In the slums of Jakarta, a 30-story apartment building has become an impenetrable fortress controlled by the ruthless drug lord Tama Riyadi. Every floor houses criminals, killers, and drug manufacturers who pay Tama rent in exchange for protection from the police. The building is a no-go zone — until a 20-man SWAT team is deployed for a dawn raid to take Tama down.

Led by the morally questionable Sergeant Jaka and accompanied by rookie officer Rama — a devout Muslim and expectant father who joined the force for personal reasons — the team breaches the building and begins clearing floors. But Tama spots them on his surveillance system and announces over the PA: kill the police, and your rent is free. Suddenly, every resident becomes a potential killer, and the SWAT team is surrounded with no backup and no way out.

What follows is one of the most relentless, physically punishing action films ever made. As the team is decimated floor by floor, Rama must fight his way through armies of machete-wielding thugs, gun-toting criminals, and two of Tama’s most lethal enforcers: the cold-blooded Andi and the terrifying “Mad Dog,” a martial arts savant who prefers to fight hand-to-hand. Using the Indonesian martial art of Pencak Silat, The Raid delivers fight choreography that left audiences worldwide speechless.

Director & Cast

Director: Gareth Evans — a Welsh filmmaker who moved to Indonesia and fell in love with Pencak Silat, crafting one of the most visceral martial arts films in history.

Cast: Iko Uwais as Rama, Joe Taslim as Jaka, Yayan Ruhian as Mad Dog, Ray Sahetapy as Tama, Donny Alamsyah as Andi, and Pierre Gruno as Wahyu.

Behind the Scenes

Iko Uwais, a Pencak Silat practitioner discovered by Evans, also served as fight choreographer alongside Yayan Ruhian. The film was shot in just under six weeks in a real abandoned building in Jakarta. Made on a budget of approximately $1.1 million, it became an international sensation and is widely regarded as one of the greatest martial arts films ever produced.