User reviews

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Brutal version or a women's 'Fight Club' but way less polished. Don't know where they found these female actors but they can sure knock lumps out of each-other. Good, gripping film. When it come to fight scenes in movies I'm rather fussy (as I was an ex Thai Boxer) but this looks authentic to me. Exciting stuff indeed but i'm sure some folk will complain about the content.

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!

the fight scenes in it are awesome the plot is decent and it also keeps you entertained I do hate when they cute scenes in the film it doesn't tell the whole story they cut over 35 minutes of the movie I do like the gore in it it has a lot and it has brutal fight scenes that kick ass and I don't like the ending it could of been a lot cool but it is a surprise ending you don't expect over all I give it a 7 star film and it could of been better at the box office it would of made more money if it was promoted better overall I really enjoyed the film and should be checkout everone should go out and rent it at you local video store and see what you think of the film I rent the video from family video and enjoyed watching it

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.