10 Independent Films In 2014 That Could Appeal To Mass Audiences

3. The Raid 2: Berandal

Gareth Evans is the greatest action director of recent memory. Case and point? The Raid: Redemption, a 2011 film that the Dredd-remake ripped off, and for good reason, since The Raid was probably the most intense action film in years, and possibly the best martial arts film since Bruce Lee's classics. The central hook of the Raidwas simple but effective: combine the deft martial arts of Bruce Lee with the action-crime filter of John Woo's Hard Boiled, and shake them up with a sensibility for horror. Evans also directed the best segment of the sequel to the anthology feature VHS, proving that his secret is combining action and horror. The Raid 2 looks like everything that made the first great, only better. Look at the red band teaser for yourself and try saying you don't have chills by its end. Why It Has Mass Appeal: Seriously, go watch either the first film or any of the trailers for the second and tell me that they're aren't incredible. The Raid 2 will be the best action film of 2014. Why It Won't Get A Wide Release: The Raid is just too awesome. If Hollywood releases this movie, every subsequent pathetically-filmed, edited, and staged Hollywood action movie will be shown up for the garbage it is.