Get a behind-the-scenes look at The Raid’s Iko Uwais making his directorial debut with Timur
It was recently reported, a little under a year ago, that Iko Uwais, of The Raid, was unveiling the start of his own production company — Uwais Pictures. The launch of his production company will naturally be emphasizing action films for its slate, and the studio is already hitting the ground running with two movies that had gone for sale at the European Film Market in Berlin a few months back. His intention with Uwais Pictures is to replicate the success of his modestly budgeted, local-language hit films such as The Raid, The Raid: Redemption, and The Night Comes for Us.
The first movie that will come from the newly formed company will also be Uwais’ directorial debut — a film titled Timur. Uwais will additionally be the star of Timur and the plot, per Deadline, reads, “Timur is an action-thriller that follows the real-life international hostage crisis that took place in Mapenduma in 1996. The subsequent rescue operation was overseen by now-Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.” Timur will also be the first action film co-produced out of Indonesia. Cinema 21’s YouTube Channel has just dropped a behind-the-scenes look at Timur, which features a peek at the hard-hitting and explosive action that Uwais will carry over from his past films.
Uwais also talks a bit about the experience of directing his first feature. He mentions that it has been a challenge for him, but it also feels right for this particular project. The action star also boasted about how the stunt team helped to make his film pop, calling them “the best.”
The next film from the studio will be an action movie titled Ikatan Darah. This is “a local-language action film in which a former martial arts athlete must face a network of loan sharks to save her younger brother, who is trapped in online gambling debt and risking their family’s safety.” Uwais would express his excitement as he states, “I am excited to unleash the next phase of Uwais Pictures with the release of Timur and Ikatan Darah. We are bringing a new style of action movies for audiences around the world.”
While stars who pull double-duty as directors can sometimes be a hindrance (like when Tony Jaa helmed the sequels to Ong Bak), Uwais is reliable in the action department and is usually the bright spot of the lesser films in his resume. It looks like it has the potential to deliver on old-fashioned, beat-em-up sequences and gunplay action, and I am totally here for it!
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