The Shadow Strays

A simple, oft-repeated tale of revenge that is all about action and fight scenes. In some stories the main character's dog is killed, in others an almost unknown boy is killed. But the result is the same: a pile of butchered corpses. Of course, we've seen it all before, but a genre fan will happily put it on repeat. I originally saw it as average, but I'll raise it up, because there were a few scenes I really enjoyed. Not the mass brawls where heads and hands fly before you know who's who, but the one-on-one fights, those had the right intensity in many cases. I reckon that those who wants to see carnage don't care about philosophy and deep thoughts. I initially put the film off because of the running time, yet it went by so quickly. (2024-10-20)

Timo Tjahjanto is an action genius!! He has made the best femme fatale action movie of all time and quite possibly the best action mayhem of this year. The likable and unknown Aurora Ribero is a Shin-kage, a kind of Ninja who decides to save a boy whose mother was killed by a criminal organization and a lot of blood and corpses are torn down in Jakarta. The highlight is surprisingly the very opening action sequence in Japan with katanas, it was an incredible carnage with heads and limbs flying – TImo just didn't fuck around again and didn't coddle anyone – I missed this a bit in Shogun, so getting sucked into the plot from the start was very impressive. Despite being 144 minutes long, the film offers plenty of action, has a frenetic pace, solid dirty visuals, interesting villains, the R-rating is used to the max and the action is nicely varied, making the most of the weapons (katanas knives and firearms), there's not a lot of hand-to-hand combat, but that's understandable considering the main character is a woman and not a man, and I love melee weapons so I grunted nicely – even the gunfights are nice, intense and bloody. The finale against the two bosses is interesting, too, with one fatality that is like something out of “Mortal Kombat”! I really enjoyed the whole film, it's right up my alley, the action is top notch and I'd say this film completes the famous action trifecta of the last decade: The Raid, The Night Comes for Us and The Shadow Strays. I appreciate Timo giving unknown faces a chance to shine. P.S.: Great cameo at the end and a wink to a sequel. Bring it on MAN! 9/10. (2024-10-17)

A forgettable Indonesian gangster action flick, I feel like I've seen this movie a few times before. Solid action for sure, but not connected to any interesting story or characters that one cares about. The running time is lethal. (2024-10-20)

Timo Tjahjanto has returned to the streaming platform Netflix after a long six years... I have to say, after his last film The Night Comes for Us, I expect a certain standard from him when it comes to action craftsmanship. And yes, this butcher from Indonesia has once again gone completely off the rails and made something I genuinely enjoyed to the fullest. Sure, on the story front, it often dips into subpar territory during its runtime; I haven't seen so many clichés packed into one square meter in a long time from a viewer's perspective, but that’s not why I watched the film. In terms of action, it crushes most of the competition; I haven't seen such precisely crafted sequences in ages. Add to that a truly brutal undertone (the opening in Japan is a real feast for the eyes), and you have a delightful little treat. I'm looking forward to a potential sequel like a little kid. I give it 7/10. (2024-10-28)