Raze (2014)

Raze

It’s gratifying that “Raze” blew me out of seat from the first blood drenched bone crunching five minutes. Because once it starts with a bashed in blood soaked face, it never stops being an electrifying series of vicious fight scenes. “Raze” embraces its grindhouse exploitation tropes so unabashedly, I can imagine if this were made in 1975, it’d star folks like Pam Grier, Uschi Digard, and Lina Romay, with Joe Estevez playing Doug Jones’ part. That said, “Raze” is a mind blowing action thriller all on its own, that is so simple yet so damn entertaining.

It’s a painful, raw, and grotesque non-stop barrage of women battering one another, and going at one another’s throats, just for the sake of keeping their loved ones safe. Fifty women have been kidnapped and are locked in respective cells. The women have two things in common. They have something to lose, and they’re skilled in fighting. Sabrina is the consistent fighter in the sick competition where women have to fight one another to the death, and ensure a finishing kill shot that can allow them to enter the next round. If both women refuse to fight, their loved ones are murdered and so are they. The losing women loses her loved ones, and the winning fighter moves on to the competition. Zoe Bell is finally getting her due as an action star and actress, and manages to dominate the screen as Sabrina, the strongest fighter who is trying to find a way out.

There’s a secret Greek organization that are hosting the fights for an audience, and the woman that comes out the winner will be allowed to live, and groomed by the organization as a prophet, with wealth and all. But Sabrina is desperate to break from the clutches of the group, while also attempting to help her other competitors find a way to escape. Josh Waller directs a very intense and raw action thriller, that teams incredible fight choreography with shocking gore that makes the combat feel painful and filled with consequences. Often times the competitors have to find ways to hobble the other, and commit to killing the other fighter, and the results are almost always blood soaked. Most of “Raze” concerns the dichotomy between the women, and how they approach this tournament.

Tracie Thoms is great as a skilled fighter also anxious to work with Sabrina to find a way out. Meanwhile the psychotic Phoebe revels in murdering her challengers, and will do whatever it takes to halt their plans. Rebecca Marshall is a scene stealer as the murderous fighter who delights in bringing down her opponents with as much blood shed as humanly possible, and she plays perfectly off of Bell. There’s a slew of really unique and memorable walk on’s including Sherilyn Fenn, Doug Jones as the wealthy creator of the tournaments, and Rosario Dawson. On the downside, Waller does hand over a surprise twist in the finale that lands with a thud. I saw the twist coming a mile away, I mean how else to bring these women together? Despite that caveat, “Raze” was effective in its grit, and carnage; Zoe Bell is once again capable of carrying a film all by herself with her charisma, convincing performance, amazing fighting skills. I loved every bone crunching moment of it.

In Theaters and on Video On Demand January 10th!