‘The Shadow Strays’ isn’t known for being overly original considering it is an Indonesian action thriller about a rogue assassin that hints at lizard brain pleasures. This is evident from the participation of Timo Tjahanto, the director behind ‘The Night Comes For Us’, along with the relatively new choreographer for this film – Muhammad Irfan, who also worked with Trisna Irawan. Other action movie buffs would be gladdened to learn that the two names mentioned above alongside ‘The Night Comes For Us’ are now renowned ever since It and its sequel ‘The Raid’ were proof of the cutting-edge influence of the cinema industry in Indonesia.
Evaluating the festival reviews for ‘The Shadow Strays’, it is easy to note that there is an emphasis on the gory nature of the cinematography paired with the constant violence throughout which is found in the majority of Dodng’s works. Numerous festival journalists seem to observe that there is a lack of depth in the plot, and the reasoning for this may very well be that this film relies on belabored melodramatic concepts and stereotyped characters far too much. A primary example of this would be that yet another action film comes out where a killer is tired of their past and opts for a lifestyle where they risks everything to save a person they do not even recognize.
About the movie, “Thirteen,” as far as the plot is concerned, it seems ordinary.
Thirteen, portrayed by Aurora Ribero, is an American woman hired by the powerful and well-connected criminal organization in Jakarta to murder their enemies. The twenty-two-year-old Ruthless killer on a mission to make the world a better place must first rescue her neighbor Monji, who was being threatened and placed in a closet by the organization she plans on marrying the boy. The organization had captured Monji’s mother and forced her to work as a sex worker for their corrupt profits. When Haga, the organization’s vigorous controller, wives and later kills Monji’s mother, the two develop a bond because of their unusual circumstances. Monji Haga and many other members of the organization are quickly taken care of with an average amount of effort and nice monologues. Excluding the mothers, Monji and Haga are not the only two having difficulties adjusting after the death of Monji’s mother, their whole family does, requiring the members of the organization to assist them through the process.
In case some of you were wondering, her avenging angel does not possess all that much history. Without divulging too much, it’s more than up than down for the organization she’s been contracted through. What she does tell is that they’re so obscured that no one is aware of who takes the helm or the role. Emotions are exceedingly hurtful not only to the external state but also to what Thirteen feels internally. A lesson learned, suppressed emotions never deal with pain, they allow it to torment the individual, which in turn renders a struggle with adjusting problematic. Her Superhuman power blades solve many problems saving her from an overly monotonous life, making it easier to adjust.
Ariel’s backstory reveals the main distinction between Thirteen’s gang and his. One depends on grade, and rampant favoritism, and the other worships obedience and loyalty above everything. Thirteen’s people are earlier on in the film likened to ninjas and samurais while Ariel boasts of his father’s promise that when Ariel wins the election, he will be appointed as the governor of Jakarta. Ariel’s last plot has the potential to raise an eyebrow for anyone who has been monitoring efforts in real life, The Indonesian president, with the aid of the supreme court, trying to assist one of his sons to become a governor of Jakarta.
Tjahjanto had dramatically improved in employing noirish stereotypes and genre cinema ‘stock’ characters to paint the interstitial drama in his films from 2016 when he began directing without his long-time co-directing partner Kimo Stamboel. Tjahjanto not only improved but became bolder, more dynamic, and refined in his direction of action scenes in the films after ‘Headshot’, his first solo project, and his first collaboration with Irfan. Their partnership does set both “The Shadow Strays” and “The Night Comes for Us” apart, even if neither film has characters that stand out more than the actors that played them.
Even if your eyes are covered during the action scenes, everything still makes sense when it comes to splits. If anything, the voiceovers add to the drama. The breathless pacing is in perfect unison with the rest of the motion, which is so elegant that it feels effortless.
In ‘Shadows Stray,’ there is a consistent rhythm during the action the tempo and level of intensity change from one scene to the next. In conjunction with Irfan’s concepts and unparalleled coordination with his stunt groups, his extreme dedication and unmatched ambition from Tjahjanto apply to this film. Tjahjanto, Irfan, and slapstick gore finally reach their climax during the shoe out in the warehouse that succeeds ‘Hard Boiled’ by John Wu.
According to reviews, both Woo and Tjahjanto’s perspectives on violence seem to be equally cynical and romantic, which gives them different as well as common influences. There isn’t any clue about the level of sophistication they managed to perceive, the only thing that sets them apart is the range and strengths.
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