Merantau Warrior
Directed by: Gareth Evans Starring: Iko Uwais, Sisca Jessica, Mads Koudal, Laurent Buson, Synopsis: Young Yuda (Uwais) leaves his rural village for the city of Jakarta as he undertakes “Merantau”, a period of a man’s life when he goes off to discover himself and return home a fully-rounded adult. A skilled practitioner of the Indonesian martial art Silat, Yuda intends to find work as an instructor. However he soon faces the reality of life in the Big City and after a couple of setbacks finds himself wandering the streets, looking for work and a place to live. Through some unfortunate circumstances, Yuda crosses paths with local thug Johnni and comes to the aid of a young girl called Astrid and her younger brother Adit. As if that isn’t bad enough, Johnni is working for an European called Ratger (Koudal), a sex trafficker who is rounding up girls to (literally) ship abroad, and Astrid is the last girl on their shopping list... Review: Merantau Warrior isn’t just a kick-ass martial arts movie. It is one of the best, kick-ass martial arts movies. Tony Jaa might have more athleticism and flamboyant moves than Iko Uwais, but he has yet to star in a film which hits as many grace notes as Merantau does. First, the film is grounded in context, explaining the cultural relevance of Merantau to Yuda, his family and the village. Yuda’s elder brother went off, and returned early. While his parents scolded him openly, secretly his mother was grateful to have him back safe and sound. She knows all too well that many leave on Merantau, but few ever return. Yuda feels the responsibility of making a success of himself squarely on his shoulders, even though his mother tells him he doesn’t need to do it, regardless of what the village elders think. 
Luckily Yuda has got some skills – namely, he’s an expert in Silat, the Indonesian martial art. We get a couple of demonstrations early on as he works through his katas and spars with his master. Yuda hopes to turn his knowledge into a business by opening a Silat school. Yuda’s journey is a rocky one. A cloud starts to form as he even boards the bus to Jakarta, and meets Eric. Eric is a jaded individual, a graduate of the school of hard knocks and tough choices, and tries to impart a bit of advice to the optimistic, naive Yuda. Arriving in Jakarta, Yuda finds the house he’s meant to be staying in has been demolished, and ends up sleeping in a construction yard. The next day he is robbed by a little urchin called Adit, and that’s where Yuda’s problems really begin. Yuda chases Adit through the backstreets, finally catching up to him in an alley outside the club where Adit’s sister, Astri, is a dancer. As Yuda confronts Adit, Astri is thrown outside and hassled by Johnni, a local gangster who wants a cut of her earnings. Yuda makes small work of Johnni but Astri isn’t impressed. Johnni runs the club she dances in and has just caused (in her eyes) him to be beaten up. At this point we are introduced to the real bad-guys of the film. Ratger (Mads Koudal) and Luc (Laurent Buson) are a pair of sex traffickers, looking to round up a batch of five girls to (literally) ship abroad. The introductory shot is masterfully framed, showing Ratger in the foreground and Luc sitting to his left. The pair look like members of the band Franz Ferdinand but there is an air of stillness and menace to them. The scene of them checking out the girls is very unsettling as we can see how humiliated the girls are about their situation. 
Ratger and Luc are in town rounding up their latest shipment, but Johnni is a girl short, so he has his guys abduct Astri to make up the numbers. Yuda sees them bundling Astri towards the club and goes to her aid once again. What happens next almost never happens in martial arts movies. Yuda gets his ass kicked.It reminded me of the “football scene” in Flash Gordon, where Flash takes on the guards, using his Quarterback skills to beat them, only to fall at the final hurdle thanks to a badly passed “ball”. The look on Astri’s face is priceless. She’s almost remonstrating herself for even hoping for a second that this stranger could help her. Yuda takes a short “time-out” while he considers how he got beaten, then goes into the club and starts taking apart every henchman he sees. Meanwhile, Astri is being given a look-see by Ratger. What happens next is hilarious. Imagine you are Ratger, a rich sleazy Eurotrash guy on a business trip, buying girls for his brothels back home. Musics playing, expensive malt whiskey in your hand, girls dancing for your pleasure. Suddenly, the door is kicked down, a total stranger kicks you in the face and runs off with one of your girls. What the hell just happened??? Who was that guy??!! Now Yuda’s problems have doubled. He’s no longer dealing with Johnni and his bottom-feeder thugs. Now Ratger has hired some new goons to come looking for him. The rest of Merantau Warrior is all about chase-and-fight. The action is almost non-stop, save for a moment to flesh out Astri and Adit’s background (heartbreaking), and a scene which has me believing that writer/director Gareth Evans is a big John Woo fan. Much like the “single take” sequence in Tom Yun Goon (aka Warrior King), Yuda works his way through an army of badguys who are guarding Ratger and Luc’s hotel. At one point he takes the elevator, and comes face to face once more with Eric. In one scene, Gareth Evans distils the “heroic bloodshed” ideals that John Woo brought to life so effectively in A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Bullet in the Head, Hard Boiled etc. 
Iko Uwais may not have the flamboyance of Tony Jaa, but he is a solid performer who handles his action and drama scenes equally well. Thanks to a lengthy introduction, illustrating his family life, and the way he strives to overcome each adversity has the audience on his side right from the start. Sisca Jessica also does well in what could have been a thankless damsel-in-distress role. She is able to give an emotional performance without being overwrought.Finally, I’d like to mention the soundtrack, which does a great job of accentuating the action onscreen. This is most notable towards the end of the film, as the synth score builds and builds behind the on-screen action, reaching a crescendo in tandem with the fights themselves. Verdict An incredibly entertaining action film. Look out for the names of Gareth Evans and Iko Uwais in the future. 9 out of 10 (MikeOutWest) New! CommentsHave your say about this! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
