A few years ago Gareth Evans и Iko Uwais, director and actor respectively, provided a breath of “fresh” air to the world of combat cinematography with the film “Merantau” (Merantau), showing Indonesian in action Silat. After a spectacular “rise and fall” Tony Jaa it became unclear who would take the place of the new Asian action star. Now Iko Uwais, and again under the guidance Gareth Evans, apparently decided to compete Jaa. The result of their new collaboration was the film "Raid" / "Deadly Invasion" (The Raid / Serbuan Maut), one of the best and most brutal action films I have ever seen in my life.
In one of the poorest areas of Jakarta there is a house that even the police are afraid to enter. Ruled by a powerful and feared crime lord, the house has become home to Indonesia's most dangerous criminals. And to put an end to this, the elite special police unit is given the order to launch an assault and destroy the leader. As expected, the operation did not go according to plan, and something unimaginable began to happen. The police were trapped inside the building in a hopeless situation, surrounded by bandits and murderers. There is only one possibility: to fight your way up.
The concept of the film is quite simple. There are no unnecessary explanations in it, and there are no complaints against the director regarding glamorization. Gareth Evans He is well versed in exactly how to achieve the desired result. The plot is simple, the scenery is just right for an action film, and it carries the necessary amount of character drama without turning into a farce or overloading the audience with action.
And there is action here, believe me. The film contains shootouts, one-on-one fights, one-on-one fights against the crowd, mind-blowing stunts, etc. “Merantau” I was missing one thing - there was no toughness and realism in the battles, like “Ong-Baku”... In case of "Raid" there is no such thing: you feel every blow thanks to excellent choreography and good work Evans. Iko Uwais has definitely taken things to the next level, going from a promising young actor to a bona fide star.
As a long-time fan of martial arts films, I haven't felt this way while watching it in a theater in a long time. We can only hope that this is just another step in the career of this tandem, because personally I’m already looking forward to new films from them. Maybe, Tony Jaa I'll get back on my feet again, but until then I won't worry about anything. And it is clear that his place has already been taken.
Author: Guillaume Rosset
Translation: EvilDollaR
ong bak 2 and 3 would have been top class if they had been combined with a script and...budget....combined into one second part...and ong bak 3 would not have been necessary...
If only they had made a 2 and a half hour film...then it would have been a success...
in the third there were very few fights...in the second only at the end mostly...
and if it was a whole film... then b... you couldn’t take your eyes off the amount of action and everyone’s impressions would change...
in vain they delayed everything so much...it was...too long and there were too many expectations...
that's a failure...
one ong bak 2 would have been released... and by this time TYUG 2 would have been released...
We shouldn't have wasted so much time...
Iko will surpass Ja only when I see such purity of speed techniques and such super kicks and parkour....all together...
it will make it cooler...then it will surpass...but I doubt...it...
shooters and BI... completely different...
maybe more John Woo films... LET'S ADD...
But regarding Hollywood, we could experiment...once! At least! it wouldn't work
you can always come back...
More than once I imagined Jha in an action game like kill the beat... with such powerful fights... and choreography...
or the mission is impossible...)))
but how would Ja look in these roles... it’s hard to imagine how he would be Ethan Hungt... it’s even kind of funny to imagine...
The director said that the release was postponed from January to the next month(s), but cannot yet give an exact date.
In terms of choreography and execution of fights, OB 2 is simply magnificent, fantastic fights with weapons, can’t even be compared with anything before or since! But with the storyline it turned out to be garbage... Although we may not understand it, but there is a deep THAI meaning!.. :) Who knows, Asians enth... :)
- It’s too small, you know, it’s too small! © Last year's snow fell
That's the problem, most of the money in OB2 went to sets/costumes, etc...
"Jaa should have allocated a normal budget for the second Ong-Bak"
As I understand it, Jha’s films after Ong-Bak had very decent budgets + I heard that the budget of the second Ong-Bak actually increased because of Jha, because he left the set and the film had to be shot longer than planned, i.e. I had to pay a decent amount of money for the penalty.
Ong bak 2, in my opinion, was very successful in terms of fighting games... Tony decided to try himself in other styles, and it was good! I'm willing to bet that Jha's new film will be a flop for fans due to too much "idiotic" Thai humor about some gays or Stink-like-llamas...like most of their recent films.
On the contrary, there are high hopes for Raid...
There was already a VERY large budget for a Thai film.
Ong Bak - 5 million dollars.
TUG - 8,5 million dollars
Ong Bak 2 - 15(!!!) million dollars.
Ong Bak first was a revelation! 2 and 3 are sad.
It's too low to let you into Hollywood.
I would say this: Jaa should have allocated a normal budget for the second Ong-Bak, and then there would be no search in the jungle, the third part of OB and the monastery. IMHO, this is not as much Tony's fault as it is Sahamongkola's. Although few would trust a debut director with a large budget.
I think no. Maybe he will end up in prison, but to work for the mafioso...If only to imprison the mafioso :) I don’t know how to make the text a different color so it’s hard to see
Apparently it will be the same toughness as in the Raid.
I'm wondering, will things stay like this?
Spoiler: GG Yuvaysa ends up in prison, then works for the mafia
Regarding the Reid sequel: Evans wrote that he is reworking Berandal's script. There is still a lot of work, but progress is obvious. It will be ready in two weeks.
If Ong Bak 2 still evoked some positive emotions thanks to the fight scenes, then the third part is a complete waste...
I completely disagree! Ong Bak 2 is already starting out like a fantasy.
Merantau was very good in terms of fight scenes... the fight scene in the elevator was especially great. That's why I'm really looking forward to the Raid.
But as for Tony, I have the same thoughts as the author of the review - Jha is no longer a cake. He may be rehabilitated in the second volume of Yung Gang, but the last two Yong Bak were more than completely dull. All this is IMHO, and if Tony again shows what he showed before, then I will be the first to rejoice!
I totally agree.
Ong Bak 2 is BOMB. I really liked it. And the final battles are some of the best work I've ever seen.
In the winter.
I totally agree.
It was not closed, it was simply frozen due to lack of finances.
Well, in general, after watching Raid and TYUG 2 everything will be clear.
I'll put in my 5 cents.
Firstly: I do not agree with the author.
Secondly: Tom Yum Gung 2 DOES NOT reach the level of Ong Bak.
Third: Tony Jaa SHOULD NEVER go to Hollywood.
That's it :-D
Merantau does not reach Ong-bak - 100% Yes, and Tom Yum Gungu is inferior. The same goes for Iko, he doesn’t reach Ja of that time, BUT the video looks promising and already suggests that the product will be of better quality than the last two Ong-bak. Iko is great for breaking out of pure fighting games and adding action with shooting, etc. (in this regard, he has stepped further than Jah) In general, time will tell if Reid and Hooligan (that is what the closed project of Iko and Evans seems to be called?) turns out to be as good as they promise to be, and Tom Yum Gung 2 cannot reach the level of the FIRST Ong -baka, then it’s quite possible that Iko will bypass Tony.
PS I agree with the author about the rise and fall of Jah. A person could have ended up in Hollywood in a BIG cinema in just a couple of films, but he missed this opportunity and, moreover, with new films he lost his position (a little, but he lost) We are waiting for the sequel to The Defender and there it will be possible to say what Jha is like ( in the photo from the beginning of filming, I must admit, it looks better than during Ong-bak 2,3)
Is the film really that good? It’s unlikely to reach Jaa.
When will this film be available to watch?
Would you bet that Jaa will still be able to challenge his claim?
I managed to find a review with a minimum number of laudatory epithets. But regarding Jaa, I would argue with the author.