The Raid at 10: Gareth Evans in Life of Action II
10 years ago, The Raid changed the face of action cinema. Most die-hard fans will recall where they were when they first saw it, most likely seated in a busy movie theatre with crowds of fellow action hounds, all losing their minds. That was my night, anyway! It was an incredibly fun and exhilarating shared experience to be a part of. I think those of us who know action cinema inside-out were well aware that this was history in the making.
Director Gareth Evans’ journey getting the film made is fascinating too, and we talked about his background, early influences and career trajectory in my book, Life of Action II. Growing up and studying in Wales, after self-financing his debut feature [Footsteps], he relocated to Indonesia with his wife, where he was hired to direct a documentary on the local martial art of silat. Most significantly, perhaps, while shooting took place, he spotted a local martial artist named Iko Uwais. Developing the idea of a traditional martial arts movie with a local flavour, which became Merantau, he was able to learn the ropes and honed his eye for action. Merantau earned a very positive reaction among genre fans, but no one could have anticipated what would come next.
Audiences all over the world agree that The Raid was a game changer. It felt like it drew from the vast, rich well of the genre (Evans is a fan of Jackie Chan, John Woo and many more of the greats), and those influences are present, yet it felt fresh and invigorating. Perhaps he didn’t even seek to reinvent the formula, but through his unique lens, he cooked and served something very different. There was elaborate, dynamic and often shockingly violent action, and no shortage of claustrophobic tension and horror. Crucially, it was never action for the sake of action; there were real stakes for the characters. For Rama (Iko Uwais) and his teammates, it feels like a relentless, exhausting fight through a literal nightmare.
In our conversation for Life of Action II, I asked Evans whether he had any clue that The Raid would become this huge international hit? He told me, “in a weird way, none of us really knew what we were making until we made it. We love Yayan [Ruhian] and loved what he was doing playing Mad Dog but we had no idea that the reception he’d get would be so fucking good [Laughs]. We were just filming and sweating in intense heat, shooting as quickly as we could. We went to Toronto for the first screening and we had no idea what the reaction would be. Iko [Uwais], Joe [Taslim] and I flew out there and booked our flights to go back two weeks later. We wanted to stay for the entire festival because we thought it might be the only one we’d play, plus we could have a little holiday.
Todd Brown (XYZ Films) was living there so we stayed with him, then we’d go out to explore in the day and see a movie at night. All of a sudden, The Raid was screened and it went nuts. You’ve got to be the most critical of your own work. If you look at something you made years ago and like it more than what you’re making now, it’s a problem and it’s worrying. I remember seeing moments in the edit and thinking they were cool, but I had no idea how people would react to seeing the final film. I think it was the right time and we were fortunate that it turned out the way it did. I’m so grateful to our producer Toro [Ario Sagantoro] and the entire team who worked incredibly hard.”
Gareth Evans filming The Raid 2. Photo courtesy of PT Merantau Films
Despite being hugely ambitious and pushing boundaries in every possible sense, the film was made for a relatively low budget, yet very well drilled and rehearsed, with an incredible team behind it. So, did Evans use tricks and secret techniques to make the film seem bigger than it was? He explained, “we used all sorts of different methods. In the middle of the shootout when the guys are firing guns down from above, with Joe [Taslim] against the wall, we had people throwing dust and debris at him, and he reacted like he was being shot at. When he looks past camera through the doorway leading to another corridor, we hear the rumble of about 50 people coming and see the light flickering, which was an art guy moving a piece of card in front of the light. Then, when our guys jump through the hole in the floor and kill a few people down there, we hear the sound of several more people above but only one guy drops down after them, maybe they heard what happened and didn’t follow. The SWAT guys are shooting up towards them but we still don’t see them, and we don’t really get any more than that. It feels like they’re surrounded at every wall, every ceiling, and if we can get away with that, the audience will feel like they’ve seen more than they have.”
The Raid remains an undisputed modern classic and we are sure to be celebrating the original and its sequel, The Raid 2: Berandal, for a very long time. While Evans is still asked about the possibility of making The Raid 3, I’m in full support of artists and filmmakers who want to focus on new endeavours. Bottom line, if the opportunity for The Raid 3 is right and he wants to do it (apparently there is a script, or at least a concept), completing a trilogy would make audiences very happy. But even if that never happens, we should appreciate the fact that we’ve been served two of the most significant action genre pictures ever made, which, thankfully, have been fully appreciated in their time.
My book Life of Action II is still available in hardback, softcover and on Kindle, for those who want to read Gareth Evans career-spanning interview in full.