THE RAID COLLECTION: The Two-Film Action Package To Release In February

This month’s leaked X-Spatial Media footage from CineAsia of action star Iko Uwais’s performance in Liam O’Donnell’s upcoming sci-fi thriller, Beyond Skyline is nothing short of a riproaring tease for what could be a delightful thrillride considering the technology on hand. This, accompanied by his upcoming appearance in the 2017 wide release of his current Indonesian theatrical run, Headshot, certainly lends even more appeal to the fans, especially amid the long and winded expectations for a third outing in the electric crime saga, The Raid.

The craze began in 2011 with releases in 2012 for the first film, and a sequel that followed two years later, further bolstering Uwais’s stardom and the local talent on hand representing the newest face of the resurgence of Indonesian action cinema. It also earned director Gareth Huw Evans a promising reign as one of the most spolighted filmmakers to date, while his current advancement with the new thriller, Apostle, among other projects, has albeit tentatively driven the conversation away from barely a mention of the Raid trilogy itself.

Still, it’s a conversation worth having given the prominence earned by Evans, the producers and the cast at large, along with the prospects of a remake still currently shelved until further notice; I still would love to see a remake in tow as the concept of The Raid itself will surely grant audiences the deserved opportunity of seeing action acting community echo the demands of the numerous stunts and fight sequences iterated by Uwais and his team under Evans in their films. Yes, the talent is there. All that’s needed is the will to act, and that’s an update I would love to see in the not-too-distant future.

Until then, however, and on the off-chance that you or someone you know hasn’t heard of either The Raid or The Raid 2 and you love sheer, brutal, violent, escapist martial arts action mixed with compelling crime and family drama, you’ve clicked to the right page. The Raid Collection is now available for pre-order at Amazon, following Sony’s announcement via Blu-Ray.com. Read on:

Raid 2, the / Raid, The: Redemption – Set [Blu-ray]

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release on Blu-ray The Raid Collection. The two-disc Blu-ray set will be available for purchase on February 28, 2017.

The Raid Redemption (2011)

Synopsis: Deep in the heart of Jakarta’s slums lies an impenetrable safe house for the world’s most dangerous killers and gangsters. Until now, the rundown apartment block has been considered untouchable. Cloaked under the cover of pre-dawn darkness and silence, an elite swat team is tasked with raiding the safe house in order to take down the notorious drug lord that runs it. But when a chance encounter with a spotter blows their cover and news of their assault reaches the drug lord, they find themselves stranded on the 6th floor with no way out. The unit must fight their way through the city’s worst [criminals] to survive their mission.

Special Features:

●Audio Commentary with writer/director Gareth Evans

●Video blogs:

~Bootcamp
~Set Location, Camera & Lighting, Make-up & Special Effects
~Courtyard, Hole Drop
~Drugs Lab, Tama’s Office
~Machete Gang & Corridor, Jaka vs. Mad Dog
Post Production

●Behind-the-scenes featurettes:
~Behind the Music
~Anatomy of a Scene
~Stunts
~Themes
~Inside the Score

●An Evening with Gareth Evans, Mike Shinoda, and Joe Trapanese conversation

●In Conversation with Gareth Evans and Mike Shinoda feature
~Claycat’s The Raid
~The Raid TV show ad (circa 1994)

The Raid 2 (2014)

Official synopsis: Immediately following the events of The Raid: Redemption, Rama (Iko Uwais) is forced to reinvent himself as an undercover cop in order to provide protection for his wife and child. Working for the anti-corruption taskforce led by the one person he can trust, Bunawar (Cok Simbara), he is given a mission to engage himself as an enforcer for a local mob boss, Bangun (Tio Pakusodewo). Finding a way in through Bangun’s son Uco (Arifin Putra), Rama must hunt for information linking Bangun with police force corruption. All the while, he harbors a dangerous and personal vendetta for revenge and justice that threatens to consume him- and bring both this mission and the organized crime syndicates crashing down.

The film is written and directed by Gareth 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.

Special Features:
●Featurettes:
~Ready for a Fight: On Location (Blu-ray exclusive)
~Violent Ballet: Behind the Choreography (Blu-ray exclusive)

●Deleted Scene: Gang War (Blu-ray Exclusive)

●English Dub in addition to the original language version of the film

●Director Commentary with Gareth Huw Evans

●Featurettes:
~The Next Chapter: Shooting a Sequel
~Cinefamily Foundation Q&A with Gareth Huw Evans, Iko Uwais & Joe Trapanese

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Lee B. Golden III

filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com | Website

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.