Arguably the most underrated action star, Iko Uwais, is returning to his The Raiddays in a new action thriller that drops the actor and martial artist in a hospital under siege. Kicking his way into Hollywood thanks to his stellar skills and performance in action movie masterpieces The Raid and The Raid 2, any project involving Uwais is one to look out for, and this one is certainly no exception. In fact, it might be his most exciting since he first battered bad guys in The Raid’s dusty high-rise building.
The martial arts icon will lead the action thriller MRI from Skyline director Liam O’Donnell. Set to begin production in Jakarta early next year, MRI boasts the kind of no-nonsense plot that action classics are made of, as Uwais finds himself trapped in a hospital where he must fight to rescue the daughter of a crime boss. You can check out the official synopsis below, courtesy of Variety…
“[MRI] centers on a broken-down hitman (Uwais) with a shattered family and a busted knee, who undergoes a routine MRI when the entire hospital is taken over by ruthless gangsters. Now, he’s the only man who can rescue their target, the daughter of a powerful crime boss, and somehow save the day, one agonizing step at a time.”
‘MRI’ Is a ’70s Martial Arts Film “Made for Audiences Born in the 2000s”
MRI sees Uwais reunite with O’Donnell following the action sci-fi sequel Beyond Skyline and this year’s highly anticipated follow-up, Skyline: Warpath, which adds John Wick star Scott Adkins to the fray. According to the outlet, Daniel Baur’s K5 Intl. has acquired the international sales rights to MRI, with plans to launch the action outing at the American Film Market next month.
“Iko’s sheer charisma, soulful depth and insane work ethic makes him every director’s dream,” O’Donnell said. “After such a great experience with Strong Island on ‘Alphas,’ I felt ‘MRI’ would be the perfect project for us all to take things to the next level.”
Christopher Tuffin, best known for the action movies Freelance and Canary Black, will produce for Strong Island alongside Ryan Santoso for the newly formed Uwais Pictures. “With the dominance of Asian-themed content in the marketplace, we feel ‘MRI’ is an ardent throwback to the classic martial arts films of the 1970s made for audiences born in the 2000s,” said Tuffin of the action thriller.
For reasons known only to the cinematic gods, Hollywood has struggled to find the right role for Iko Uwais, who, frankly, should be a lot more famous by now. After the likes of Snakes Eyes and Expend4bles failed to make best use of the magnetic action icon, Uwais has since created his own production company, Uwais Pictures, revealing the first look at the studio’s upcoming martial arts war epic, Timur, recently. Iko Uwais is a generational talent, and here’s hoping that the MRI, alongside the likes of Skyline: Warpath and Timur, will finally give him the recognition he deserves. Ultimately, if a 70s throwback about a hitman trapped in a Raid-like scenario doesn’t do it, what will?