Merantau

[Drunk Monk]

I mentioned this one a while back here: <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://brotherhoodofdoom.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=474&p=9562&hilit=merantau#p9562">viewtopic.php?f=6&t=474&p=9562&hilit=merantau#p9562</a><!-- l -->
[youtube]PtkLFm3QrmA[/youtube]

Merantau is Indonesia's first significant martial arts flick featuring the rare style of ass kicking known as silat. It's a style that I don't know very much about, believe it or not, as it's pretty rare. Bottom line here? DOOM FILM.

Iko Uwais looks like an Indonesian Daniel-san, especially with his hairdo, but that's where the comparison stops. The filmmakers are smart enough to maximize the natural environment as a setting, from the terraced farms in the tropics to the gritty alleys of Jakarta. It's very colorful and lush. The film starts slowly and somewhat stereotypically, but hang with it. It builds nicely with the intensity of the fight scenes and delivers some great the climactic ass-kickings. Iko rocks. He's got moves like Tony Jaa, albeit not so aerial, which of course means he echoes Jackie too. Like Jaa, he also has a country-boy sensibility that gives him an earnest feel, if not a little amateur, but it's really all about the fights, not the acting. There are some awesome stunts and some beautiful one-long-extended-shot fights. The story takes a few unexpected turns, nothing totally mindblowing, but satisfactory, just enough to step outside the mold a bit. The filmmaking is good - definitely a cut above the standard martial arts film fare - some nice cinematography and composition - much nicer than the B-films so prevalent in the bulk of the genre. But it's really about Iko's choreography. He's the new young turk to watch in martial arts films. Silat is an exciting style that blends some kung fu sensibilities with other pac rim styles like Muay Thai and Kali. I don't even know how to properly pronounce Iko Uwais yet, but I will soon.

I can't wait to see his next project, something called Berandal.
[youtube]FKYDwy9PrmY[/youtube]

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Wait for it.

[Drunk Monk]

And was there a sword fight?

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

I was going to ask and then decided to play it cool.

Many awesome sword fights. Best was a nightstick-knife combo that rocked the casbah.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

My boss suggested I see this film since I would be doing a review on the follow up movie to this.

It was okay. There were some good fight scenes, but the story was very slight. Actually, the fight scenes were very good, but I kept getting the feeling the people in those fights would be dead. But they have a lot of very creative moves. Some they use a lot. There were plenty of catching the guys leg during the kick shots. And Silat, the martial used in the fights, seems to be predicated on a lot of elbow and knee strikes.

And it was slow in the beginning. When watching what is billed as a fight movie, you get very antsy waiting for the first fight. Then there were plenty of fights. Fights and fights and fights.

There is also something about the cinematography and editing that bugs me. Some of the shots are "Look at me. I've rented a big crane for this shot and it's going to look cool" shots. Too intrusive. Some of the fights have too many cuts (Yes, I will burn in hell for that comment when you see the cutting I did in my little fight extravaganza)

It's like the film needed a bit more polish, a bit more time on the screenplay, a bit more time on the pre-production of how the film was to be shot. Maybe this polish they need is applied in the next film?

[Drunk Monk]

Actually, I felt it had too much story, which resulted in that slow beginning. That being said, it sits well in the massive genre of Welsh-directed Indonesian films.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Although mine is much more miniscule in importance.

Wouldn't it be great to have a movie had a story where the fights were an organic part of the whole rather than just placeholders to get your from Fight A to Fight B?

Whacky.

[Drunk Monk]

Life is just placeholders to get your from Fight A to Fight B.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Gratuitous bits of plot interfering with the fights? Feh.

[Drunk Monk]

...we just make a living at it because dueling didn't pay.

...unless it was in the window of a gay club.

...and those gigs are too few and far in between.

mt027 mt065

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

I guess I need to find people that believe in truth and then beat the rest of you lot into submission.

[Drunk Monk]

Submit to gratuitous prostitution!

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

I offered. No one was buying.

[Drunk Monk]

damn - had to google that one.

no one was buying, eh? when it was ppfy and dm in the gay club window, they had to beat them off...with sabers!

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

And suddenly we are back to mistaken encounters in the dim hallways of Castle Highland.

I figured with Merantau you would get Rumspringa