The Shadow Strays
Satisfying originality does not seem to come as a high point in “The Shadow Strays,” which is a low budget Indonesian action thriller that depicts the life of a rogue assassin. It is directed by Timo Tjahjanto for the second time, coupled with the regular action choreographer Muhammad Irfan along with action director or choreographer Trisna Irawan. People who love action movies must have heard those names because now it is almost certain that The Night Comes for Us will replace The Raid as the most recent Indonesian proof of genre’s advancement in the world.
It’s appropriate to point out that several reviews of the “Shadow Strays” film which were done for film festivals have emphasized the excessive amount of brutality and violence which is featured in the movie which reaches a climax point. Tjahjanto and Irfan’s first film which was a collaboration work was “The Night Comes for Us” and this film was also said to share similar qualities in that it was very extreme. Other festival reporters did make the case for plot and dialogue, but only in minority because a lot of the film furniture overrides this narrative as here stock characters and cheap dramatic devices are the rule. All that can be said is that this time in “The Shadow Strays,” a contract killer with no history gets bored of her faceless identity and does something unreasonable for the sake of a woman she hardly knows.
What then is of primary importance in understanding “The Shadow Strays”? Probably, there is no need to give all the other details which are not about punching a head or breaking a bone but there are such violent scenes that accompany important illustrative overhead moments and even very light political commentary.
But then again, it could be said that the story’s usually clichéd enough to appear unimportant.
Aurora Ribero plays Thirteen, a 17 year old assassin with a heart of gold who stands up against a major criminal syndicate in Jakarta just because they threaten her young neighbor Monji.Aili Fikry). Mirasti Monji’s mother worked as a prostitute for the violent Haga (Agra Piliang), a friend of a nightclub owner Ariel (Andri Mashadi) and his politician father Soemitro (Arswendy Bening Swara). Thirteen has formed a bond with Monji after Haga killed his mother;Haga first gets chased by her and then she gets chased by Haga, Ariel and his men. Some violent and breathtaking betrayals, followed by more bloody and spectacular battles, reduce the size of the contestants’ political camps.
As the adage goes “Perhaps the best way to say it, she’s been a scapegoat in her name”, Thirteen’s past might be appealing but so far, it is undisclosed. She reportedly works for an organization so covert that its chairperson and employees are unknown to anyone. It isn’t only Thirteen’s discomforting human feelings that elude her, many of them have been thoroughly medicated and are now absent. One’s emotional instability naturally leads to the confusion which lasts in Thirteen’s world about the events that take place during a fight in which she becomes engaged.
Ariel’s narrative gives us insights on how the Thirteen’s group is different from his: one rewards high office and has shameless preferences, while the other, loyalty and compliance are put high up everywhere. Thirteen’s guys are equated with ninjas and samurais quite early in the film; Ariel brags to be the governor of Jakarta once his father is sworn in as the president. This last dangling hook has grumbles for those who have watched the pliant Indonesian president trying, with the Supreme Court’s assistance, to promote one of his sons to govern Jakarta.
He had emerged much better in 2016 in the use of noirian archetypes and genre movie stock characters in an attempt to fill the gaps in the interstitial drama of his movies ever since he begun directing movies as a lone wolf, without his long time co directing associate, Kimo Stamboel. Tjahjanto’s approach in his directing of action scenes has also improved in various aspects and also more recently from “Headshot”, his first feature and solo debut collaboration with Irfan. Ultimately the collaboration of Tjahjanto and Irfan places ‘The Shadow Strays’ and ‘The Night Comes for Us’ within particular genres even when neither film contains characters that are more striking than the actors Some performing them possess.
In both films, what is crucial can actually be witnessed in the action sequences. Sure, when the viewer is treated to such strong action direction and rhythm nothing is capable of awe inspiring them. In both films, action direction has been given the foremost priority, it could be said that even character and plot as devices serve the action.
Action in “The Shadows Stray” is marked by a continual shifting between quick succession impacts to longer shots that smoothly transition the tempo and even editing and motion to prepare for the subsequent sequence. They go together because of Tjahjanto’s commitment to be original with the inadequate resources within the control of Irfan and his stunt teams. They proceed to combine a bunch of brilliant, cruel fun set pieces, leading up to the terrific shoot out of a warehouse that resembles a scene from John Woo’s Hard Boiled.
As other critics write, they both have a to some degree ironic romantic approach toward violence and more than one common source of inspiration. It is not the region and scope of the thievery that makes them different as filmmakers, but the outcome. how they twist this adoration of cheap literature into cinematic style. Thanks to Irawan, Irfan, and a rather competent supporting cast, Tjahjanto does earn quite a lot.
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