Review: 'Raze' Starring Zoe Bell

There is no shortage of action movie stars; they come and go all the time, making a mark then disappearing into wherever one-hit wonders go. Only a few have that "It factor", that something special that makes you believe they are the baddest person on the planet. Bruce Lee had it, Arnold Schwarzenegger had it, Chuck Norris still has it; and after watching the levels of ruthless aggression she unleashes in Raze, there's no doubt that Zoe Bell has it, too.

Most folks recognize Bell from dangling off a speeding car in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (a personal favorite), and she's taken that brief-but-awesome adrenaline rush and channeled it into a budding career playing tough-as-nails butt kickers. She stands as the alpha female in Raze, a gruesome, no-holds-barred throwback to the exploitation classics of Roger Corman, given a fresh twist Tarantino would definitely approve of.

Fight Club looks tame and rather cheery compared to the hellish scenario Raze thrusts Bell and a number of other warrior women into. Long billed as a showdown between Bell and co-star Rachel Nichols, the reality is something considerably different. Jamie (Nichols) is out on a date with a handsome young man, telling him stories about her life and goals, in particular her desire to become a kick boxer. So we know right off the bat she has skills, which are put into use when she suddenly wakes up in a cold underground lair after being kidnapped. Exiting her cell, she runs across Sabrina (Bell); both dressed in tacky grey sweatpants and white tank top. Our assumption is that the film's two biggest stars will play friends, heroes to the end. Our hopes are quickly dashed when the two are forced into a messy, vicious fight for survival which only Sabrina survives. She doesn't just win; she wins in gruesome fashion, making a sloppy mess where Jamie's pretty face once had been.

There aren't a ton of surprises to be found in Raze but that opening fight is one, and suggests that we're going to get the hard knuckle action we had been promised. We come to learn that Sabrina is just one of dozens of stolen women, forced to fight in underground battles to the death in some sort of demented tournament for the entertainment of others. Those in charge of this gladiatorial display are a creepy couple played by an oddball Doug Jones and matriarchal Sherilyn Fenn, babbling some nonsense about Greek Maenads or something. The Maenads were the frenzied followers of Dionysus (they tore poor Orpheus to shreds if you recall the old myths), and the film seems to be saying something about the inherent savagery of all women.

Fortunately, it doesn't spend too much time philosophizing and gets right down to what we paid to see, which is tough chicks beating the snot out of one another. In fact, that's pretty much the entire movie, as Bell throws hands an army of equally-badass broads played by Rebecca Marshall, Bailey Ann Borders, Tracie Thoms, and a surprise cameo from another Death Proof star. Waller is surprisingly nimble with the camera considering every fight takes place in an empty stone cave, keeping the film from growing stagnant. As the ladies fight each other and against the male oppressors, we learn just enough about them to care about their fate. There's the glimmer of hope some of them will escape, and the sucker punch when the ones we come to root for are slaughtered. And through it all, Zoe Bell stands out as Sabrina, mean as sh*t but vulnerable when called upon. It's a remarkable performance Raze builds on as it punches and kicks its way into inevitable cult status.

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Travis' Most Anticipated 2014 Movies: January to March

The book on 2013 is now closed, and I for one thought it was an incredible year. It was so good, with early and late season films ending up on my "Best of" list, that it will be tough for 2014 to live up. There's bound to be some let-down, and with 2015 already looking like the "Year of the Blockbuster", we may see 2014 be like the forgotten middle child or something. But there are still a lot of movies that I'm looking forward to, and I've decided to break them down by season, giving you my top 10 for each. Bear in mind this doesn't necessarily mean I think these movies will be good, just that I'm looking forward to them for one reason or another. And no, they don't all spring from the pages of some comic book. I make no promises about the summer, though.

Raze- January 10th
Director: Josh C. Waller
Cast: Zoe Bell, Rachel Nichols, Tracie Thoms, Doug Jones

Dude, it's Zoe Bell. Okay, those who know me understand that's more than enough reason to get excited over Raze, which pits the insanely-tough Bell against Rachel Nichols and dozens of other beauties in an exploitative, grindhouse-style flick that's a little bit Fight Club, a little bit Quentin Tarantino.

The Monuments Men- February 7th
 Director: George Clooney
Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin

Ever since his directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, I've been impressed every single time George Clooney has stepped behind the camera. Not only is he always able to snag a great cast, but he manages to make big social or political points while telling an entertaining story. The Monuments Men may be his most ambitious film yet, and while the delay has me somewhat concerned, I trust he'll be able to nail the difficult balance of drama and humor.

Robocop- February 12th
Director: Jose Padilha
Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Abbie Cornish, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Michael K. Williams, Jay Baruchel, Jackie Earle Haley

Here's one I'm looking forward to even though it might be atrocious. The darkly satirical films of Paul Verhoeven have been popular targets for remake of late, and after that awful first trailer it looked like Robocop may turn out like Total Recall and totally miss the point. But the most recent footage, backed by Samuel L. Jackson's boisterous boasts about the future of our country's war on terror have renewed my faith, and I'm starting to warm up to Joel Kinnaman as the robotic defender of justice.  Honestly, I could care less about the sleeker suit or that you can see Kinnaman's eyes or whatever the latest complaints are. All that matters is that he's believable both as an ass-kicker and a family man, which shouldn't be too tough to pull off.

300: Rise of an Empire- March 7th
Director: Noam Murro
Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Jack O'Connell, Lena Headey,  Rodrigo Santoro

Against my better judgement I'm surprisingly excited for 300: Rise of an Empire. Sure, Zack Snyder has moved on to helm the Man of Steel's next killing spree, handing the reins to the totally unproven Noam Murro. But the Smart People director seems to have captured the visual style and bloody swords 'n sandals action that made the first film a smash. Even if it lacks the same level of star power without Gerard Butler, it's more than made up for by the chance to watch Eva Green as she makes a bid for world domination. Yes, she can lead me into impending doom anytime.

Veronica Mars- March 14th
Director: Rob Thomas
Cast: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Chris Lowell, Ryan Hansen, Krysten Ritter, Percy Daggs III, Tina Majorino, Francis Capra, Ken Marino, Enrico Colantoni

I don't think anybody could have predicted Veronica Mars would make it to the big screen. Not even the most loyal marshmallow could have forseen the Kickstarter juggernaut it would become that got us to this point, but since I'm one of those who happily donated some cash you best believe I'm happy about it! Of course there are some concerns that what worked on TV won't fly as a movie, but as long as Kristen Bell is back as Veronica, and you've got Logan, Weevil, and good ol' Keith Mars joining her, there's every reason to believe fans of the show will leave happy.

Blood Ties- March 21st
Director: Guillaume Canet
Cast: Clive Owen, Zoe Saldana, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, James Caan, Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts

So what if the response out of Cannes was mixed on Guillaume Canet's Blood Ties? I've never been let down by Canet, who directed the excellent crime thriller Tell No One, nor co-writer James Gray. The sprawling 1970s crime tale actually reads like something closer to Gray's sensibilities, with Clive Owen and Billy Crudup as brothers on opposing sides of the law. It's territory Gray has tackled plenty of times before in Little Odessa, We Own the Night, and The Yards, but he's never had a cast that stretches this deep. The combination of Canet and Gray's talents with an incredible amount of star wattage is too tantalizing to resist.

Nymphomaniac Part One- March 21st
Director: Lars von Trier
Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgard, Uma Thurman, Willem Dafoe, Stacy Martin, Udo Kier

Maybe it makes me a dirty old man but I'm hella excited for Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac, and yep, it has everything to do with seeing how far he's going to push the envelope. The trailers and clips we've seen up to this point have suggested a depraved corunucopia of fornication, with von Trier seemingly hitting on every sexual sub-group he can find. Now that the film is out in Europe we've started to hear some advance word, and it sounds like there's some sort of method to his madness, which pretty much sums up every film he's made. I think mainly it'll be interesting to see how our country deals with the in-your-face material. We had a hard enough time handling a couple of lesbian sex scenes in Blue is the Warmest Color. What are people going to think about a film that goes well above and beyond that?

Divergent- March 21st
Director: Neil Burger
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Miles Teller, Maggie Q, Mekhi Phifer, Jai Courtney, Zoe Kravitz

What do I know about Divergent? Not a lot, really. It's about humans divided into ideological factions or something, but I don't know why that's cool or anything. What I do know is that it stars Shailene Woodley, and so far she's batting 1.000 in making movies that speak directly to me, and the chance to see her rejoin The Spectacular Now's Miles Teller is simply too good. How is he not the love interest here, too? Fire the casting director, post haste! I don't know if this will be "the next Hunger Games" or "the next Mortal Instruments", but Divergent has my attention.

Noah- March 28th
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Logan Lerman

All of the sudden it's like everybody wants to make a Biblical epic. Okay, cool, but the one that should be the most impressive is Darren Aronofsky's big budget Noah, which he's been consumed with trying to adapt for quite a long time. Frankly, I'm less interested in the familiar tale of the guy charged by God to build a giant floating zoo to spare himself from a watery death, and more interested in Aronofsky's specific take, which has already ruffled the feathers of a few religious groups. Ruffle away, my friend.

The Raid 2- March 28th
Director: Gareth Evans
Cast: Iko Uwais

It's only been out for a couple of years and already The Raid: Redemption is a stone cold classic, and one of the few martial arts movies from overseas that have made a genuine impact on our shores. If you saw it, then you know already know it reaches incredible levels of violence at a pace so furious it's hard to stop and catch a breath. The sequel, believe it or not, promises to be even bigger with director Gareth Evans taking the action topside and onto the street where all types of new, vicious threats await. I can't wait!

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New Poster for Brutal Fight Flick 'Raze' Starring Zoe Bell

Stuntwoman-turned-actress and Punch Drunk Critics favorite Zoe Bell made her big breakthrough hanging on for dear life in Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, and she's been kicking ass ever since. She isn't venturing too far from the exploitation genre for the brutal fight flick, Raze, which is just one of many reasons why I continue to be obsessed with it.

A brand new poster has debuted over at ThePlaylist, and it offers a look at some of the tough bare knuckle beauties Bell will be squaring off against. Co-starring other favorites of mine such as Rachel Nichols, Tracie Thoms, and Sherilyn Fenn, the film has Bell playing Sabrina, who along with fifty other women is kidnapped and forced to fight to the death for the amusement of a wealthy elite and to protect their loved ones.  The poster pretty much says it all: "No Man Could Survive This".

Raze hits (pun intended) theaters on January 10th 2014. Check out the most recent trailer below.


Raze (Trailer 2) by tvPRIME

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Tape Up your Fists for the New 'Raze' Trailer!

My hope that Zoe Bell's bloody and ultra-violent action flick Raze would hit one of the local film festivals never came to be, but fortunately we're only a few weeks away from it hitting theaters. Speaking of things getting hit, Bell, Rachel Nichols, and dozens of other ferocious ladies tape up their fists as women forced to fight in underground deathmatches to protect their loved ones. The latest trailer gets across just how brutal this film is going to be without having to go into red band territory, and Zoe Bell (who I would watch in anything) is exactly in her element.

Directed by Josh C. Waller and co-starring Doug Jones, Sherilyn Fenn, Tracie Thoms, and Bruce Thomas, Raze hits theaters and VOD January 10th 2014. "May the best woman win"!

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Awesome Poster and Brutal Clip from 'Raze' with Zoe Bell

My obsession with bad ass stuntwoman-turned-awesome actress Zoe Bell has bled over to pretty much every film she's done, starting with Death Proof all the way up to this year's Oblivion. But one film that I'm absolutely dying to see, and sadly have been prevented from thus far, is the brutal female fight flick, Raze. We haven't seen much from it in awhile, which had me worried, but now that's been rectified in spades with the arrival of an awesome new poster and clip!

Bell features on the one-sheet and the footage, and in both it's obvious she's not someone to be fu**ed around with. She plays Sabrina, one of many women abducted and forced to fight in an underground lair until only one remains, and all for the enjoyment of wealthy spectators. Rachel Nichols, Doug Jones, Sherilyn Fenn, Rebecca Marshall, Bruce Thomas, and Bell's Death Proof co-star Tracie Thoms are just part of the cast put together by director Josh C. Waller.

You can find Bell hosting a panel at the New York Comic-Con this week, so if you're up there for the event be sure to check her out. Raze finally hits VOD on January 10th 2014.[EW]

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Watch the brutal red band trailer for 'Raze' starring Zoe Bell and Rachel Nichols

What do you get when you cross Hostel with Fight Club? You get the brutal female fight flick, Raze, which we here at Punch Drunk Critics have been enthusiastically following since day one, mainly due to the promise of watching the awesome Zoe Bell and Rachel Nichols throw down in a blood brawl. The film is set to have its world premiere at Tribeca later this month, but before that we've got the first official red band trailer.

Directed by Josh C. Waller, the film mostly involves more than fifty kidnapped women, forced to fight in underground death matches for the entertainment of unknown spectators. Only one will remain when all of the bloody, bare-knuckle action is said and done, but it's also obvious that each has more than just their life to lose in the process. Doug Jones, Tracie Thoms, and Sherilyn Fenn co-star, but its Nichols and stuntwoman extraordinaire Bell who look like they're packing the most lethal punch.

There's no release date as of yet, but hopefully that will change soon. Check out the trailer for Raze below...


Raze - Red Band Trailer #1 by IGN

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New image from 'Raze' gives a shadowy look at Zoe Bell

Raze is one of the movies I've been sorta obsessed over since the teaser dropped last year. What's not to like about it? First, it stars the awesome Zoe Bell(Kill Bill), who could win you over with her looks before kicking your ass. I mean, she was hanging off a speeding car hood in Death Proof and still whooped Stuntman Mike's butt. Also, it features the uber hot Rachel Nichols(G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra). So really, what's not to love about it already?

What makes it even better? These two tough ladies will be coming to blows in the intense fight flick, which is about a few dozen women who are kidnapped and forced to fight one another in bare knuckle brawls for survival, all for the viewing pleasure of an elite, voyeuristic society. The movie's tagline isn't "Fight or Die" for nothing.

The above image is the latest to emerge from the Josh C. Waller directed flick, and considering the frequency of updates from the production there should be a lot more on the way. I can't wait for this, and hopefully we'll get a chance to talk to the stars or the director at some point. If you've never heard of the film, check out the below teaser and get hyped....

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New image and teaser for Raze, in which Zoe Bell and Rachel Nichols kick eachother's ass

Catfight!!! Aye ya ya ya catfight!! Is there anything that gets the male blood pumpin' faster than a pair of scrappy, sexy chicks beat the crap out of eachother? To watch them kick and claw and scratch eachother's eyes out? Throw in a little creamed corn and you've got yourself one helluva show! Unfortunately it's not something we get to see on the silver screen all that much, except in old Russ Meyer movies where it was mostly big boobed chicks whipping their hair around. Fortunately for us, Josh Waller is aiming to fill that empty void with his new film, Raze, starring the sexy Rachel Nichols(Conan the Barbarian) and the awesome Zoe Bell(Death Proof) in a film that's being described as part Fight Club, part Hostel. Check please.

Last week Twitch had the story on the start of production, featuring a hot new sizzle reel to get you amped up for the big showdown. That seems to be all the movie is about, at least at this point. Two women who are forced into a hand-to-hand brawl to the death.  Today sees the release of a new image of the two in mid-battle, with the simple tagline of "Fight or Die".  Check out that teaser vid below and get yourself amped up!

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