Pencak silat is an umbrella term for a class of related Indonesian martial arts. In neighbouring countries, the term usually refers to professional competitive silat. It is a full-body fighting form incorporating strikes, grappling, and throwing, in addition to weaponry. Every part of the body is used and subject to attack. Pencak silat was practiced not only for physical defense but also for psychological ends. There are hundreds of different pencak silat styles and schools which tend to focus either on strikes, joint manipulation, weaponry, or some combination thereof.
Cinematic fight choreography or staged fights in cinema include performances of archery, classical fencing, historical fencing, martial arts, close combat, and duels in general, as well as choreography of full-scale battles with hundreds of combatants.
Silat is the collective term for a class of indigenous martial arts from the Nusantara and surrounding geocultural areas of Southeast Asia. It is traditionally practised in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Philippines and Southern Vietnam. There are hundreds of different styles (aliran) and schools (perguruan) which tend to focus either on strikes, joint manipulation, weaponry, or some combination thereof.
Julie Estelle Gasnier, better known as Julie Estelle, is an Indonesian actress and model. She is best known internationally for her roles in slasher and martial arts films, such as Ladya in Macabre (2009), Hammer Girl in The Raid 2 (2014), and The Operator in The Night Comes for Us (2018). She won Best New Actress at the 2015 Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards.
Merantau, released in some countries as Merantau Warrior, is a 2009 Indonesian martial arts action film written, directed and edited by Gareth Huw Evans, and starring Iko Uwais. The film, which marks Uwais' debut as an actor, is the first collaboration between director Evans and star Uwais. It also marks the acting debut of Yayan Ruhian, both of whom Evans met while shooting for a documentary in Indonesia which became his introduction to the Pencak Silat martial art.
Uwais Qorny, known professionally as Iko Uwais, is an Indonesian actor, stuntman, fight choreographer, and martial artist. He is best known for acting in the action films Merantau (2009), The Raid (2011), The Raid 2 (2014), Headshot (2016), Mile 22 (2018), The Night Comes for Us (2018), Stuber (2019) and the Netflix series Wu Assassins (2019–22).
The Raid is a 2011 Indonesian action thriller film written and directed by Gareth Evans and produced by Ario Sagantoro. The film stars Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Ray Sahetapy and Yayan Ruhian. The film follows an Indonesian National Police tactical squad that is deployed to raid a ruthless drug lord's apartment block in the slums of Jakarta, only to be encircled by the criminals, forcing them to fight their way through the complex.
Gareth Huw Evans is a Welsh film filmmaker and action choreographer. He is best known for the Indonesian action crime films Merantau (2009), The Raid (2011), and The Raid 2 (2014), and for bringing the Indonesian martial art of pencak silat into world cinema through these films. He is also known for co-creating, co-writing, co-directing, and executive producing the Sky Atlantic/AMC action crime drama television series Gangs of London (2020–present), alongside Matt Flannery, based on the 2006 video game of the same name.
Johannes Taslim, known professionally as Joe Taslim, is an Indonesian actor and martial artist. He was a member of Indonesia’s national judo team from 1997 to 2009, becoming a three-time medalist at the Southeast Asian Games, and a Gold medalist at the 2008 Pekan Olahraga Nasional.
The Raid 2, also known as The Raid: Retaliation, is a 2014 Indonesian action crime drama film written, directed and edited by the Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans. It is the sequel to the 2011 film The Raid and stars Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusadewo, Alex Abbad, Julie Estelle, Ryuhei Matsuda, Kenichi Endō, and Kazuki Kitamura. In the film, Rama is sent undercover to expose the corrupt police officials colluding with the crime families of Jakarta's criminal underworld.
The Night Comes for Us is a 2018 Indonesian action thriller film written and directed by Timo Tjahjanto. It was originally conceived as a screenplay and then adapted into a graphic novel, before finally being released as a film. In December 2014, Tjahjanto confirmed he was working with Indonesian artist hub Glitch Network to adapt his original screenplay into comic form. The film stars Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Julie Estelle, Sunny Pang, Zack Lee and Shareefa Daanish. In the film, a former crime enforcer (Taslim) sets out to rescue a young girl from the crime syndicate, which later sends a rising gang prospect (Uwais) and legions of thugs to eliminate the enforcer and the young girl.
Yakuza Apocalypse is a 2015 Japanese action fantasy–yakuza vampire film directed by Takashi Miike and starring Hayato Ichihara, Yayan Ruhian, and Riko Narumi. It was written by Yoshitaka Yamaguchi. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2015, before being released theatrically on June 20 throughout Japan.
Beyond Skyline is a 2017 American science fiction action film written, co-produced and directed by Liam O'Donnell in his directorial debut. It stars Frank Grillo, Bojana Novakovic, Jonny Weston, Iko Uwais, Callan Mulvey, Yayan Ruhian, Pamelyn Chee, Betty Gabriel, and Antonio Fargas. It is the sequel to the 2010 film Skyline and the second installment in the Skyline film series, set concurrently with the events of the first film.
Headshot is a 2016 Indonesian action film directed by the Mo Brothers. The film stars Iko Uwais and Chelsea Islan in the lead roles. In the film, a man with amnesia, clashes against a crime syndicate to protect the doctor who saved his life.
212 Warrior is a 2018 Indonesian action-comedy film based on the Wiro Sableng novel series by Bastian Tito. The movie is the first collaboration between an Indonesian studio with Fox International Productions.
Wu Assassins is an American supernatural action television series, created by John Wirth and Tony Krantz that premiered on Netflix on August 8, 2019. The series stars Iko Uwais, Byron Mann, Lewis Tan, Lawrence Kao, Celia Au, Li Jun Li, Tommy Flanagan, and Katheryn Winnick. The first season received positive reviews, with critics praising the fight choreography, although there was criticism of the plot.
Timo Tjahjanto is an Indonesian film director, producer, and screenwriter known for his film works mostly on the horror and action genres. Tjahjanto owns the film production company Merah Production.
The Skyline film series consists of American science fiction-disaster alien action films. Created by Joshua Cordes and Liam O'Donnell, the series centers around a global alien invasion and the uprise of mankind to fight back and save humanity. The series implements various genres within each installment.
Cecep Arif Rahman is an actor, athlete, and martial artist from Indonesia. Cecep is a martial arts practitioner from the Silat Panglipur school. His career in pencak silat brought him to the Bercy Festival des Arts Martiaux in France from 2005 to 2008. His early acting career began with the movie The Raid 2.
Skyline: Warpath is an upcoming American science fiction action film written and directed by Liam O'Donnell. It stars Iko Uwais, Scott Adkins, Louis Mandylor, Randall Bacon and Yayan Ruhian. It is the fourth installment in the Skyline film series, serving as a sequel to Skylines (2020).
