gareth evans
Prince Charles Cinema Is Hosting A Double Feature For THE RAID & THE RAID 2 Next Month!
There isn’t much we can do except wait as patiently as possible for the next two years while acclaimed filmmaker Gareth Huw Evans slow-boils his way toward the production of the third installment of his much-heralded crime saga, The Raid. Until then, both film are now available wherever movies are sold for home viewing, and lucky movie goers will be able to attend fan screenings wherever and whenever available.
Keep this in mind while the kind folks over in London’s Prince Charles Cinema are gearing up for a double header on August 8 at 7:20pm for the 2011 movie and its 2014 follow up collectively produced by XYZ Films, Merantau Films and Celluloid Dreams, and starring Iko Uwais, Donny Alamsyah, Joe Taslim, Yayan Ruhian, Ray Sahetapy, Pierre Gruno, Tio Pakusawedo, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Very Tri Yulisman and Julie Estelle, with Cecep Arif Rahman, Endo Kenichi, Matsuda Ryuhei and Kitamura Kazuki.
Bolstered by stunning and explosive martial arts action and brimming with drama and suspense, The Raid and The Raid 2 focus on Rama, a rookie tactical officer resigned to his natural survival instincts and fighting prowess between a compromised police raid that leaves most of his team dead, and an undercover mission into Jakarta’s criminal underworld that exposes multi-level police corruption and a brewing gangwar between crime families whilst testing the limits of his family’s safety, as well as his own.
Anything else beyond this point regarding what will happen in part three is entirely up to the producers on hand. For though though, at least the movies we love now are worth celebrating, and if you live in or near London and wish to purchase tickets, head to the official website for more info!
A CASE FOR BETTER ACTION MOVIES – Character Study: Rama From THE RAID/THE RAID 2 (2011-2014)
Moreover, the first two films most notably convey Rama through the underlying central theme of his life as a family man: a practicing Muslim, which undoubtedly sets the stage for confliction and inner-turmoil for a man whose career has been nothing short of a rip-roaring trial-by-fire, with no choice but adhere to his natural, most violent instincts in order to live. By no means is Rama a violent man, although knows where he stands in the career he’s chosen.
Pre-Production Commences On Gareth Huw Evans's BLISTER
Much of the fandom for director Gareth Huw Evans‘s currently brewing Raid trilogy has settled since the second installment released last year to much excitement and acclaim. So, it may be an uneasy thing for some to possibly have to wait an extra three years before the saga finishes, although it is rewarding to know that Evans‘s storytelling vernacular goes beyond one franchise.
As such, Evans is now moving on to other properties, with at least two films now in-development, including the new movie, Blister. Not much is known about the plot of the film as of yet, although the director did offer a small blurb last year while on the road promoting The Raid 2, describing the film as his own take on “the contemporary American gangster story with echoes of The Wild Bunch”. Evans has since reunited with his fellow film folk in Indonesia, including Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian fresh from the set of their roles in director Liam O’Donnell’s upcoming sci-fi sequel, Beyond Skyline.
Correction: Day 1 of causing mischief with @iko_uwais @YayanRuhian @mpe_very and @gaya_yandi #Blister pic.twitter.com/yDJ7CyyWgi
— Gareth Evans (@ghuwevans) February 3, 2015
Currently, any and all development on a third installment of the Raid trilogy is on hold with Evans now underway with Blister in addition to other projects. Stay tuned and follow Evans on Twitter!
[UPDATED] THE NIGHT COMES FOR US Is On Hold, Production Uncertain
UPDATE (12/24/14): Based on a Tweet response four days ago, it appears that Tjahjanto is taking his vision for the former production of The Night Comes For Us and putting it into graphic novel form with Glitch Network. Production on the film itself suddenly halted back in September for reasons unknown. (Special thanks to commentor, Fatso, for the heads’ up!)
Catch 30-Seconds Of NSFW Mayhem For The Home Release Of THE RAID 2!
As if you needed any more motivation to purchase your copy of DVD or Blu-Ray for a homebound release of writer and director Gareth Huw Evans‘s newest film, The Raid 2, just make you’re in a room with no one looking. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has unleashed a 30-second not-safe-for-work montage of bloody hammers, broken legs and fisticuffs in between quick cuts for its Ultimate Action Mashup this week, and you can check it all out just below.
Click here for all the available disc details and specs, and buy your copy wherever films are sold. And yes, do stay tuned for updates on the forthcoming third installment, and the current development of the reboot with newly cast member, Frank Grillo.
THE RAID 2 Gets A New Home Release Trailer
The film is written and directed by Gareth Huw Evans and produced by Nate Bolotin, Ario Sagantoro and Aram Tertzakian. Executive producers include Rangga Maya Barack-Evans, Todd Brown, Irwan D. Mussry and Nick Spicer.
Rama Gets Down And Dirty In A New Clip From THE RAID 2
While I can assure you that the picture above represents nothing close to the latest clip from director Gareth Evans‘s new film, The Raid 2 (and at best, we can just hope to see those ambitious-looking moves in another film in the not-too-distant future), the following footage is just a taste of the brutal, dirty, scrubby, nasty awesomeness that awaits the film’s nationwide release just hours from now.
Expect bruises, broken bones, ans maybe some hurt feelings. That’s all I’ll say about it.
You can learn a little more about that clip in THIS behind-the-scenes featurette about two minutes in. And remember! The cast and crew of The Raid 2 are hosting a Google Hangout VERY soon, and you may want to CLICK HERE to learn more if you wish to join in.
The bloody mayhem ensues in North America and Canada TOMORROW!!!
H/T: Apple Trailers
THE RAID 2 Director's Next Martial Arts Movie To Film Back-To-Back With THE RAID 3
Photo from ClickOnline by Jack McGlynn (2013)
Lately it feels like I cannot go a day or a week without talking about writer and director Gareth Huw Evans and his latest film, The Raid 2. Pure hype and excitement, followed growing impatience and total anxiety would be a good way to state how things have been for fans in the last nine months since the film wrapped principal photography and four months since Evans, joined by lead actor Iko Uwais and other select cast and crew members began touring the world over to promote the film. Fortunately after two weeks of limited releases, loyal fans including in North America, the U.K. and abroad will finally get to see the film starting this Friday, with further dates and locations to follow. And with all the praise the film has thusfar received in light of all the talk there has been about the third film of the franchise, Friday just can’t come fast enough.
One could also argue the anticipation that lingers in light of the long trickle of news updates on the current development of The Raid 3, which Evans has also gone on record declaring he would not touch on right away, while working on other films, including a seprtate martial arts movie that will bring Evans and Uwais back together. “…I don’t have any plans to do The Raid 3 within the next two or three years so I’m going to take a break from that franchise for a bit.” said Evans in a partial statement quoted from an interview with Crave Online late last month. “I want to do some bubthings outside of Indonesia for like two films, then come back to Indonesia and shoot The Raid 3. I have another one I want to shoot with him first. Still in the action genre and it’s something that [Uwais] needs to train for for a fair amount of time. You have to make good with some weaponry, my friend.”
Following up with that report is the latest interview with the actor now available at Screendaily where it is now being reported that after working on a seperate gangster action film titled Blister, he will work on that very same aforementioned martial arts movie, now back-to-back with The Raid 3. This obviously gives genre fans plenty of time to catch up on The Raid franchise while Evans continues to branch out to other ideas as a means of gaining further wisdom as a filmmaker to benefit the industry at home. “The idea is that if I do these projects outside Indonesia, I’m going to learn a lot and I can bring that back to the Indonesian film industry.” says Evans. “Indonesia gave me everything, if I hadn’t gone off to do that documentary [The Mystic Arts of Indonesia: Pencak Silat], I wouldn’t be here today.”
As for the current state of The Raid 3, with no other information except the film will take place two hours before The Raid 2 ends, Evans continued teasing about the film as he has been for quite a while now. “I’ve got an idea and I already know what the storyline is, and it’s such a departure from the previous two, …I already see it being smaller in terms of duration, but the scope and the scale is still big only on a different level, a bit more controlled. It’ll be fun to do.”
Only time will tell before we get to learn more about what that all possibly means by 2017, on top of what we can expect from the heavy duty training Evans mentions for Uwais earlier on in their standalone martial arts film. In the meantime, the two are serving as action director and fight choreographer for director Timo Tjahnanto’s new action thriller, The Night Comes For Us, which just locked its principal cast of new AND familiar faces led by actor Joe Taslim. And of course, the folks over at Merantau Films and XYZ Films are producing these gems, so I’m already dold.
On a seperate note, The Collective, joined by independent filmmaker and festival organizer Jeff Lunzaga have officially set the date for this year’s Herofest 2014 action movie festival to kick off on May 25, 2014 at the Berkeley Community Media in Berkeley, California.
And guess who is endorsing it?…
Better yet, just watch.
Baseball Bat Man Beats The Competition In A New Clip From THE RAID 2
The Raid 2 was one of the best cinematic experiences of my life. And I am seriously not kidding. And with any luck, we will see more of these actors back on the big screen in a much major way, including actor Very Tri Yulisman who steps out to cause his own brand of trouble in the latest new clip from the film.
Written, edited and directed by everyone’s favorite filmmaker, Gareth Evans, Yulisman stars alongside actress Julie Estelle who play two lethal, uniquely gifted killers, brother/sister duo Baseball Bat Man and Hammer Girl, out to enact an agenda driven by a notorious gangster who plays an important role in the challenges lead actor Iko Uwais will face as he sets out take down Indonesia’s intense network of mob activity and police corruption. The question remains however. ..does it end there? Well, with a third film on the way, it probably doesn’t. And seeing this film would be a good way to keep up, provided you saw the first one of course. And if you haven’t done so, then do it. Just do it.
The Raid 2 opens everywhere on April 11. Check your local theater listings!
H/T: Crave Online
Artwork by @jock4twenty
No One Escapes In This NSFW, Explosive, Violent Deleted Scene From THE RAID 2
This is one of a few deleted scenes taken from the film. Reasons to cut were entirely down to pacing issues. This was probably the hardest for me to cut due to the fact that the production on this scene lasted around 6 days of shooting, it cost us a fuck load to make and it served to escalate the gang war out onto the streets involving people outside of the closed off inter-gang politics.
Part Two Of THE RAID 2: Behind The Scenes Is Here
Check out the new video below!
Hammergirl Launches Her Subway Assault In A New Clip From THE RAID 2
The North American limited theatrical premiere of writer and director Gareth Evans‘s new film, The Raid 2 is just a week and a half away with a wider release expected next month. I’m jusy going to say it: I envy everyone who has seen it other than me! The film screened over this past weekend here in New York City, followed by an event two days later at Apple Store SoHo, and were it not for the job (or my relentless cold this month), I would have attended. But, priorities remain.
However, the one thing I am thankful for is being a part of a recent fan-based effort attributed to the film courtesy of independent filmmaker Vlad Rimburg whose latest short, Hammergirl, won fan-wide praise and approval among his niche, as well as the film’s select cast and crew since its airing last week. It was in August of last year that the character, originally played for Evans‘s new film played by actress Julie Estelle, made waves with an exclusive clip available only to Film4 Frightfest attendees, and much to their delight at that. And this week, MTV is offering just a taste of that very same scene from the film which you can now check below.
Mind you, it’s NFSW. So, by all means, go some place where sensitive eyes won’t lurk. And endulge!
H/T to Eric Jacobus (The Stunt People) for the assist!
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Watch The New Russian TV Spot For THE RAID 2!
The Action/Martial Arts bar has been raised and bolted shut! #TheRaid2 is in a class by itself: Beautality 101! pic.twitter.com/27mbZSNZLK
— Michael Jai White (@MichaelJaiWhite) March 13, 2014
Writer and director Gareth Evans has taken the world by storm with his latest critical beloved favorite, The Raid 2. The film, starring actor and action star Iko Uwais, is being accomodated with boundless praise and appreciation from critics and lucky viewers fortunate to attend early screenings since the film’s initial debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January. And just recently, the film also earned its latest entry of fan film approval by way of independent filmmaker and action choreographer Vlad Rimburg with his latest hit, HammerGirl with CZ12 co-star, actress Caitlin Dechelle.
Big things are happening this year for Evans and Uwais as developments continue for their third entry into their successful franchise by as early as 2017, with an American remake that could possibly see actors Michael Jai White (above) and Scott Adkins cast in the film if Evans gets his way. Until then, the film will finally reward the world’s patience when it debuts worldwide beginning March 28. And that includes eager onlookers in Russia, for which we also have another new international TV spot now viewable at the bottom of the page where you can also catch the first behind-the-scenes footage, courtesy of Yahoo!.
Stay tuned to Film Combat Syndicate for more info.
SYNOPSIS:
He thought it was over. After fighting his way out of a building filled with gangsters and madmen – a fight that left the bodies of police and gangsters alike piled in the halls – rookie Jakarta cop Rama thought it was done and he could resume a normal life. He couldn’t have been more wrong.
Formidable though they may have been, Rama’s opponents in that fateful building were nothing more than small fish swimming in a pond much larger than he ever dreamed possible. And his triumph over the small fry has attracted the attention of the predators farther up the food chain. His family at risk, Rama has only one choice to protect his infant son and wife: He must go undercover to enter the criminal underworld himself and climb through the hierarchy of competing forces until it leads him to the corrupt politicians and police pulling the strings at the top of the heap.
And so Rama begins a new odyssey of violence, a journey that will force him to set aside his own life and history and take on a new identity as the violent offender “Yuda.” In prison he must gain the confidence of Uco – the son of a prominent gang kingpin – to join the gang himself, laying his own life on the line in a desperate all-or-nothing gambit to bring the whole rotten enterprise to an end.