had hope the story would had been better developed, the fights more entertaining, and the ending better for sure.
Ill give them credit because they tried to do something different with an old concept.
Very intense, dark action/horror
petep13 October 2013
There is no general theatrical or digital release date yet for Raze (as of this post), so I can't tell you when you might see it, but it's worth a look for fans of horror or, well, tournament fighting movies. This movie is very lean. It doesn't include anything it doesn't need. Women who are athletic or who have some sort of fighting experience are being kidnapped, held in some hidden underground prison, and forced to fight to the death, for the entertainment of rich folks of course. If the women lose or refuse to fight, their closest loved ones will be killed. Doug Jones and Sherilyn Fenn are the cheerfully creepy married couple running things. Zoe Bell, also a producer, is one of the fighters, killing to help protect a daughter she hasn't seen in many years. Other fighters include familiar faces like Rachel Nichols, Tracie Thoms, and Rosario Dawson. It's very dark, and brutally violent, but not exploitative. It's not "sexist sh1t!" as one unhappy viewer shouted at the director and star after our screening (though he still stayed for the entire film). I couldn't say anything about the most surprising or rewarding bits of the movie without major spoilers, so let me just say do NOT be deterred by the low IMDb rating. It's a good one!
A good and brutal female action movie occasionally let down by poor editing
SkyWater88 January 2022
It's really too bad the cinematography and editing for the fight scenes is so poor, with a separate shot and close shot for every king and punch. It makes it so much harder to follow the action. Unfortunate, because the actresses are so game for the intense and brutal fights. Both physically and emotionally. They really put their all into it. And they make you feel the despair and anger they're going through. They're what will keep you locked on and trying to keep track of the poor camera work for the fights.
Terrible film - Avoid.
neilg-tech7 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Probably the worst film I have ever seen. I've never felt compelled to write a review of any film before but this was so bad I just had to.
Exploitative misogynistic junk. Paper thin plot, horrible dialogue and a complete waste of time. It's only redeeming feature was that the actors did a reasonable job with the very little they had to work with. I love violent films but this was ridiculous. Seeing anyone but especially women beat each other to death with their bear hands or repeatedly getting kicked in the face is not my idea of entertainment.
I only managed to get to the end in the vain hope of seeing the heroine get payback on those people who were causing their suffering. This did happen for the main culprits but still didn't feel like enough. I felt disappointed and depressed by the whole experience. If you like these kinds of film there are much better examples out there like the SAW series.
Can't quite believe some people gave this a 10 out of 10 and would recommend to other people. I suggest these people widen their viewing tastes or seek professional help.
Exploitative misogynistic junk. Paper thin plot, horrible dialogue and a complete waste of time. It's only redeeming feature was that the actors did a reasonable job with the very little they had to work with. I love violent films but this was ridiculous. Seeing anyone but especially women beat each other to death with their bear hands or repeatedly getting kicked in the face is not my idea of entertainment.
I only managed to get to the end in the vain hope of seeing the heroine get payback on those people who were causing their suffering. This did happen for the main culprits but still didn't feel like enough. I felt disappointed and depressed by the whole experience. If you like these kinds of film there are much better examples out there like the SAW series.
Can't quite believe some people gave this a 10 out of 10 and would recommend to other people. I suggest these people widen their viewing tastes or seek professional help.
Sabrina got what she deserved.
finetunes16 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
How many times did Sabrina turn her back on an adversary before she had finished them off??? Obviously, this movie relied solely on the violence and revenge angle for entertainment, so why didn't they have some contestants refuse to fight so we could see their family members being killed or tortured? Why didn't the writers have Sabrina kill all the guests at the end? Why didn't the guests flee when they saw the 2 guards being killed? Why did Sabrina throw her guns away while, once again, turning her back. I guess the writers were stunt men because they "wrote what they know" leaving out plot and even logic from the movie. Rachel Nickels' salary must have taken up 90% of the budget. Know why she got killed off at the beginning? Because she begged the director to get her out of this movie as fast as possible. And what's the big deal about Zoe Bell? Wow, she's a stunt woman but they didn't have her doing anything special in this movie, no ingenious kills or fantastic Olympian moves, she's surely not eye candy except for her silicone work. I would have given another star if there had been some clothes being torn off or someone had expertly executed some t***y twisters. What a horrible predictable movie except the one pleasant exception when Zoe got killed at the end, which I cheered. And finally, the movie broke one of my rules for movies - there must be at least one likable character. I didn't cover all my pet peeves about the movie because life is too short to spend too much time on a time waster. If you must must watch this movie, watch the beginning set-up then skip to the last 10 minutes, you won't have missing anything.
How very unpleasant
Coventry20 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Always had a feeling I wasn't going to like this. Movies with a plot like "Raze" may have been tremendously popular during the exploitation-heydays of the 70s and early 80s, but it's just not done anymore these days. My love for underrated actress Rachel Nichols eventually persuaded me to give "Raze" a look, but when her beautiful face gets smashed to bloody pulp before the opening credits have even appeared on screen, I should have stopped watching and put the DVD safely away somewhere at the bottom of my collection. "Raze" is a movie about beautiful women in captivity that are forced to bare-knuckle fight each other until one of them is dead. As you can imagine, this leads to (far too) many deeply unpleasant sequences of respectable actresses - or, in case of Zoë Bell, stunt women turned actress - beating and kicking each other nonstop for several long minutes. I honestly didn't know there was still a market for this type of filth. All the other dreadful clichés of ancient Women-in-Prison movies are represented as well, like loathsome male guards and a vicious shrew at the head of the organization. Oh, Sherilyn Fenn... how low you sunk! The only thing surprisingly missing is gratuitous nudity, like shower sequences or breasts falling out of tank tops while fighting. What a relief to see that at least one tiny bit of good taste made it to the new Millennium.
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