This Genre-Defining 2011 Action Thriller Streaming On Hulu Is Essential Viewing

Sony Pictures Classics

Only a handful of modern action classics can claim to have reshaped and redefined the genre forever. The "Bourne" trilogy emerged in the collective unease following 9/11 and reflected that chaos with its conspiracy thriller plot, grounded tone, and a "shaky-cam" approach that maximized the impact of every punch thrown. The arrival of "John Wick" in 2014 signaled a complete and total sea change, prioritizing clarity of action, the simplest of plots, and an elegance that turned hand-to-hand combat into a choreographed dance. Residing squarely in the middle of all this mayhem is "The Raid" (subtitled "Redemption" here in the States), the 2011 Indonesian action thriller that took the film world by storm and invented its own cinematic language — one that we're still feeling the effects of 15 years later.

As of June 1, 2026, "The Raid" began streaming on Hulu (per the platform's press release) and we're taking the occasion to once again give some flowers to one of the most remarkable success stories in all of modern film. Written and directed by Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans, his most well-known and influential work truly came out of nowhere to blow audiences away. The story follows a police siege on an apartment complex, with the cops attempting to capture and take down a local crime lord. As they work their way up the building, more and more complications ensue until this raid transforms into a nightmarish battle for survival spilling out of individual rooms, hallways, stairwells, and more. Rarely has action been captured in such three-dimensional detail before, in every sense of the phrase.

So if you find yourself with 101 minutes to kill and a burning desire to experience the movie that film buffs simply cannot stop hyping up, "The Raid" is ready and waiting for your viewing pleasure.

Sony Pictures Classics

Were you one of the millions of people who watched "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in 2015 and noticed a certain scene full of cameos? Did you catch "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum" a few years later, which featured "The Raid" actor Yayan Ruhian in a scene-stealing supporting role? Have you taken note of almost any action movie released throughout the last decade-plus that owes so much to the existence of "The Raid"? Then you've almost certainly witnessed the ripple effects of this one little action thriller that could ... even if you maybe haven't yet watched it for yourself.

Thankfully, there's plenty of time to right that wrong now that Hulu subscribers can stream the movie that turned the entire action genre on its head. Superhero fans know all about those hallway scenes that "Daredevil" and "Daredevil: Born Again" have turned into tradition. But maybe you'd prefer to see the all-time great hallway fight that set the bar so high in the first place instead. Movies like 2012's sci-fi romp "Dredd" have drawn plenty of comparisons over the years to "The Raid," but there's just no competing with the stripped-down and utterly gritty atmosphere here. Watching rookie cop Rama (Iko Uwais) slowly realize just how in over his head he really is against a tenement building filled with fighters skilled in the Indonesian martial art of pencak silat is an experience that's impossible to replicate.

In short, adrenaline junkies owe it to themselves to go back and fully appreciate the one that started it all. There was a time before "The Raid" and a time after. Fortunately, we're all around when this classic is currently only a click away.