THE SHADOW STRAYS
****
Directed by Timo Tjahjanto.
Starring Aurora Ribero, Hana Piratshata Malasan, Ali Fikry.
Action, Indonesia, 144 minutes, Certificate 18.
Streaming in the UK on Netflix from October 17th
Netflix subscribers who browse past the Top 10 and New to Netflix categories may already know of writer and director Timo Tjahjanto. For all the streamers' faults they have done action and horror fans a massive service by snapping up Tjahjantos’s previous films, and bringing his uncompromising, ultra-violent vision to a worldwide audience. For those of us who are already fans from the likes of the MAY THE DEVIL TAKE YOU horror films and action romp THE BIG 4, this particular film has been eagerly awaited since its announcement and Tjahjanto’s promise that it would be a return to the style of his previous instant classic THE NIGHT COMES FOR US.
Fans of that hyper-violent epic will find themselves immediately satisfied by the opening sequence here which sees a vile Yakuza boss and his many lackeys massacred in stylish and gory fashion by a single hooded and masked assassin who works for the feared clandestine outfit known as the Shadows. Known only as 13, she struggles to remember her past while also beginning to question her uncompromising lifestyle, much to the displeasure of her mentor Umbra. During some downtime, 13, striving for a life of normalcy, tentatively strikes up a friendship with her neighbour Monji, a young boy who runs afoul of a nasty crime syndicate.
13 embarks upon a rescue mission, which not only brings her face to face with the surprisingly well-connected gang of reprehensible drug dealing, flesh peddling kidnappers but also her employers who are unimpressed with the attention her blood-soaked exploits brings to them. Fans of Tjahjanto will already know the stomping ground of sleazy nightclubs, dilapidated apartments and vast warehouses soon to be flooded with torrents of blood and dismembered body parts. However the director still manages to make this familiar territory as thrilling as ever with his zig-zag plotting and a fearless approach in depicting violence which with its next-level fight choreography comes across as exciting and thrilling, if you have the stomach for it.
Right from the off this is excessive stuff. The near two and a half hour running time may prove to be too much of an experience for those who find themselves becoming weary of the punching, kicking, hacking and gouging that populates much of the film. It is however a relentless approach that proves thrilling for action movie aficionados and fans of Eastern action cinema who may think they have seen it all before. It could be argued that there is a tender heart nestled amongst all the carnage with 13’s attempt to regain her humanity but the punishing lengths she goes to fight for it may prove to be too much for those unprepared for its no-holds-barred approach.
As 13, Aurora Ribero makes for an appealing heroine, her diminutive appearance masking a truly lethal and fearless killing machine. Going head to head with a truly evil gang, including Andri Mashadi as Ariel, one of the year’s vilest antagonists, Ribero immediately proves her action credentials with her role and the immense physical talents she brings to the films many fight scenes.
Although overlong, particularly in its final stretch despite a surprise cameo from a face fans of Tjahjanto and Gareth Evans will be delighted to see in the sequel-baiting post-credits scene, this is still a stirring piece of action cinema. One of the wildest films of the year, it could be our last chance to experience Tjahjanto let off the chain like this for some time. Now Hollywood-bound to direct the highly anticipated NOBODY 2, it will be interesting to see how far he can take his excessive stylings within a far stricter studio system. No doubt the results will be interesting and entertaining but it’s hard to imagine Bob Odenkirk and Sharon Stone going through even half of what Tajahjanto puts his cast through here. Please prove me wrong, I honestly cannot wait to see the results.
Iain MacLeod
