Iko Uwais gives fast, punishing fights a precision that lets us follow the blows. We rate him highly in The Raid, where Gareth Evans makes room for that skill, though thin character writing leaves him too much to supply.
Fi1m perspective
In The Raid (2012), Iko Uwais moves at remarkable speed without making the fighting difficult to follow. As Rama, he keeps an exchange readable even when the pace might reasonably defeat us. We caught ourselves holding our breath because the wide shots made the force of the blows so clear. Gareth Evans gives us time to watch the work, and Uwais rewards that attention with precise movements.
Evans first directed him in his lead debut, Merantau (2009), before The Raid established his reputation. They continued together on The Raid 2 (2014), which widened the scale of the fighting and gave him more dramatic material. Uwais specialises in pencak silat and works as a fight choreographer as well as an actor, with actor and choreographer Yayan Ruhian among his collaborators. The partnership with Evans matters because The Raid makes the physical performance so legible. We can appreciate the choreography without losing the sense that those blows hurt.
There are limits to what this can do for a film, and The Raid does not hide them. Its characters are thin, and some repetition creeps into the action; Uwais's control supplies much of the interest that the writing leaves out. We admire how much he contributes, but we still want Rama to have more on the page. The pleasure of watching a complete exchange survives those weaknesses, which is why our reservations about the script do not undo our recommendation.
His move into international work brought supporting parts and a major Hollywood role alongside Mark Wahlberg in Mile 22 (2018). Those opportunities have not always used his martial arts skills well, with Expend4bles (2023) among the weaker vehicles. We would rather a film gave him a sustained sequence than merely added his name to the cast. Start with The Raid, provided thin characters will not spoil the evening.
Biography
Iko Uwais, also credited as Uwais Qorny, is an Indonesian actor, stuntman, fight choreographer and martial artist. Born on 12 February 1983 in Jakarta, he is best known for playing Rama in the action films The Raid (2011) and The Raid 2 (2014).
Uwais trained in pencak silat from the age of ten. He was discovered by director Gareth Evans while Evans was filming a documentary on the martial art, leading to Uwais's first leading role in Merantau (2009). He has since appeared in international films including Man of Tai Chi (2013), Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Mile 22 (2018), Stuber (2019) and Expend4bles (2023). In 2012 he married singer Audy Item.
