iko uwais

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 […]

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Film Of The Week: MAN OF TAI CHI (2013)

Lee B. Golden III

SYNOPSIS: In bustling Beijing, China, ambitious young “Tiger” Chen Lin-Hu (Tiger Chen) works as a lowly courier; but after work, he is a young martial arts star, rising through the ranks representing the Ling Kong Tai Chi tradition. Though most associate Tai Chi with peaceful, yoga-like movements, Tiger has perfected the ancient art and started to make a name for himself in the prestigious Wulin Wang martial arts championship. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, police investigator, Suen Jing-Si (Karen Mok), who works for the organized crime unit OCTB, has run into a wall in her pursuit of Donaka Mark (Keanu Reeves). Donaka is a powerful Hong Kong businessmen who runs a secret underground fighting ring, where cold hard cash is made by defeating one’s opponent in a no-holds barred fight privately broadcast to wealthy patrons. Looking for a new “star,” Donaka tries to lure Tiger with the promise of easy money. […]

Share Your #BerandalReaction To Hangout With THE RAID 2 Cast And Crew!

Lee B. Golden III

Writer and director Gareth Huw Evans‘s new smash hit, The Raid 2: Berandal is rolling out very slowly and gracefully since its official kickoff last week on March 28. The film is officially opening nationwide in the North America, the United Kingdom and other parts of the world this Friday, much to the delight of action fans who have been reading more and more upworthy reviews about the film that has garnered the attention of action fans everywhere for an industry in an area of the world thay is just now emerging on a much larger scale. To celebrate this occasion, the cast and crew of the film are hosting a Google Hangout for participants to partake in on the evening of the release. The official instructions are below, as well as the official event page which you can access by CLICKING HERE. And if you need further motivation, the […]

THE RAID 2 Bludgeons The Internet With A New Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

IGN hosted a brand new “internet-exclusive” trailer for anyone and everyone waiting to watch The Raid 2 when it comes out starting in limited releases beginning next week on March 28. There’s some new footage in it that you might not have seen yet unless you’ve been to a film festival or two this year, and probably more than you might be willing to see unless you don’t have an issue spoiling yourself just a teeny bit. Hell, I said it before and I’ll say it again: I can’t wait to see this fucking movie already. 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 (Iko Uwais) thought it was done and he could resume a normal life. He […]

Part Two Of THE RAID 2: Behind The Scenes Is Here

Lee B. Golden III

With the first of two behind the scenes videos being aired this month, a second one is now up for the upcoming release of The Raid 2, which you can check out below. The new featurette shows a little bit more new footage of the action, and also offers a little more from writer/director Gareth Evans and the cast and crew on the editing process, details and experiences on certain sets, the score, and the “different kind of assassin” fans will see played by returning actor Yayan Ruhian, among other things. The film launches in selected territories around the world, including Indonesia, New Zealand/Australia, and in the U.S. in New York and L.A. on March 28 with further releases thereafter. Honestly, the date can’t come fast enough, and I can’t wait to see this fucking movie already. So… yeah. Check out the new video below!

Meet THE RAID 2 Director And Cast In New York City!

Lee B. Golden III

The upcoming release of the action crime epic, The Raid 2 has the world of martial arts fanfare buzzing this year, and that trend continued its way to SXSW in Texas on Monday just this past week when the film was supposed screen. The screening, hosted by the film’s writer and director Gareth Evans and the cast and crew, evidently was held twice the following day, and only because of a minor glitch during Monday’s attempted screening. So instead, Evans put on a stage show featuring the film’s lead protagonist and villain, played by Iko Uwais and Cecep Arif Rahman, which you can check out below. Earlier screenings and events are still taking place in select territories throughout the globe as the film approaches its New York and Los Angeles release dates on March 28 following its wider release on April 11. As such, if you live in New York […]

Watch The New Russian TV Spot For THE RAID 2!

Lee B. Golden III

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 […]

Danger Comes From All Directions In The New Poster For THE RAID 2!

Lee B. Golden III

Writer and director Gareth Evans‘ new epic action thriller, The Raid 2, has already become a hit among critics since its debut at the Sundace Film Festival two months ago. And with screenings between last month and other early March events preceding the film’s wide release beginning March 28, the film has already garnered its fair share of poster art, including a New Zealand/Australian and an Indonesian print. Alas, with the film’s push in other markets, there are more to come, and thus Entertainment Weekly forwarded an exclusive look at the latest poster for the film being heralded as one of the greatest action movies ever made. Check it out: The Raid 2 follows up the events of the first film with a largely new cast of killers, gangsters to comprise Jakarta’s seedy underworld of criminal activity with Indonesian action sensation Iko Uwais as the rookie cop forced to walk […]

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The Hollywood Theater Set To Screen THE RAID 2 One Week Early From Wide Release

Lee B. Golden III

Since making huge waves at this year’s film festival circuit with rip-roaring fans of martial arts action star Iko Uwais are on high alert for the next five weeks until the theatrical release of writer and director Gareth Evans‘s new film, The Raid 2, with the latest unveiling of the official mosaic poster for the film’s Indonesian premiere titled The Raid 2: Berandal. This week however, reports indicate that The Hollywood Theater in Pennsylvania is hosting its own early screening of the upcoming action epic on Wednesday for March 19 at 7:30pm PST, nine days before the film’s wide premiere the following week on Friday, March 28. The Hollywood Theater is located in 1449 Potomac Avenue in the Dormont section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more info on the venue, you can visit their official website, and check out their reviews on Yelp. In the meantime, check out some recently released stills […]

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Iko Uwais Faces Duality In The New Poster For THE RAID 2: BERANDAL

Lee B. Golden III

XYZ Films producing partner and Twitchfilm founder and editor Todd Brown unveiled an exclusive look at the brand new Indonesian poster art on Tuesday night for the upcoming release of the epic martial arts crime saga, The Raid 2 from writer and director Gareth Evans. The latest feature starring Iko Uwais reprising his role from the first film in 2011, the new film has been on a busy streak making the film festival rounds at Sundance and SXSW, and celebrated far and wide as one of the best martial arts action thrillers as of late. Sony is releasing the film worldwide beginning March 28, 2014 in Indonesia, North America and New Zealand/Australia with other dates and locations pending. The film is a production of XYZ Films and Merantau Films with actresses Julie Estelle and Marsha Timothy, and actors Alex Abbad, Arifin Putra, Mathias Muchus, Tio Pakusadewo, Cecep Arif Rahman and Yayan Ruhian also starring. […]

Adkins To Evans: "Put Me In 'The Raid 3'!"

Lee B. Golden III

Word has it that it’s pretty cool to be writer and director Gareth Evans right about now. Tuesday night’s premiere of his newest film, The Raid 2: Berandal, starring breakout action star Iko Uwais, is being met with an internet-full of praise and acclaim from Sundance Film Festival attendees and critics alike, basically reassuring fans everywhere that the film absolutely will not disappoint upon its release in March. That said, if you have been following Evans on Twitter for the past year or so, you were likely to catch a few blurbs every now and again between the director, and fellow martial arts action cinema superstar Scott Adkins mingling ideas between tweets, and probably on a much smaller scale than anything they might have discussed in private, if anything. Adkins became the center of much of support from his worldwide fan base with recent hopes Universal Pictures would cast him in […]

Watch The First Full Trailer For THE RAID 2!

Lee B. Golden III

It’s been a busy month so far for the production partners at Merantau Films and XYZ Films. With The Raid 2: Berandal set to make its three-night world premiere beginning tonight at the Sundance Film Festival following with what has been a grueling post production schedule, we now have a full new trailer for the film’s North American theatrical transition as The Raid 2. Written and directed by Gareth Evans, the film sees actor Iko Uwais reprising his role from the blockbuster breakout hit, The Raid: Redemption, which was released to wide acclaim in the U.S. in 2012. Uwais is joined by Tio Pakusadewo, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Alex Abbad, Julie Estelle and Cecep Arif Rahman, with Cok Simbara, Ryuhei Matsuda, Kazuki Kitamura, Kenichi Endo, and returning actor Yayan Ruhian. The Raid 2 releases theatrically on March 28, 2014. SYNOPSIS: Immediately following the events of the original, The Raid 2 tracks Officer Rama […]

THE NIGHT COMES FOR US Lands North American Distribution

Lee B. Golden III

Following news of its worldwide sales back in November of last year, Radius/TWC has officially now acquired the North American rights to director Timo Tjahjanto‘s latest collaborative efforts with Merantau Films and XYZ Films for the new film, The Night Comes For Us. The news arrives on the eve of the forthcoming premieres of two films from both partnering production companies, Tjahjanto‘s latest co-directorial action horror thriller, Killers with director Kimo Stamboel, and filmmaker Gareth Evans‘ upcoming sequel crime saga installment, The Raid 2: Berandal. The Night Comes For Us sees action star Joe Taslim (The Raid, Fast And Furious 6) leading the way as a gangland enforcer named Ito who returns from a stint abroad, and is forced to deal with internal war brewing in his own local crime family while plotting its own campaign of territorial expansion. The film will reunite several names from The Raid franchise, which […]

New NZ/Australia Release Date + Win Sundance Tickets To See THE RAID 2: BERANDAL

Lee B. Golden III

(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’)); Post by Madman Films. Just hours away from its three-night premiere at the Sundance Film Festival beginning tomorrow, Australian distributor Madman Films has announced the theatrical release date for the second installation of the martial arts crime saga, The Raid 2: Berandal, on March 27, 2014. The film is also expected release thereafter in Indonesia and North America on March 28, 2014, with other releases currently pending in France and the Netherlands, and more territories to follow. In light of this, XYZ Films producing partner and Twitchfilm editor Todd Brown is featuring several new trading cards along with a new giveaway for free tickets for lucky individuals to attend the film’s Sundance premiere. CLICK HERE to view the cards and learn more on how […]

THE RAID 2 Director Bids Thanks, Tweets Final Stages Of Post Production

Lee B. Golden III

Sweet fucking mayhem – car chase mix is sounding pretty amazing. Your heads will explode. #TheRaid2Berandal — Gareth Evans (@ghuwevans) January 16, 2014 Gareth Evans, the ever humble and hard working writer and director of the second installment of his growing martial arts crime saga, The Raid 2: Berandal, took to Twitter this week to announce the final stages of post production on his new film, bidding a heartfelt thanks to the post production crew who have worked tirelessly to get the film done in time for its three-night premiere at the Sundance Film Festival beginning on January 21. Earlier on, Evans reflected a little bit more on the earlier conception of the new film then-titled “Berandal” which originally meant to be something entirely different in following up his previous success with Merantau, which would further catapult its lead actor, Iko Uwais to martial arts cinema stardom. “4yrs ago..” he […]

Joe Taslim Goes MMA In A New Fight Choreo Clip For THE NIGHT COMES FOR US

Lee B. Golden III

While director Timo Tjahjanto continues to promote his latest co-directorial action/horror effort with fellow “Mo Brother” Kimo Stamboel titled Killers, things are still set in motion for Tjahjanto‘s own solo contribution as helmer of the latest collaboration between Merantau Films and XYZ Films for The Night Comes For Us. Some details have already been ironed out, including the plot, where we rising international action star Joe Taslim (The Raid, Fast And Furious 6) return to form, this time portraying a Gangland Enforcer named Ito who comes home to Jakarta after a stint abroad, and is forced to deal with internal war brewing in his own local crime family while plotting its own campaign of territorial expansion. In addition, we also learned in November that while actor Yayan Ruhian will be starring in the film, filmmaker Gareth Huw Evans (The Raid, The Raid 2: Berandal) has been previously reported to be […]

Gareth Evans Drops Details On THE RAID 2: BERANDAL Trailer And THE RAID 3

Lee B. Golden III

“@GaelicMohawk: The Raid 2 is gonna make me shit everywhere” I tend not to RT but this one I simply have to. — Gareth Evans (@ghuwevans) January 7, 2014 Back in December of last year, filmmaker Gareth Evans hosted a brief Twitter Q&A where among a few other things, he acknowledged his composers, Fajar Yuskemal, Aria Prayogi and Joe Trapanese for their work on the score for his upcoming film, The Raid 2: Berandal, in addition to somewhat jokingly teasing a three-figure bodycount. Evans also addressed Film Combat Syndicate’s inquiry on how soon The Raid 3 would begin production, tweeting “I have a basic outline for part 3 – depends on how part 2 does, maybe 2017.”. A new report from Dark Horizons now lists a series of tweets that partly expand just a tiny bit on what lies ahead for the third film according to Evans‘ most recent tweets. […]

THE RAID 2: BERANDAL Gets A U.S. Release Date!

Lee B. Golden III

The Raid 2: Berandal is all the hype among martial arts action cinema fans. If you have been keeping up with the updates, you have already seen the teaser for the upcoming thriller that succeeds its 2011 predecessor and are looking forward to what the sequel has in store, courtesy from its producers over at Merantau Films and XYZ Films. Let’s hope all the theaters in North America are ready for the bloodthirsty, film hungry onslaught of martial arts action cinema fandom headed its way. March is gonna be a sick month for movies. And I’m sure writer and director Gareth Evans has no complaints. Check out the press release courtesy of JoBlo and look out for the full trailer next week! Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films announced today that they will release THE RAID 2 in the United States on March 28. The film will have its […]

Updates On XYZ With The Raid 2, Killers And The Dead Lands

Lee B. Golden III

This week, Deadline is reporting that writer and director Gareth Evans’s upcoming film, The Raid 2: Berandal, will be joining the line-up for this year’s events at the Sundance Film Festival, which will be held at Park City, Utah between January 16th and the 26th of next year. In light of the news, the folks over at Comic Book Movie also forwarded a new image of from the film which you can view below featuring actress Julie Estelle as “Hammer Girl”. The Raid 2 follows up the epic, action-packed story from its 2011 predecessor, The Raid (a.k.a. Seruban Maut) starring Iko Uwais reprising his role as a rookie tactical officer who now must go deep undercover to fish out the corruption in his own police force. Currently tapped for a March 2014 release prior to a third film as part of a preiously announced trilogy tentatively set for 2017, the […]

THE NIGHT COMES FOR US Sells Worldwide!

Lee B. Golden III

Just six months away from principal photography, actors Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian, and fight choreographer Iko Uwais are running the numbers on the action sequences for producer Gareth Evans’s latest return to the set with director Timo Tjahjanto for upcoming martial arts crime thriller The Night Comes For Us. But even so, the prospects for the folks at Indonesia’s PT Merantau Films and L.A.’s XYZ Films are looking brighter and brighter. Toward the last leg of this month’s event at the American Film Market, XYZ Films have apparently closed distribution deals worldwide for the upcoming film, according to a new report from Screendaily on Wednesday, with rights sold to eOne in the UK, Madman in Australia and New Zealand, Koch Media in Germany, Wildside in France and HGC in China. Also, further deals were closed for Shooting Stars in the Middle East, Daisy in South Korea, Pictureworks in India, […]