Register  |   Log In  |  
Sign up to our weekly newsletter    
Search   
Empire Magazine and iPad
Follow Me on Pinterest
Empire
Trending On Empire
Two free posters with Empire magazine
Subscribe: Get Dead Island: Riptide
Empire's Soundtrack Celebration
90 Years Of Warner Bros.
Your chance to win a Blu-ray every day!
Cannes Film Festival 2013
News, photos and more from the Croisette
Feature
Ten Films To Watch Before The Raid
Gareth Evans' primer to his action spectacular

The most blistering action film of the year so far, The Raid is so intense it will leave you with actual bruises. The man behind it, Welsh director Gareth Evans, sends Iko Uwais’s greenhorn cop and a small SWAT team into the deadliest housing project in Jakarta, the kind of place that’d give even Snake Plissken second thoughts. It’s a labyrinth of Silat-skilled villains and big bosses… oh, and guns. LOTS of guns. So what were the movies that inspired it? Empire called Evans in Indonesia to find out. Short of concertinaing your face with a wok, there’s no other way to prepare yourself for 100 minutes of martial arts mayhem...

Warning: Contains mild spoilers for The Raid

WORDS PHIL DE SEMLYEN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  1 of 10 Next
Ten Films To Watch Before The Raid | 1. Fist Of Fury (1972)
1. Fist Of Fury (1972)

It’s Bruce Lee’s best film, without a doubt. Because he plays it quiet in The Big Boss (1971) for the first 30-40 minutes - he doesn’t swing a punch - you don’t get that feeling of power. In Fist Of Fury he’s like a maniac; he’s off the leash and there’s something dangerous about his character. His character is unhinged – very violent. I watched the dojo scene over and over and over again.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
 
1 of 10
Next

Have Your Say
Register or login now to let us know what you think.

Your Comments

1 guysalisbury
MIA Born Free is a music video ;) More

Posted by radar670 on Friday May 18, 2012, 13:33

2 Agreed....Where's Hard Boiled
Seriously No Hard Boiled; not a Single John Woo movie...Dude get to Hong Kong more! More

Posted by dgribble on Wednesday May 16, 2012, 00:30

3 RE: Pic 1
L: Phil de Semlyen In fairness to Gareth, this isn't intended to be an exhaustive list of films that influenced The Raid, more a fun primer to get you in the mood. I'm sure he'd be the first to pay homage to John Woo and Hard Boiled. Look out from him on next week's podcast... Well, I have to say, as I've already seen The Raid a few weeks ago at the Bradford Film Festival, that if his list is a primer and not an influence list to get you in the mood then watch Hard Boiled and Ong Bak. Those two will definately get you in the mood for this gem of an action movie. More

Posted by MuckyMuckMan on Tuesday May 15, 2012, 22:24

4 M.I.A Born Free
I've never heard of this and cant find a review on The Empire site............ More

Posted by guysalisbury on Tuesday May 15, 2012, 12:16

5 RE: Pic 1
In fairness to Gareth, this isn't intended to be an exhaustive list of films that influenced The Raid, more a fun primer to get you in the mood. I'm sure he'd be the first to pay homage to John Woo and Hard Boiled. Look out from him on next week's podcast... More

Posted by Phil de Semlyen on Tuesday May 15, 2012, 11:01

6 Pic 1
This is from the big boss. More

Posted by pablo233 on Monday May 14, 2012, 20:33

7
It's Gareth Evans pick, so if he doesn't view Hard Boiled as a major influence, then I guess it wasn't a major influence. Having said that, a wee spoiler alert wouldn't have gone amiss Empire... More

Posted by JamieNC on Monday May 14, 2012, 19:37

8
Where's Hard Boiled? More

Posted by MuckyMuckMan on Monday May 14, 2012, 18:28

9
No Hard Boiled? More

Posted by Whistler on Monday May 14, 2012, 17:16


CURRENT HIGHLIGHTS
Arrested Development Video Interviews
Say hello to Jeffrey Tambor, David Cross, Tony Hale, Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat

Empire's Favourite Music Moments
From The Pixies to Burt Bacharach via Audioslave

Cannes Film Festival Videblogisode #2
Episode II: Attack Of The Clouds featuring Emma Watson and Paul Haggis

The 20 Soundtracks That Defined The 2000s
The sounds of a dark knight, a mischievous Parisian, a troubled family and one flying house...

Movie Poster Mashups: The Furniture Edition
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be appalled at the punning...

Exclusive: Why Man Of Steel Wasn't Called Superman
Writer and producer David S. Goyer speaks

Dwayne Johnson Talks Fast & Furious 6
'I wanted to come in and frankly dominate the movie.'

Subscribe For Only £20
Get Dead Island: Riptide and six issues of Empire for only £20! Subscribe now
Steven Spielberg iPad App
Hollywood's most beloved director in this unique iPad special. Download now
Empire iPad Edition
The world's biggest movie magazine available on iPad Download now
Home  |  News  |  Blogs  |  Reviews  |  Future Films  |  Features  |  Interviews  |  Images  |  Competitions  |  Forum  |  iPad  |  Podcast  |  Magazine Contact Us  |  Empire FAQ  |  Subscribe To Empire  |  Register
© Bauer Consumer Media  |  Terms And Conditions  |  Our Data Promise To You  |  Bauer Entertainment Network
Bauer Consumer Media. Company number 1176085 (England). Registered Office: 21 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2DY