The Night Comes For Us (2018)

Arian vs Thugs: ***

Ito vs Butchers: ***1/4

Apartment Brawl: ***1/4

Ito vs Cops: ***

Elena Hallway Fight: ***1/4

Alma Stairwell Fight: **1/2

Ito vs Operator: ***1/2

Ito vs Thugs in Warehouse: ***3/4

Operator vs Alma/Elena: ***3/4

Ito vs Arian: ****1/2





This movie is so violent! It's brutal in a similar fashion to the Raid movies but with even more blood and gore. This is visceral and not for the faint of heart.

Seeing Iko in the role of an antagonist was really interesting here. He carried himself with such composure throughout, and seemed to have a blast playing the final boss. His performance was reminiscent of the end bosses from the 80's Hong Kong era; suit wearing psychopaths with unbridled martial skill.

There's a lot of really good action throughout, but I would say the level of violence mars it a little. It becomes numbing after a while and by the end feels like they have to keep topping themselves in how violent the kills are. One area the violence works however, is the final fight. It's the best thing in the film, unsurprising given how skilled Iko is, but Joe Taslim is excellent as well. The violence in that clash escalates in a meaningful way as the two former brothers fight tooth and nail. Iko's character Arian, who'd been so dominant and composed throughout, begins to fall apart at the seams as Taslim's character Ito fights on relentlessly. It's a thing of violent beauty.

Taslim was the sergeant in the Raid but here he really gets to show what he can do. His character seems to have endless stamina but his rugged brawler style (mixed with his Judo background) makes him feel grounded. The stuntmen worked their asses of in this flick and it shows. The one shot they tried from a first person perspective didn't really land, unfortunately, but it was a neat idea.

Julie Estelle was really cool in this movie. Her clash with Hannah Al Rashid's "Elena" at the end was especially good. Really hope she sticks around in the genre.

Recommended.

Triple Threat (2019)

Iko Uwais vs Tony Jaa: ***

Tony Jaa vs Thai Boxer: **

Iko Uwais vs Tiger Chen: ***3/4

Tony Jaa vs Steiner: ***

Iko Uwais vs Jeeja Yanin: **3/4

Tiger Chen vs Michael Bisping: **3/4

Iko Uwais vs Michael Jai White: ***1/2

Tiger Chen vs Michael Bisping: ***1/4

Tony Jaa/Iko Uwais vs Scott Adkins: ***3/4

Tony Jaa vs Scott Adkins: ****





I thought it was interesting how each of the three leads were booked in this movie. At first I thought Iko's character was meant to be the lead but by the end it was clear to me it was Tony Jaa. Iko barely wins any fights in this movie. He has a stalemate with Jaa early on, which makes sense. He then immediately loses to Chen, which is fine. He defeats Yanin (who I wish had more to do in this flick) in a short skirmish, but in his final clash with White is totally dominated. White beats him down and it's only with Chen's help and a convenient spike that he wins. Villains losing to conveniently placed spikes has got to be one of my least favorite martial arts film tropes. I don't understand why Iko couldn't just beat White straight up; maybe the idea of him defeating a man twice his size, who also knows martial arts, seemed unrealistic to folks. I'm so used to Iko being booked stronger than this so it was weird.

Jaa and Chen, meanwhile, win just about every fight they're in. Chen beats Bisping twice and Jaa gets to beat final boss Adkins. This is to be expected for the heroes but it's just interesting to me how much more shine they get compared to Iko.

The fighting gets really good once Adkins gets involved. Bisping is a bit stiff, clearly still new to the art of screen fighting and White is someone I find hit or miss, depending on the level of the fight directors and choreographers he works with. He was good in his clash with Iko. Chen had to carry Bisping, clearly. Adkins was tremendous as usual. His attacks look so powerful and he clearly conveys a sense of intent with his strikes. You totally buy him handling both Jaa and an injured Iko in a 1 v 2 situation.

The grouping of all this talent was neither a major letdown nor a blow away success. I would very much enjoy a sequel, even if the rogues gallery would no longer include Adkins or White. The three leads are talented enough to leave me wanting more. Recommended.

Man of Tai Chi (2013)

Opening Fight: 2.25/5

Tiger Chen vs Chou Ping: 3.25/5

Tiger Chen vs Brawler: 3.5/5

Tiger vs Guy in Blue: 2.25/5

Tiger Fighting Montage: 3.25/5

Tiger vs Iron Body Guy: 3.75/5

Tiger vs Sanshou Fighter: 3.25/5

Tiger vs 2 Fighters: 4/5

Tiger vs Master: 4/5

Tiger vs Uri Romanov: N/R

Tiger vs Iko Uwais: 3/5

Tiger vs Keanu Reeves: 2.75/5



Tiger Chen is a talented guy. This movie functions as his vehicle. That being said, I wish I liked it more. It's an ok film, but considering they got Iko Uwais from the Raid in it and the sheer amount of fighting in it, I expected more.

Keanu Reeves chews so much scenery throughout this. He is way over the top. You can tell they wanted to make his final showdown with Tiger an epic, but they fall quite short. Keanu just can't move well enough to convince me he's the dominant villain he's presented as. Yeah he's bigger than Tiger, but that's about it. Also, if I never have to hear Keanu say, "You owe me a life" ever again I can die happy.

I wish Tiger and Iko Uwais had gotten a real chance to go at it, but the story film's narrative prevents that. Let's hope Tiger shows up in The Raid 3.

Onto the positives, there are 2 great fights and a couple very good fights in this. Tiger vs his master is especially resonant, the actor playing the Master moves better than Keanu. Plus the music that fight is set to really helps to convey the story. Tiger looks good in every fight scene he's in. He holds up his end quite well. I want him in more things.


I want to support movies like this and guys like Tiger. Somewhat recommended.

The Raid 2: Berandal (2014)

Prison Bathroom Fight: 4/5

Prison Yard Fight: 3.75/5

Prakoso vs Thugs: 2.75/5

Prakoso vs Thugs in Nightclub: 3.75/5

Hammer Girl Train Fight: 3.75/5

Baseball Bat Man Fight: 4/5

Rama vs Cops: 2.25/5

Rama vs The Assassin: 3.25/5

Car Fight: 3.75/5

Rama vs Thugs in Warehouse: 4/5 

Rama vs Hammer Girl & Baseball Bat Man: 4.5/5

Rama vs The Assassin: 4.5/5


If you liked the first Raid, you'e gonna love this too.

As far as comparing the 2, I will say the first Raid was much more straight forward. And also what I liked about the first Raid was that many of the nameless thugs wouldn't just be cannon fodder. They would fight back and be tough opponents. That isn't quite the case here. But instead, what we get is a wider array of credible, interesting villains. Hammer Girl and Baseball Bat Guy are terrific. And the main assassin is highly skilled at Silat. A great match for Iko Uwais' character, Rama.

Also, the fights take place in many different locations, as opposed to the first film. There's also a lot more weapon work in this film. More variety, in every aspect. That's what we get with a larger budget.

I loved this. It's brutally violent. The choreography is on point. There's a lot more use of space in this. The opening bathroom fight shows Rama using the small location to his advantage. There's a very impressive fight inside a car during a chase sequence. They somehow make a fight scene happening inside of a car between 3 guys in a back seat dynamic. Impressive stuff.

Iko has even improved as a screen fighter, I would say. And he was good before. But now, he carries himself like a true star. He has the screen presence of Tony Jaa. And he's fast. His hand speed reminds me of a young Donnie Yen at times.

The villains are built up well to look like real threats to Rama. And the earlier brawls lead up to the great fights towards the end. Some brutal, creative exchanges throughout the film.

The sequel lives up to the considerable hype. Highly recommended.

The Raid: Redemption (2012)

Rama vs Group, Weapons Fight: 4.25/5

Rama vs 4 Guys w/ Machetes: 4/5

Sergeant vs Mad Dog: 4/5

Meth Lab Fight Scene: 3.75/5

Rama & Andi vs Mad Dog: 4.75/5

The breakout Indonesian action/martial arts film is as good as they say. Iko Uwais is not as athletically gifted as Tony Jaa but he carries himself very well throughout this film. And Mad Dog is an absolute machine. Consistently good fighting all around. One of my favorite aspects of this movie is that the thugs are not just cannon fodder. Everyone can hold their own, which adds a sense of realistic danger for the heroes. An example of this is the meth lab scene (the weaker fight scene in the movie), which is saved by a mini boss battle at the end of it, with Iko trading blows with a thug on some tables. And the final showdown with Mad Dog is superb. This will go down as one of the stronger martial arts films of the decade. Highly recommended.