Straight Shootin’ with Chad Cruise – Action Lunatic

In order to write and direct a movie as bat-shit crazy awesome as The Raid 2 a man would have to be a tad off his rocker. I think that Gareth Evans fits that description to a “T” and that he wouldn’t argue that statement one bit. He has put together, so far, a collection of delightfully violent movies which have the entire action world on notice. I dare you to find two movies which so embody what makes the action genre great as well as The Raid and its sequel do. The simplicity of The Raid is what makes it so much fun to me. It reminds me of an old school video game like Double Dragon or Streets of Rage; totally linear. The plot never gets in the way of the action and there is a whole bunch of action in it. I wouldn’t call The Raid: Berendal complex but the story expounds in nature to the point where it does do a little too much in my opinion. The action is better than the first and the techniques used to film them make them even more awesome to see on screen. The actors, stuntmen, camera crew, and choreographers have created a modern day masterpiece of martial arts action. Evans is now my go-to director. My guy used to be Sam Firstenberg, then later John McTiernan. Now most of my movie time is spent watching the likes of Gareth Evans and Isaac Florentine. These guys have a very distinct directing style; it’s called BAD ASS… I hope that when we get another glimpse into the beautiful madness that is Evans’ The Raid series; it will continue to push the boundaries of what an action film can bring in terms of sheer awesomeness.