Director Ranjeet S. Marwa is ready to take the mantle to keep Indonesian action cinema relevant with Blood Rush. As City On Fire recently brought to light, he’s brought on Headshot cohorts Zack Lee and Singaporean actor Sunny Pang, and action sensation Yayan Ruhian to lead his cast.
Marwa will direct from his own script starring Lee in the role of Max, a widower who, after witnessing the death of his wife and child sets out to rebuild himself in a secretive cult underworld. The sect he’s since dedicated his life to decides they don’t want him to rest, and he’ll soon be forced to take stand against his former “family”, as well as himself.
“If you loved THE RAID, if you loved JOHN WICK then you’ll LOVE our next film titled BLOOD RUSH.” said Marwa in a statment on social media on Tuesday. “Our film stars all of those actors from those films and much more. Get ready for what I like to call ‘A Symphony of Chaotic Violence’.”
Marwa has spent the past ten years paying his dues on film sets, wearing a multitude of hats apart from acting, writing and directing shortfilms, documentaries and narrative features. Development with Blood Rush began two years ago with plans to shoot in the UK, before the usual trajectory for independent film production sought a more feasible location, which currently brings Indonesia back into the spotlight.
Marwa’s latest trevails couldn’t come at a better time with the region proving its viability on the world stage through its cinematic rebirth in 2009 after years of stagnantion. That surge prominently stems from the successes of directors like Gareth Evans and the ‘Mo Brothers, who Marwa himself credits in name through their work as listed in the most recent hype teaser for Blood Rush.
Marwa penned the script in four days, and also has Nick Khan slated to coordinate some of the film’s key fight sequences. Khan is especially a familiar face with our site as several of his works have been featured in either reviews or in The Hit List; his recent credits in fight scene and/or stunt coordination include Daniel Zirilli’s upcoming Marko Zaror/Johnny Strong action survival sci-fi thriller, Invincible, and Matt Routledge’s feature debut, Tribal: Get Out Alive, starring Zara Phythian.
Lee’s screen career dates back to the early two-thousandsies, but soon took off through a small role opposite action star Iko Uwais in The Raid 2, Evans’ explosive sequel to the groundbreaking 2011 hit film, The Raid; Both films, in succession from Evans’ 2009 feature, Merantau, and which also introduced Ruhian in individual roles for each film, became cornerstone references for the kind of Silat-infused, stylish and hyperviolent martial arts action fans have come to know and crave with any mention of Indonesian action.
Lee followed suit in 2016 opposite Uwais in Mo’ Bros thriller, Headshot opposite Pang, whose career in Singapore has born and bred him into cult action stardom at home, and now abroad. He reunited with Lee opposite Uwais and lead actor Joe Taslim for Timo Tjahjanto’s feature directing debut, The Night Comes For Us, which sat in development and pre-production hell for several years before finally releasing on Netflix in October 2018. Pang’s other credits of late include Mike Wiluan’s Buffalo Boys, Zahir Omar’s Fly By Night, James Lee’s Kill Fist, and Toggle original series, The Driver.
Ruhian, an astute martial artist himself along with his cohorts, has granted himself worldwide recognition in a number of features from different directors in the last ten years in Indonesia. He arrived via cameo for the world stage in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, terrorised Japan in Takashi Miike’s Yakuza Apocalypse, battled aliens in Liam O’Donnell’s Beyond Skyline, and went toe-to-toe with the Baba Yaga in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. He is also set to tackle Pedring Lopez’s new action heroine, Cristine Reyes in Maria 2.
It’s only a matter of time before Marwa unveils his new campaign video for Blood Rush via Indiegogo. Check back with our homepage for the crowdfunder when it launches.
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Native New Yorker. Lover of all things pizza, chocolate, pets, and good friends. Karaoke hero. Left of center. Survivor. Fond supporter of cult, obscure and independent cinema - especially fond of Asian movies and global action cinema. Author of the bi-weekly Hit List. Founder and editor of Film Combat Syndicate. Still, very much, only human.
