Sara Stewart

Sara Stewart

Movies

‘Raze’ does little to raise the bar

Lithe, tank-topped women are held captive and forced to fight to the death in this gloomy action/horror hybrid starring Kiwi stuntwoman Zoë Bell. Josh Waller’s feature debut wears its B-movie intentions proudly, allowing little in the way of plot to interfere with its parade of chick-on-chick bloodletting. But the beatdowns become monotonous long before the last victim is bludgeoned into the sand of the fighting pit by her shrieking opponent.

Sherilyn Fenn makes an appearance as the loony mastermind of this vaguely “Saw”-like scenario, along with Doug Jones (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) as her husband. You’ll catch Rosario Dawson in a cameo as a fighter, too. But this is Bell’s show, and she’s undeniably dynamic to watch in action. Ultimately, though, the lack of story and relentless suffering make “Raze” appealing for hard-core genre fans only.