The Night Comes for Us (Indonesia, 2018)

Ito, a gangland enforcer, caught amidst a treacherous and violent insurrection within his Triad crime family upon his return home from a stint abroad.

To call The Night Comes for Us an action flick would be a huge understatement. Halfway through, the film starts to feel like the longest fight sequence you've ever seen. Arms are breaking like nobody's business, necks are snapping and blood is gushing almost constantly. Due to the main focus on the action I would strongly recommend it to martial art film aficionados, and every one else, well, let's just say that it's not only thugs that gets a severe beating but the plot as well. Yes there's talk of betrayal and our hero suddenly comes across a child he needs to protect, but this all really just amounts to padding between one spectacular brawl to another. 

An adrenaline rush no doubt, and superbly choreographed, but can be exhausting if you're not in the mood for this kind of film. 

Genre: Action/Thriller

The Golden Cane Warrior (Indonesia, 2014)

The Golden Cane: a relic of incomparable force, coveted by all. And with it, the training of a technique so unrivaled, it vanquishes all who dare oppose its power. As Master Cempaka and her four disciples - orphans of her enemies, now heirs to the Cane - prepare for the new warrior guardian to ascend, an act of villainous betrayal threatens to destroy the clan and destabilize the realm. Their only hope to restore order lies in finding the elusive White Dragon, the only remaining pupil still equipped to unlock the mysteries of the Golden Cane.

I'm so glad that Indonesia has become a country of which I really can trust on making some great films, Killers (2014) and The Raid 1 & 2 just to name a few. The Golden Cane Warrior draw inspiration from Chinese wire-fu films and contains a lot of beautiful fighting choreography, though it holds back a lot of the action and tells an emotional story of four disciples who're in a power struggle. Superb cinematography also.

Genre: Action/Drama

Macabre (Indonesia, 2009)

Two newly weds Adjie and Astrid, along with 3 of their best friends decided to have an interstate road trip as a last attempt to reconcile Adjie with his estranged little sister Ladya. Their trip is however abruptly interrupted when they run into Maya, a strange girl out of nowhere, who wanders aimlessly into their path. "I've been robbed" is all she has to say. The friends unanimously decided to give her a ride to her isolated house by the end of the woods. Maya introduces Adjie and friends to her blue-blooded mother Dara, a woman of ageless enigma and few spoken words.

Macabre draws a lot of its premise and chock horror straight from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and when the chainsaw is coming out you'll giggle at the resemblance. Nonetheless, Macabre is filled to the brim with blood and gore. People are getting butchered, stabbed and shot left and right. I haven't checked up on it, but Macabre is said to be the first Indonesian slasher flick which sounds terribly late considering it was released in 2009. More originality would have done wonders but for now we'll just have to settle for Indonesia Chainsaw Massacre, which of course isn't bad at all.

Genre: Horror

The Forbidden Door (Indonesia, 2009)

Gambir is an artist who on the surface seems to lead a charmed life - he's been enjoying critical and commercial success and is married to lovely Talyda. But Talyda's parents are bankrolling his posh lifestyle, he's struggling with impotence and a low sperm count, and when his struggle to have a child with Talyda finally bears fruit, she opts to have an abortion, and then demands Gambir place the fetus inside one of his sculptures. As Gambir struggles to make sense of his internal chaos, his friend Dandung tells him about a secret club for people struggling with questions they can't answer. However, Gambir has a hard time articulating the mystery behind his agony, and he becomes convinced the key to it all lurks behind a locked door he's found in the basement.

The Forbidden Door is a kind of trippy horror film which I've seen been mentioned in listings of top horror films some few years ago. For some reason I never got around watching but now I'm glad that I have. Horror from Indonesia is something I've been looking for many times and The Forbidden Door makes me realize there's must be a ton of great ones out there. Not terrifyingly scary but very satisfying and interesting. 

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror

Killers (Japan/Indonesia, 2014)

In Tokyo, a serial killer is murdering women and posting his violent crimes on-line. In Jakarta, a rogue vigilante uploads his murdering spree for the world to see. A psychotic game of cat and mouse ensues as the two men battle for notoriety. Soon it becomes clear that it's only a matter of time until the two killers square off face to face.

Killers is a violent crime drama that has somewhat of a misguiding reputation. It has been said that its a really tough film to watch and that the violence can be too much for many. I say it's nicer than that, and that you won't have a problem with it as long as you've seen maybe only a handful of other bloody serial killer films. Instead it's more like a really good crime drama with some nasty killings and intense scenes. The two main characters are very well-played, especially one of them who has a disturbing lack of empathy and other human emotions. A captivating story about how two men has that raw, brutal need of taking lives.

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama

Merantau (Indonesia, 2009)

Yuda, a skilled practitioner of Silat Harimau is in the final preparations to begin his "Merantau" a century's old rites-of-passage to be carried out by the community's young men that will see him leave the comforts of his idyllic farming village and make a name for himself in the bustling city of Jakarta. After a series of setbacks leave Yuda homeless and uncertain about his new future, a chance encounter results in him defending the orphaned Astri from becoming the latest victim of a European human trafficking ring led by the wildly psychotic, Ratger and his right-hand man Lars.

The sheer force of the fighting sequences are reason enough to watch this explosive fist fighting madness made by the same director who gave us the incredible action fests The Raid 1 & 2, and Merantau also features the same actor in the lead role. Satisfying bone crunching goodness and fight choreography that makes Hollywood productions green with envy, Merantau should please every viewer that's looking for a fight.

Genre: Action

The Raid 2: Berendal (Indonesia, 2014)

Following immediately after the events of The Raid, Ram is forced to reinvent himself as an undercover cop in order to provide protection for his wife and child. Working for the anti-corruption taskforce led by the one person he can trust, Bunawar, he is given a mission to engage himself as an enforcer for a local mob boss, Bangun. Finding a way in through Bangun's son Uco, Rama must hunt for information linking Bangun with police force corruption.

The first The Raid made huge headlines in 2011 when it was unleashed upon the cowering cinemas all over the world, with critics saying it could be the best action film ever made. That is of course an overstatement, but it was certainly up there among the giants. The Raid 2 continues with the same formula, fight sequences upon fight sequences to beat the living crap out everyone and everything. 

You have to be in the mood for a lengthy and bloody brawl to appreciate this film, otherwise it may get a bit monotonous or too violent, depending on how sensitive you are. One thing I will say for sure is that it has one of the best car chase scenes ever put to film, how the camera moves around and the brutal action that keeps going on while speeding down the road, it's just crazy, gorgeous, all-out action and extremely exhilarating. If you want some of the best martial-arts performances in one giant fighting flick, check this one out. 

Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller

The Raid: Redemption (Indonesia, 2011)

Deep in the heart of Jakarta's slums lies an impenetrable derelict apartment building which became a safe house for the cities most dangerous murderers, killers and gangsters. The rundown apartment block has been considered untouchable by rivals of the notorious crime lord Tama Riyadi and even the police. It all changes when an elite team is tasked with raiding the building in order to take down Tama once and for all.

From Indonesia, this beast of an action film is born and set loose to wreak havoc across the world. The story is next to non-existent, but things like character development and plot twists are very trivial matters when compared to the all-out war and countless shootout scenes that The Raid is filled with. 

Genre: Action/Crime