An elite force comprising of 20 members storm into an apartment block situated in Jakarta's slums. The apartment houses a crime lord and the elite force intends to apprehend him. They are able to get inside the apartment successfully. While they are working their way upwards from the ground floor to the 15th floor where the crime lord has set up his base, all hell breaks loose. Suddenly, most of the residents turn against the elite force and are out to kill them. To make matters complex, there are two in the elite force with different motives.
We have seen similar themes in the past. It is about the hunter becoming the hunted. It is about best laid plans going awry. So what makes this Indonesian movie directed by Gareth Evans special? There are many factors that contribute to making this special. We have not seen both the director and the lead actor Iko Uwais before. Then, they have used a martial arts forms from Indonesia which is called pencak silat. This form of martial arts has not been featured in any of the movies from Hollywood. This fighting style along with pushing us into action from the start of the movie ensures there are no dull moments.
The fighting style used is bloody which makes us cringe. Bodies are flung in all directions. There isn't an inch in the screen where bodies aren't flung during combat sequences. There are mutilations and killings which will make us close our eyes. Towards the end, it is two good guys fighting against a lone bad guy. There is no heroism here. And they fight like animals that you end up wondering is this what we all might end up doing to survive in such a situation! But if you don't take the action sequences seriously, then it is a beautifully choreographed sequence. Not only the final one, all the action sequences are brilliantly choreographed.
This is strictly for action junkies. If you are afraid of graphic details on the scene, I advise you to stay away.
Language: Indonesian
Genre: Action
Rating: ***
Nice review
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment and also for dropping by
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