From everything I’ve heard, Gareth Evans’ The Raid is a pretty badass scrotum knocker of an action film. I’ll finally get to present my scrotum for knocking in a few weeks when it opens here in San Francisco (March 23rd, to be exact), but in the meantime, Sony Pictures Classics has given the Indonesian shoot ’em/punch ’em/kick ’em up a new trailer, which you can watch below, and a new title, The Raid: Redemption. I don’t understand the strategy of changing the title right before the release after it’s been building buzz for a year. Moreover, I don’t think there’s a person on Earth who would think to themself, “The Raid? What’s that? I don’t get it. Wait, did you say The Raid: Redemption? Well now it sounds badass. I mean, as long as it sounds like a meaningless Wrestlemania theme, I’m in. Otherwise, no way.” So well done, Sony Classics. Way to go on that.
As a rookie member of an elite special-forces team, Rama (Iko Uwais) is instructed to hang back during a covert mission involving the extraction of a brutal crime lord from a rundown 15-story apartment block. But when a spotter blows their cover, boss Tama (Ray Sahetaphy) offers lifelong sanctuary to every killer, rapist and thief in the building in exchange for the heads of the invading SWAT team. Rama stands in for the team’s fallen leader Jaka (Joe Taslim) and uses every bit of his fighting strength – winding through every floor and room to complete the mission and escape with his life. Recently named one of 2012’s “Directors To Watch” by Variety – Gareth Huw Evans reteams on THE RAID with Iko Uwais, the star and fight choreographer of the cult sensation MERANTAU. Already a word-of-mouth sensation at the Toronto Film Festival where it played to sold out crowds, the film is now poised to reach global audiences with a propulsive new score by alternative rocker/composers Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and Joseph Trapanese of M83.
Oh, snap! I was already sold based on the punching and the kicking and the shooting, but now that I know a dude from Linkin Park did the score? That’s just the energy drink on the shaved chest, bro. Mmm, sticky.