Overview
“The Raid” (original Indonesian title: Serbuan Maut, released internationally as The Raid: Redemption) is a 2011 Indonesian action-crime thriller film.
Set in a high-rise tenement in the slums of Jakarta, the film follows an elite police squad that becomes trapped inside a criminal stronghold and must fight its way out.
This film is characterized by close-quarters combat action that extensively employs the Indonesian martial art pencak silat.
Despite a modest budget of approximately $1.1 million, the film achieved both domestic and international success and gained strong critical recognition.
Written, directed, and edited by Gareth Evans.
Starring Iko Uwais.
Produced by Ario Sagantoro.
Cinematography by Matt Flannery, Dimas Imam Subhono.
Music: Original Indonesian version by Fajar Yuskemal and Aria Prayogi. American version by Mike Shinoda and Joseph Trapanese.
Production companies are Marantau Films, XYZ Films, and Celluloid Nightmares.
The language is Indonesian.
101 minutes.
Trailer
Poster
Plot
In the slums of Jakarta, a 30-story high-rise apartment block operates as a lawless stronghold controlled by crime lord Tama Riyadi (Ray Sahetapy). Together with his lieutenant Andi (Donny Alamsyah) and his enforcer Mad Dog (Yayan Ruhian), Tama governs the building, sustaining his organization by offering rooms and protection to criminals and drug addicts.
Rama (Iko Uwais), a rookie police officer living with his pregnant wife, is assigned to a police special forces unit and joins a 20-man squad led by Sgt. Jaka (Joe Taslim) and Lt. Wahyu (Pierre Gruno) to carry out a raid on the apartment building. The objective of the operation is to arrest Tama.
The squad successfully infiltrates the building and secures the lower floors, but the operation is compromised when a young lookout raises the alarm. Tama uses the building’s public address system to order the residents to kill the officers and cuts off all external communications. The squad becomes trapped inside and is forced to fight armed groups waiting on each floor.
As the battle unfolds, the squad is scattered and many officers are killed. The officer Bowo (Tegar Satrya) is severely wounded and rendered unable to continue, forcing Rama to hide him in a safe location and proceed alone.
While operating alone, Rama encounters his estranged brother Andi, who is now working as one of Tama’s trusted lieutenants. Rama’s personal objective is also to bring Andi back from the criminal underworld and reconcile him with their father. Andi shelters Rama and urges him to escape from the building.
Meanwhile, Jaka, accompanied by Wahyu and the officer Dagu (Eka Rahmadia), moves toward the upper floors in an attempt to rescue Rama and Bowo.
Jaka learns that Wahyu initiated the raid without authorization from his superiors, intending to eliminate Tama for his own personal gain.
After discovering Jaka, Mad Dog points a gun at him, but, preferring hand-to-hand combat, he discards the weapon and challenges Jaka to fight. Jaka is ultimately killed after a brutal struggle with Mad Dog.
Upon realizing that Andi has sheltered Rama, Tama orders Mad Dog to torture Andi.
Rama enters the room where Mad Dog is restraining and assaulting Andi. Mad Dog then releases Andi from his restraints.
A deadly fight begins between Rama and Andi on one side and Mad Dog on the other.
Commentary
Production Background
The film was directed by Gareth Evans, a filmmaker from Wales, who became interested in the Indonesian martial art pencak silat during his stay in Indonesia and established a collaborative relationship with practitioners such as Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian.
Prior to “The Raid,” Evans directed “Merantau” (2009), an action film centered on pencak silat. Set against the traditional practice of merantau, the film employed outdoor locations and a mobile narrative structure to showcase silat, establishing a foundational approach to presenting the martial art in cinematic form.
Following this, Evans developed a larger-scale crime film project, which would later evolve into “The Raid 2.” However, due to financial and production constraints, this project could not be realized at the time. As an alternative, “The Raid” was conceived as a lower-budget production that could be executed under more limited conditions.
In this context, “The Raid” was designed to further refine and intensify the cinematic use of silat developed in “Merantau.” The setting was confined to a single high-rise building, and narrative elements were minimized in order to maximize the continuity and intensity of close-quarters combat. Airsoft guns were used for firearms, with muzzle flashes and impact effects added digitally in post-production.
In addition, budgetary constraints (approximately $1.1 million, estimated) encouraged formal choices such as a single location, a limited timeframe, and a small number of principal characters, all of which contributed to the film’s minimalistic and highly concentrated action design.
Pencak silat
Pencak silat is a traditional martial art widely practiced in Indonesia and across Southeast Asia, encompassing a comprehensive system of combat techniques including strikes, joint locks, throws, and weapon-based forms. It exists in numerous regional styles, many of which incorporate dance-like movements and ritual elements.
In this film, pencak silat serves as the foundational basis for the action, with particular emphasis on continuous close-range techniques such as striking combinations, off-balancing, and joint manipulation.
Structure
The film is structured as a sequence of interconnected combat set pieces, with narrative causality kept to a minimum.
In the early stages, the action centers on gunfights between a police special forces unit and gangs.
In the middle section, the scattered officers encounter enemies lying in wait on each floor of the building, introducing a survival-horror-like tension as well as a quasi-zombie-film structure.
The mode of combat gradually shifts from firearms to bladed weapons, and ultimately to hand-to-hand close-quarters fighting.
In the final stage, the action is further reduced and concentrated into direct confrontations between individuals. The prolonged close-quarters battle in which Rama joins forces with Andi to fight Mad Dog stands as the film’s central highlight.
Release
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011 and was subsequently released internationally. In North America, the subtitle “Redemption” was added as distributor Sony Pictures Classics could not secure the rights to the title.
Awards and Nominations
The film received significant festival recognition, including:
- Toronto International Film Festival – Midnight Madness Audience Award (Winner)
- Dublin International Film Festival – Best Film (Winner)
- Indiana Film Journalists Association – Best Foreign Language Film (Winner)
- Multiple nominations including NAACP Image Awards
Influence
The film is considered to have had a significant influence on action cinema since the 2010s. In particular, elements such as a realism-oriented focus on hand-to-hand combat, a single-location structure, and an emphasis on the visibility and clarity of close-quarters fighting have been noted as points of reference in later works, including the action-thriller “John Wick” series starring Keanu Reeves.
Sequel
In 2014, the sequel “The Raid 2” was released. As with the first film, it was directed and written by Gareth Evans and stars Iko Uwais. The story continues directly from the events of the original, expanding its scope to depict Rama’s undercover operation and a larger network of organized crime intertwined with corruption within the police.