Sony Pictures Classics To Bring 'The Raid' To Theaters In 2012

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by Kevin Jagernauth
November 30, 2011 9:25 AM
2 Comments

While the fall festival and awards season is generally a time for movie lovers and critics to put on their serious faces and watch a bunch of arty films and dour dramas, sometimes you just want the thrill of a well-honed action movie to take the edge off. And at TIFF in September, audiences got that in spades with "The Raid." The Midnight Madness entry was nothing short of sensation, and alongside the other starrier, high brow movies at the fest, it was definitely one of the most talked about films in Toronto. Sony quickly snapped up the rights, parceling the remake duties to Screen Gems, and in a move that is definitely curious, Deadline reports the auteur-driven Sony Pictures Classics will bring the original flick to theaters.

Directed by Welshman Gareth Evans, and shot in Indonesia, the film follows the conflict between a SWAT team and a gang of mobsters armed to the teeth and trained in martial arts. And some serious fisticuffs and action sequences ensue. So, Sony Pictures Classics huh? We suppose that because it has subtitles, that's the reason they'll be handling it, but this is an extremely rare genre play for the outfit. That said, when Screen Gems handled the hotly buzzed "Attack The Block" this summer, the results were a bit underwhelming, so perhaps Sony is seeing how the arthouse-heavy shingle will do with a talked-about title that is a hard sell to mainstream audiences who avoid subtitles or foreign accents at the movies.

"The Raid" is getting a brand new score from Linkin Park dude Mike Shinoda and composer Joseph Trapanese, and there are rumblings that this tweaked version will hit Sundance in January. As for when it will roll to a theater near you, there is no firm date yet. But we're just glad it's on the way, because for a moment there, we were worried we'd just be getting the remake.

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More: Sony Pictures Classics, The Raid

2 Comments

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fatboy | November 30, 2011 3:19 PMReply

saw it. was brilliant. not much of storywise, but was a rush through out.
Chandler | November 30, 2011 3:13 PMReply

Excellent!