The Raid (2011): When a Whole Building Comes After You

How did The Raid capture worldwide attention?Made for just ~$1 million US Dollars, this Indonesian martial arts/action film garnered worldwide attention and influenced the genre ever since.With breathless, realistic sequences and brutal, stylized action, it's an action fans' delight.And with a slight mix of survival horror and a documentary film style, director Gareth Evans shows off some cinematic skills.But while The Raid is well-known in many circles, it's still arguably underseen.Let's pile on the hype machine for a movie that, for me, can live up to it.In this episode, I discuss frantic sequences and intense pacing,  the lack of CGI or cuts in the action, and how the film looks like it hurts, all the time.Written and directed by Gareth Evans. Starring Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno, Ray Sahatepy, and Tegar Sathya.Connect with us on Bluesky:@not-ni-theaters.bsky.socialAnd to read more of Will's writing or check out more podcast episodes, you can visit him at: willturntale.com