One of the most underrated action stars of the modern era, and a highly skilled martial artist that Hollywood has shamefully struggled to find a place for, Iko Uwais, has now lined up another gloriously no-nonsense action thriller to once again demonstrate why his name should be far better known than it is. Best known for the modern martial arts masterpieces The Raid and The Raid 2, Uwais’ newest project will find him playing the classic role of a mysterious man with a violent past forced back into action when nefarious forces come knocking at his door.
Iko Uwais first broke onto the action thriller scene with director Gareth Evans’ under-the-radar Merantau. After showing off his skills in this tale of a skilled martial artist who leaves the comforts of his idyllic farming village to make a name for himself in the bustling city of Jakarta, both Uwais and Evans crashed into the mainstream with 2011’s The Raid and its 2014 sequel The Raid 2. Since then, Evans has gone on to direct Tom Hardy in last year’s Netflix action thriller Havoc, while Uwais has struggled to find the best fit in Western cinema.
Roles in the likes of such major blockbusters as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Mile 22, Snake Eyes, and Expend4bles have all failed to give Uwais the spotlight he deserves. However, Indonesian productions such as The Night Comes for Us and Headshot have allowed him to continue to demonstrate his particular set of Silat skills, and that’s exactly what he’ll do once again in Warrior.
‘Warrior’ Gives Iko Uwais the Perfect Action Hero Role
According to Variety, Iko Uwais will take the lead in the new Indonesian action thriller, Warrior, which not only takes him back to his native Indonesia, but also puts the focus on his skills in the martial art, Silat. Production will kick off this summer, with Warrior reportedly “drawing on local locations, crews and up-and-coming martial arts performers.” In the meantime, you can check out the plot details for Warrior below…
“The film follows a former elite Silat practitioner who walks out of prison determined to leave his violent past behind – a resolution that quickly unravels when a Malaysian crime syndicate moves into his neighborhood, seizing control of local streets and going after the people he cares about. Drawn back into the world he tried to escape, he finds himself the sole obstacle between the syndicate and the community it wants to control. The conflict spirals from street-level intimidation into full-scale warfare, played out across Jakarta’s markets, back alleys and rooftops.”
Warrior will also reunite Uwais with The Night Comes for Us’ John Radel, who makes his feature film debut following time as a cinematographer and producer on the likes of Michael Mann’s Blackhat and Dev Patel’s 2024 action thriller Monkey Man. Radel is also due to play a producer role on Uwais and fellow underrated action star Scott Adkins’ upcoming sci-fi action sequel, Skyline: Warpath. Uwais, meanwhile, has several exciting action projects in the pipeline, including U.S. productions MRI and Road House 2, as well as making his directorial debut with the action war movie, Timur.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
