The Raid will leave Netflix on April 2nd, 2024. The film dropped 13 years ago, immediately becoming the go-to shorthand for fast-paced action excellence. Gareth Evans brought Indonesian martial arts to the forefront of Hollywood blockbusters and launched the international career of two icons. Netflix has a selection of excellent action movies but losing Evans’ masterpiece will leave a significant gap. If you somehow missed this claustrophobic action thriller, now is the perfect time to leap into the Jakarta high-rise and throw down.
The Raid Will Escape Netflix This April
The Raid: Redemption follows an Indonesian paramilitary detachment as they assault a drug lord’s apartment block. It emerged as a showcase for an indigenous Indonesian martial art called pencak silat. Evans moved to Indonesia to shoot a documentary about the fighting style. Whilst there, he met Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian. Uwais worked as a delivery man but practiced Silat in his spare time. Ruhian was a martial arts instructor who traveled the world to teach his skills. Evans directed Merantau in 2009, providing Uwais and Ruhian with their on-screen debuts. After Merantau, Evans pitched a prison drama that fell apart from lack of funding. He eventually reworked the project into a straightforward “survival horror” epic called Serbuan Maut or The Raid. Uwais and Ruhian designed the choreography while the rest of the cast trained with the Indonesian Navy. The result is one of the best action films on Netflix.
The Raid wasn’t always available on Netflix. Sony distributed the film in the US and Mexico, but most other countries enjoyed work from different companies. The Raid earned $9.3 million at the box office and at least $10 million in home video sales. The film has an 87% positive score from 173 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The most notable aspect of the film’s legacy is the world of action movies it inspired. Trace elements of The Raid live on in Dredd, The Night Comes For Us, Headshot, Deadpool, Warrior, and so much more. The John Wick franchise wouldn’t be the genre’s dominant presence without The Raid. Iko Uwais pops up constantly in similar projects, from Timo Tjahjanto’s excellent outings to the awful Expend4bles. Yayan Ruhian enjoyed cameo appearances in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and several other blockbusters. The Raid‘s influence continues, both in its style and cast.
The Raid will leave Netflix soon, but it won’t be gone for long. The film will almost certainly find a new streaming home in the coming months. I can’t recommend the feature enough. Anyone who loves John Wick or its endless imitators will be stunned by The Raid. It has all the fast-paced action fans love, but packed into a non-stop survival thriller with a minimalist story structure. Enjoy The Raid before it breaks out of Netflix on April 2nd.
