Iko Uwais is one of the nation’s most famous action stars. A practitioner of Pencak Silat, Uwais first gained attention with 2009’s Merantau, and later helped change the entire action film landscape with 2012’s Raid: Redemption and its 2014 sequel The Raid 2. Since then, Uwais has never ceased to amaze the public with his on-screen presence and martial arts abilities.
However, Uwais has yet to star in a less-than-amazing martial arts film, and even in supporting roles, he constantly raises the level of the film he stars in. The creators of The Expendables 4 and the action scenes it is able to create is what martial arts fans dream of. Here is a rundown of Iko Uwais 8 best movies.
The Expendables 4 (2023)
The Expendables 4 is an upcoming American action film directed by Scott Waugh, with a script co-written by Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart and Max Adams, from an original story by Kurt Wimmer, Spenser Cohen and Tad Daggerhart. It is the fourth installment in The Expendables franchise and the sequel to The Expendables 3 (2014), starring an ensemble cast including Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone reprising their roles from previous films, alongside 50 Cent, Megan Fox, Andy García, Tony Jaa, Jacob Scipio, Iko Uwais, Levy Tran and Eddie Hall.
Merantau (2009)
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 showcases Yuda who leaves his village in hopes of teaching Silat in Jakarta, only to be sidetracked as he attempts to save a girl from being kidnapped. The film showcases a style of Silat known as “Silek Harimau”RELATED:
Triple Threat 2019 -Michael Jai White, Scott Adkins, Iko Uwais, Tony Jaa Action Movie
Beyond Skyline (2017)
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 a sequel to the 2010 film Skyline, set concurrently with the events of the first film. The film was released on December 15, 2017 in the United States by Vertical Entertainment. Unlike its critically panned predecessor, Beyond Skyline received mixed reviews, with several critics calling it an improvement over the original.
Triple Threat (2019)
Triple Threat is a 2019 action thriller film directed by Jesse V. Johnson and starring Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais and Tiger Chen, as well as Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Michael Bisping, Celina Jade, and Jeeja Yanin. The film was released to generally positive reviews, with critics praising the fight choreography as well as the cast performances, but criticism of the lack of plot and character development.
Headshot (2016 )
Headshot is a 2016 Indonesian action film directed by the Mo Brothers. The film stars Iko Uwais as a man with amnesia in a battle against a criminal syndicate to protect the doctor (Chelsea Islan) who saved his life. Headshot premiered on September 9, 2016 at the Toronto International Film Festival and theatrically on December 8, 2016 in Indonesia. It received generally positive reviews from critics.
The Night Comes for Us (2018)
The Night Comes for Us is a 2018 Indonesian action thriller film written and directed by Timo Tjahjanto. The film is based on a top organized crime enforcer (Taslim) who decides to turn his back on his former life as a killer to rescue a young girl. The crime syndicate sends in a rising gang prospect (Uwais) and legions of thugs to eliminate the enforcer and the young girl. The film was released to positive reviews, with critics praising the action and Uwais, Estelle, and Taslim’s performances, although the excessive violence was criticized.RELATED:
Iko Uwais Lifestyle
The Raid 2 (2014)
The Raid 2 is a 2014 Indonesian action thriller film written, directed and edited by the Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans. In the story, special forces officer Rama is sent undercover to expose the corrupt police officials colluding with the crime families of Jakarta’s criminal underworld. Like Evans’ previous films Merantau and The Raid, the fight scenes showcase the Indonesian fighting style of pencak silat.