Miike's YAKUZA APOCALYPSE Gets A North American Release!

Are you ready to watch Yakuzas, vampires and killers in frog costumes collide in epic fashion? Then you're just in luck in the wake of Ichi The Killer and 13 Assassins helmer Miike Takashi's latest bit of action horror fanfare from the Cannes and Fantasia circuit, Yakuza Apocalypse.

Variety reports the film, starring Ichihara Hayato and Yayan Ruhian, has a North American release date through Samuel Goldwyn Films set for October 9. The film earned mixed reviews whilst sustaining itself as a notable and spectacular for the director who, prior to production, stated his earlier hopes for a return to basics.

The film, written by Yoshitaki Yamaguchi, centers on a loyal Yakuza underling who, after being bitten and turned into a vampire, sets out to avenge the death of his once-seemingly invincible boss at the hands of an assassin and his men.

Mark the date on your calendars and stay tuned for more information!

Hamish Daud Faces All Of Jakarta In The Latest Trailer For GANGSTER

Indonesian action remains at large and ahead of director Fajar Nugro's forthcoming contribution with Gangster, starring Hamish Daud. There's plenty of fervor to be had here in accordance with Asian film brimming with martial arts talent, and hereto with a story full of drama, romance and action fitting for our cast to help showcase plenty of it.

SYNOPSIS:

JAMRONI (Hamish Daud - Raihan Khan) has always struggled in his life, never quite fitting in despite trying to do his best to help those around him. 

He grows up in a small village near the Volcano Merapi in Yogyakarta. He is picked on by the local thugs and life at home isn't easy as his father TOHARI (Gunawan Maryanto) is tough on him. Despite that, he finds solace with his childhood friend SARI (Avrilla Sigarlaki - Eriska Rein.) Fate pulls them apart and Jamroni is alone once again. 

Years pass and Jamroni finds himself in a situation of mistaken identity. After fighting off some thieves he is caught, thought to be a thief himself. The Chief Cattle Rancher (Dede Yusuf) meets Jamroni and life doesn't get any easier when Jamroni finds out his father is dying. 

As Tohari passes away, he reveals that Jamroni isn’t truly their child and that Sari has been sending Jamroni letters ever since she left Yogyakarta. Jamroni grieves but sets out to find Sari, his childhood love, in Jakarta. 

To repay Jamroni, he is brought along on a cattle delivery to Jakarta. Upon arriving at the local ranch a few thugs catch wind of money exchanging hands. When they approach Jamroni, a fight ensues and Jamroni is chased all around town. Jamroni nearly escapes but ends up on the hood of the car of a young woman, RETTA (Nina Kozok), who is pursued by a black SUV. Retta is running away from home after finding out that her father HASTOMO (Agus Kuncoro) had promised his partner AMSAR (Dwi Sasono) that she would marry his younger brother to sweeten a business deal. When Retta finally stops the car, she is abducted by heavily muscled men. Jakarta doesn’t seem to be any kinder to Jamroni. 

Hastomo, despite being a powerful man, finds that life at home is getting increasingly stressful as his wife ASTUTI (Dominique Sanda) is distraught over the idea of their daughter being married off to a stranger, without her consent. Assisted by his secretary HANNA (Andrea Bimo), Hastomo tries to find his daughter. 

Amsar continues to try to expand his control as a power hungry newcomer with the help of his Second in Command (Kelly Tandiono), along with his large group of local thugs. 

SUEB (Ganindra Bimo,) a cold blooded killer, is contracted to find and kill Jamroni. Eventually BANG JANGKUNG (Yayan Ruhian) is also approached by Hanna, his former fling. As Hanna attempts to contact Bang Jangkung she instead runs into his current girlfriend (Dian Sastrowardoyo). 

Jamroni continues to protect Retta from whomever poses a threat to her and she seems to grow closer to him, but what of Sari? What will happen to Retta and her father Hastomo if she breaks off her arranged marriage? Will Jamroni be able to overcome all these obstacles in his life? 

This will undoubtedly appeal to fans of Ruhian and martial arts action alike as the fanbase continues to clamour for more and more in a post-Raid era of fandom. Watch the new trailer below and take a gander at the following posters as well!

Gangster

The Final Trailer For YAKUZA APOCALYPSE Is A Montage Of Violent Anarchy!

There's no doubt that director Miike Takashi's latest action horror endeavor, Yakuza Apocalypse, revives the usual eccentricities his fanbase has gotten so used to in his career. The reviews off of its Cannes premiere come mixed for a film that encompasses what The Guardian's own Andrew Pulver concluded in his review as "A very acquired taste.", and that isn't exactly a secret for folks familiar with movies like manga adaptation, Ichi The Killer and Izo.

Nonetheless, the latest trailer is circling the internet with one last push to get your attention; Suffice it to say this one is a frenetic orchestra of kicks to the face, stabbing, screaming, biting and bloodsucking, and crescendos galore with Indonesian action star import, Yayan Ruhian, and lead actor Ichihara Hayato front and center for the film's June 20 release in Japan. And for an acquired taste, I think it's safe to say the dinner table is full and bellies are hungry. Alas, check out the trailer below the synopsis and embrace your bloodlust!

SYNOPSIS:

In the ruthless underground world of the yakuza, no one is more legendary than boss Kamiura. Rumored to be invincible, the truth is he is a vampire—a bloodsucking yakuza vampire boss! Among Kamiura’s gang is Kageyama, his most loyal underling. However, the others in the gang view Kageyama with disdain and ridicule him for his inability to get tattooed due to sensitive skin. One day, assassins aware of boss Kamiura’s secret arrive from abroad and deliver him an ultimatum: Return to the international syndicate he left years ago, or die. Kamiura refuses and, during a fierce battle with anime-otaku martial-arts expert Kyoken [THE RAID: REDEMPTION’s Yayan Ruhian], is torn limb from limb.  

With his dying breath, Kamiura bites Kageyama, passing on his vampire powers to the unsuspecting yakuza. As he begins to awaken to his newfound abilities, Kageyama’s desire to avenge the murder of boss Kamiura sets him on a course for a violent confrontation with Kaeru-kun, the foreign syndicate’s mysterious and seemingly unstoppable leader!

Bruce Lee Gimmicks, Fighting Femmes And Action Gems In New BTS COMIC 8: CASINO KINGS Featurette

Director Anggy Umbara's larger scale ensemble sequel, Comic 8: Casino Kings is just one of a few guarantees that the pulse of the action genre will keep beating in the region. The presences of legendary thesps like Barry Prima and Willy Dozan are likely reassuring along with action star Yayan Ruhian who has been making a killing of his own at Cannes over the summer with Miike Takashi's Yakuza Apocalypse. Hopefully that still means an awesome film will be the result, and depending on your tastes in action and comedy, this one could be a treat.

The basic plot surrounds the returning eight principles from last year's heist pic, Comic 8, now on an undercover mission to infiltrate a casino. Somewhere along the line it leads to an epic badass chickfight, jungle commandos, scenes parodying The Raid 2, and a huge alligator for some reason. Whatever it is, it appears to be arriving in two parts with the first to arrive to Indonesian cinemas on July 15, and we now have a behind the scenes look to take a gander at. Very little of it is in English though, soyou understand the language then I guess that just makes you a little smarter than the rest of us. Enjoy!

Shoosh! And Watch The New Trailer For Indonesian Action Flick, GANGSTER

It's safe to say that post-Raid fandom has dimmed with the state of Indonesian action cinema remaining more on-going with its more local productions. It's with that in mind that we turn to director Fajar Nugro's latest regional entry, Gangster, and Indo-Aussie actor Hamish Daud leading the cast in a story centered on a man pursuing a life with the woman he loves in Jakarta until he ends up crossing paths with a criminal gang.

Raid franchise co-star Yayan Ruhian also lends his flair of screen charm as usual, and surely while the comedy here is more local than anything as is the rest of the film, it's a mild reminder of why the fans at large love Ruhian as he steps out on his own. Alas, as you would imagine, there's drama, definitely some fighting, and a good share of brutality to boot. And on that note, I invite you to hold onto your balls when you watch this trailer below. Because Ow.

Place Your Bets In The New Teaser For COMIC 8: CASINO KINGS!

I suppose Indonesia's latest resurgence into the action genre has done well enough that it can spoof itself to a certain degree. With this, we now get a look at what director Anggy Umbara has in store for the new action comedy, Comic 8: Casino Kings, the sequel to the first film released early last year, and headlined by a mix of returning cast members and new faces, along with a few noted action film veterans familar to the region - namely Barry Prima and Willy Dozan, and George Rudy...and for some reason, a really, really large alligator.

I can't find an English synopsis right now, so for better or worse, the film has a Wikipedia page with the following details; As usual, Google translate is pants when it comes to translating nearly anything sensibly, so gather what you may.

SYNOPSIS:

Comic 8: Casinos Kings' will tell advanced 8 secret agent mission under the leadership of Indro Warkop to carry out undercover missions into a comic or a stand-up comedian, in search of a comic who became a liaison to a master criminal called The King of money. 

Eighth comic must pass through many processes and barriers, should avoid the pursuit of Interpol and police investigation of the events of the previous robberies, to face a group of thugs and criminals stamp ax. They finally managed to arrive at a secret island belonging to the King, who became one of the largest casinos in Asia, where the penjudinya from all over the world. 

Comic 8 to rack my brain and do everything they can to be able to free themselves from the trap that awaits them, where the task of this mission is to capture the King and destroy the casino.

At any rate, consider this an ensemble cast with a much larger size and scale in action and scope. It's a noteworthy effort for its regional standing and considering acion star Yayan Ruhian's own popularity overseas thanks to Merantau and The Raid fame, maybe this one will get a larger select audience stateside. Who knows? We'll see. Teaser below.

The New Trailer For Miike's YAKUZA APOCALYPSE Bites Back!

It's only a matter of time before director Miike Takashi steps into the summer season with his latest vampire action thriller, Yakuza Apocalypse. It's only his latest effort in keeping a promise to his long-celebrate signature style of film while we await further info on his future endeavors, and while the most recent teaser gained the film some publicity to start, we now have a minute-long trailer that lends a little more to the eye. It's got yakuzas, vampires, some gore, badass tattoos, a better look at Yayan Ruhian in a film outside his normal Indonesian bearings...and a killer frog-suited..thing. Indeed, this looks hella fun. And random!

SYNOPSIS:

In the ruthless underground world of the yakuza, no one is more legendary than boss Kamiura. Rumored to be invincible, the truth is he is a vampire—a bloodsucking yakuza vampire boss! Among Kamiura’s gang is Kageyama, his most loyal underling. However, the others in the gang view Kageyama with disdain and ridicule him for his inability to get tattooed due to sensitive skin. One day, assassins aware of boss Kamiura’s secret arrive from abroad and deliver him an ultimatum: Return to the international syndicate he left years ago, or die. Kamiura refuses and, during a fierce battle with anime-otaku martial-arts expert Kyoken [THE RAID: REDEMPTION’s Yayan Ruhian], is torn limb from limb. 

With his dying breath, Kamiura bites Kageyama, passing on his vampire powers to the unsuspecting yakuza. As he begins to awaken to his newfound abilities, Kageyama’s desire to avenge the murder of boss Kamiura sets him on a course for a violent confrontation with Kaeru-kun, the foreign syndicate’s mysterious and seemingly unstoppable leader!

The film arrives on June 20, written by Yamaguchi Yoshitaka and led by Ichihara Hayato and Lily Franky with Narumi Riko, Aoyagi Sho, Shibukawa Kiyohiko, Miura Masaki and Takashima Reiko also starring. Watch the trailer!

Pre-Production Commences On Gareth Huw Evans's BLISTER

Much of the fandom for director Gareth Huw Evans's currently brewing Raid trilogy has settled since the second installment released last year to much excitement and acclaim. So, it may be an uneasy thing for some to possibly have to wait an extra three years before the saga finishes, although it is rewarding to know that Evans's storytelling vernacular goes beyond one franchise.

As such, Evans is now moving on to other properties, with at least two films now in-development, including the new movie, Blister. Not much is known about the plot of the film as of yet, although the director did offer a small blurb last year while on the road promoting The Raid 2, describing the film as his own take on "the contemporary American gangster story with echoes of The Wild Bunch". Evans has since reunited with his fellow film folk in Indonesia, including Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian fresh from the set of their roles in director Liam O'Donnell's upcoming sci-fi sequel, Beyond Skyline.

Correction: Day 1 of causing mischief with @iko_uwais @YayanRuhian @mpe_very and @gaya_yandi #Blister pic.twitter.com/yDJ7CyyWgi
— Gareth Evans (@ghuwevans) February 3, 2015

Currently, any and all development on a third installment of the Raid trilogy is on hold with Evans now underway with Blister in addition to other projects. Stay tuned and follow Evans on Twitter!

YAKUZA APOCALYPSE: THE GREAT WAR OF THE UNDERWORLD Gets A New Promo Image And Teaser

The Mole Song and As The Gods Will helmer, director Miike Takashi's work is not without a following of its own. He's got a fanbase he listens to-so indicated last Spring when he formally announced a "rampaging" return to the basics with the production of his newest action horror romp, Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War Of The Underworld. Miike reunites with lead actor Ichihara Hayato following their pairing on the 2008 film God's Puzzle, with a brand new promotional image now available online just below, as well as a new teaser.

SYNOPSIS:

Kagayama is a feeble but loyal underling to legendary yakuza boss Kamiura, who turns out to be a vampire. When an assassin from an international syndicate arrives in Japan to deliver an ultimatum, Kamiura is killed. But, not before he manages to bite Kagayama, and the transformed underling sets out to get revenge against a formidable team of assassins.

Actor Lily Franky plays the aged Kamiura with Indonesian action star Yayan Ruhian starring as the outside assassin among the cast. The film bows this June, and while the teaser doesn't reveal much as an action vehicle, it certainly shows plenty of imagery that lend some excitement to fans who may be interested. Check out the footage below!

'The Force Awakens' With THE RAID 2 Actors Joining The Seventh STAR WARS Film

Well, nobody within a range too distant from the production of J.J. Abrams's Star Wars: The Force Awakens saw this coming, but it appears that The Raid 2 principal stars, Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman will have roles of their own in the film when it releases this December.

There are no details as of yet, and it also comes as a major, MAJOR fucking surprise since their names were nowhere seen in previous reports. Nonetheless, it's a big step up from a group that has seen its cult success rise from the recent fanbase grown stemming from the successes of director Gareth Huw Evans whose films have signaled a sizable resurgence for Indonesia's film industry with the releases of coming-of-age martial arts drama, Merantau, and two of the currently developing Raid Trilogy.

It's also another huge foray further into the mainstream for Uwais and Ruhian, who themselves stepped into sci-fi territory with the current sequel production of Liam O'Donnell's Beyond Skyline, following Uwais's brief stint among a more international cast in Keanu Reeves' thrilling 2013 kung fu character study, Man Of Tai Chi and Ruhian's crossover to Japan for Miike Takashi's upcoming vampire spectacle, Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War Of The Underworld. Clearly, Merantau was just the beginning, and so this news is likely to do well among anyone curious to see how well these three will will bode on either side of the force. The question is, who among these three will join the dark side and wield a lightsaber?

Whatever the case may be, after last November's teaser and before we hear anymore news about a Han Solo spin-off, we need answers. This is too huge!

H/T: Twitchfilm

Yayan Ruhian Sports A Ghastly Image On The Set Of COMIC 8: CASINO KINGS

Indonesia's current film climate is a lagging a bit nowadays, and there have been casualties as a result-namely whatever the heck stonewalled production for Timo Tjahjanto's The Night Comes For Us back in September. Thankfully some projects haven't faltered, including Anggy Umbara's upcoming heist sequel, Comic 8: Casino Kings. 

The film is arriving in 2015 with a larger cast and even greater scope to accomodate its larger budget following the success of its first installment in early 2014. Several cast and set pictures have appeared online, and if you've been enthusiastically following the career of fellow Indonesian action star Yayan Ruhian can expect to see him in the upcoming heist action adventure as well, that is if this picture has anything to say for it.

Ruhian contributed to the pre-production phase of The Night Comes For Us with action star Iko Uwais solely choreographing the fights, and Merantau and The Raid franchise auteur Gareth Huw Evans directing the action. Those efforts eventually got canned while Ruhian has clearly moved on Comic 8: Casino Kings, and training actor Frank Grillo earlier on with Iko Uwais for upcoming sci-fi sequel, Beyond Skyline.

Hopefully some more cohesive news will come our way soon, but in the meantime, it should be cool to see Ruhian on set with a number of seasoned Indonesian action favorites, even if he is ectoplasmic among them, figuratively speaking that is. Besides, One Good Thing and Yakuza Apocalypse should be on the way as well last I checked, and if it is at all in the cards, a hopeful reprisal as a new character in The Raid 3. These all remain to be seen, of course, but they are reasonable hopes to hold onto at least.

[UPDATED] THE NIGHT COMES FOR US Is On Hold, Production Uncertain

UPDATE (12/24/14): Based on a Tweet response four days ago, it appears that Tjahjanto is taking his vision for the former production of The Night Comes For Us and putting it into graphic novel form with Glitch Network. Production on the film itself suddenly halted back in September for reasons unknown. (Special thanks to commentor, Fatso, for the heads' up!)

EARLIER REPORT:

Fans of Gareth Huw Evans's 2011 action thriller, The Raid, may have noticed one other title that's gone quite a while without much mention in the headlines. That title, of course, Killers co-helmer Timo Tjahjanto's Indonesian crime epic, The Night Comes For Us, for which The Raid co-star Joe Taslim was the subject of much buzz when he was officially cast for the lead in April of last year.

Well, if you fit the profile and have long been pining for more details surrounding the film, the good news is that you're not going crazy. Unfortunately, the not-so-good news is that the production of the film is "officially on-hold", according to a source affiliated with the film. This update comes following the mysterious disappearance of the film's IMDb page for some time now and there are no immediate answers explaining the "who's", the "why's", the "how's" or the "wtf's" of the matter, so any number of questions can be raised from this and it may be long before we hear any specifics. Moreover though, the biggest question of all is what lies next for the film?

Building on his momentum with a stellar screenfighting performance in Fast And Furious 6 , Taslim was set for the role of Ito, a gangland enforcer caught amidst the Triad's bloody ursup upon his return home from a stint abroad. Evans was to direct the action with The Raid lead actor Iko Uwais choreographing the fights for Taslim along fellow 'Raid' alums, actress Julie Estelle and actors Yayan Ruhian, Arifin Putra and Oka Antara, the latter who starred in Tjahjanto's Killers back in February. The film eventually made huge strides in the market at the top of the year before selling worldwide and even landing a home in North America in January.

Will it ever be taken off-hold? Well, in the current film climate we are in right now with this industry, uncertainty is the closest thing we have to a complete answer, and I know that isn't saying much. Details will follow soon enough, presumably, but I hope we see a miracle happen here, because that logline is too damn intriguing to leave without screen treatment.

Ruhian is currently working on the set of Anggy Umbara's Comic 8: Casino Kings with co-star and former TNCFU cast member Prisia Nasution for next year while Uwais recently finished things up with Frank Grillo and Bojana Novakovic in Liam O'Donnell upcoming Sci-Fi thriller, Beyond Skyline.

Stay tuned for more info.