INTERVIEWS

Interview: Gareth Evans, Mike Shinoda, Joe Trapanese on 'The Raid'

by Jeremy Kirk
March 23, 2012

Did you hear about the "best action in decades"? It's the movie that had our very own Alex saying, "Holy shit I haven't seen an action movie this good in years!" and no one argued. The Raid: Redemption is without question the most talked about action movie in a long time. Deservedly so. Filled with wall-to-wall ass-kicking, it's setting a high water mark for any film of its ilk in the future. Luckily, we were able to sit down with director Gareth Evans along with Mike Shinoda and Joe Trapanese, who did the score for The Raid's US release. We chat about creating perfect "holy shit" moments as well as John Carpenter scores.

Also, apologies in advance for the shaky nature and quality of this video. I'm not going for a Greengrass thing. Fitting the three interviewees in the rather noisy space provided was the most difficult part of this.

Anyway, here's my SXSW interview with The Raid: Redemption's writer/editor/director Gareth Evans and composers Mike Shinoda & Joe Trapanese recorded in Austin:

The Raid: Redemption is truly one of those great, buzzed-about films that comes along and tramples all over that hype by proving its own worth. There isn't a minute of this film that goes by without some kind of eye-opening or jaw-dropping moment, and it's all precisely captured and pieced together by an up-and-coming director, one who will surely become one of the major players in the genre if his focus remains as is. That was a completely true statement in the interview. I had never experienced anything like The Raid: Redemption, where the audience was so in tune with the action on screen that every potential "Oh my God" beat was met with uproarious applause and audible gasps. I even remember exclaiming out loud at one point, "No fucking way." It was something that couldn't be controlled. The film pulled it out of me, and that was just one of about a thousand moments where that could have happened. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you to Sony Pictures Classics, Gareth Evans, Mike Shinoda and Joe Trapanese for their time. The Raid: Redemption hits theaters on March 23rd, this Friday. Be sure to check it out if it's playing near you.

Filed under Hype, Interview, SXSW 12

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