Violence that Quentin Tarantino would love
Writer- director Gareth Evans was as surprised as anyone when his Indonesian action fl ick, The Raid, scored with critics and moviegoers. He’s back with The Raid 2, which is in English subtitles again and features martial arts master Iko Uwais. The violence is extreme. Quentin Tarantino would be proud. It belongs to Evans, however, a 34- year- old Welsh fi lmmaker based in Indonesia. During a recent interview with Postmedia News, Evans revealed himself in four ways. 1. He’s brand savvy: Although, the movie is called The Raid 2, it is not a sequel. “The Raid was like a survival, horror movie meets a martial arts fi lm,” said Evans. “The Raid 2 is like a mix of an undercover cop movie with a gangster movie and it’s as much about fathers and sons and families as anything else.” 2. He’s a chance taker: The Raid 2 is daring and epic and includes a lengthy martial arts battle at the climax. “It was 10 days and 196 shots,” said Evans of fi lming the confrontation. “I had to give the ( combatants) one day off in between to repair.” The daring part? The writerdirector presents Hammer Girl and Baseball Bat Man into his mix of villains. “I wanted to play around with pushing the boundaries a bit,” Evans said. “They were close to comic book territory, but I went for it.” 3. He’s in control: The fi lmmaker resisted Hollywood’s temptation after The Raid garnered attention. Evans was asked if he wanted to do a studio- sized American version of The Raid. He said, “No thanks.” “I didn’t think I’d have the creative control I wanted,” admitted Evans of the studio off er. “That was defi nitely one of my concerns. I also want an opportunity to get to know who I am as a fi lmmaker.” 4. He’s wise: His independent future isn’t limited to Indonesia. “I am thinking about two fi lms, one in the U. S. and maybe one in the U. K., and then I want to do two more in Indonesia,” Evans said. “But I am developing the two English- language movies at a cost level where I can still maintain the creative control I want.”