10 Hotly Anticipated SXSW Movies You Need To See In 2014

8. The Raid 2: Berandal

Remember when The Hunger Game novels came out and you said to yourself "man, that sounds a bit like The Running Man" but that kid sitting next to you (who was way cooler than you, obviously) scoffed and said "it's a total rip-off of Battle Royale" and you were all like "Battle what"? The Raid: Redemption - the first installment in Gareth Evans' Indonesian martial arts franchise - is the "Battle Royale" for any movie that ever takes place in a building where each floor holds multiple and increasingly difficult threats. So, basically, the plot of any Double Dragon game, the new Dredd remake, and Bruce Lee's unfinished final film, The Game of Death. In other words, it didn't make the mold so much as break it, and it set the bar high. The original was excruciatingly entertaining and very well executed, and it lit the Internet up and gave action fans something to cheer about. So of course there's a sequel. This time around we find Rama (Iko Uwais) trying to return to his normal life, but the goings-on of the first film have brought a host of new foes to his doorstep, threatening the safety of his wife and son. To find the puppet-masters, Rama must go undercover as the violent offender Yuda and enter a prison. There he must gain the trust of a prominent gangland kingpin's son and thus win entry into the gang himself. It might sound slightly convoluted, but if the early buzz holds any water, The Raid 2: Berandal will deliver in spades when it hits US theatres on March 28, and comes to UK cinemas April 11.