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Netflix Film Reviews: Indonesian Action Maestro – Timo Tjahjanto Trilogy

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Netflix Film Reviews: The Timo Tjahjanto Trilogy

When Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans burst on the cinematic scene with martial arts film, Merantau (2009) and followed it with the seminal action classic, The Raid (2011), he precipitated a welcome interest in Indonesian cinema and visceral fight films too. On reflection, Evans’ rise has influenced Indonesian director, Timo Tjahjanto, and their collaboration played a significant role in shaping the latter’s career. The two directors worked together on the action-packed Safe Haven segment of the anthology film V/H/S/2 (2013), which gained critical acclaim for its intensity and creativity. This partnership showcased Tjahanto’s knack for blending horror, action, and suspense, a style Evans is also known for through his work on the aforementioned The Raid series.

Thus, as a massive fan of The Raid (2011), I decided to watch Tjahjanto’s most recent Netflix releases. Their shared focus on high-octane action and stylized, bloody violence has led to comparisons between each of the filmmakers’ work and a sense of mutual inspiration. Tjahjanto has often expressed admiration for Gareth Evans’ meticulous approach to action choreography and storytelling. Evans’ ability to balance fast-cutting action, physically powerful actors and pulsating sound effects likely resonated with Timo, who has implemented similar techniques in his own films.

Here are three short reviews of those Netflix actioners from Tjahjanto, who is soon to be directing Nobody 2 (2025). I realise scenes where characters are garroted, decapitated, strangled, snapped, shot, hung and impaled with their own splintered bones are not the most seasonal of films to recommend, but if you absolutely love fist-blade-gun-bomb-stick-knife-head-tools-led set-pieces then do check them out.

** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS **

THE NIGHT COMES FOR US (2018)

Main cast: Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais, Julie Estelle, Sunny Pang and Zack Lee

Fans of the The Raid series will recognise Iko Uwais immediately, however, he is not the main hero in this frenetic and ultra-violent crime thriller. Not that there are not many heroes on show here. Tjahjanto is very much a genre writer and director, presenting big archetypal gangs involving the South East Asian Triads, groups called ‘The Big Six’ and characters called ‘The Operator.’ While there is an attempt to create emotion, Tjahjanto’s strength is in directing and choreographing blistering battle scenes between these various gangs.

The Night Comes For Us (2018) plot finds Joe Taslim’s, Ito, as enforcer saving a young girl’s life and trying to turn his back on crime and violence. It’s easier said than done as all hell breaks loose when various crime factions pursue him in a myriad of ferocious set-pieces. Here Tjahjanto vision of violence serves as more than just a tool for storytelling; it becomes an overwhelming, nihilistic force that shapes the film’s worldview and emotional tone. The relentless brutality and graphic depiction of human suffering go beyond entertainment, creating a numbing effect that forces viewers to confront the inescapable cycle of destruction and loss. The theme of redemption is at the heart of Ito’s journey, but ultimately it’s the high body count that stays with you.

Mark: 8.5 out of 11

THE BIG 4 (2022)

Main cast: Abimana Aryasatya, Putri Marino, Lutesha, Arie Kriting and Kristo Immanuel etc.

The Big 4 (2022) takes a sharp tonal shift from the grim and nihilistic world of The Night Comes for Us, embracing a blend of high-octane action and irreverent humour. While both films showcase the director’s trademark flair for elaborate action choreography and over-the-top violence, The Big 4 tempers its brutality with comedic undertones, a zany dysfunctional family dynamic, and a sense of fun reminiscent of The A-Team.

The film is peppered with witty banter, physical comedy, and absurd situations that lighten the mood, even during intense action sequences. The violence, while still extreme, is stylized in a way that leans more toward cartoonish spectacle than visceral horror, allowing the audience to laugh along with the chaos rather than feel emotionally drained by it. At the heart of The Big 4 is the relationship between its central group of misfit assassins, who operate more like a chaotic, bickering family than a traditional hit squad. The result is a film that retains Timo Tjahjanto’s penchant for adrenaline-fueled spectacle while delivering a more comedic and uplifting familial experience.

Mark: 7.5 out of 11

THE SHADOW STRAYS (2024)

Main cast: Aurora Ribero, Hana Malasan, Taskya Namya, Agra Piliang, Andri Mashadi, Chew Kin Wah etc.

Tjahjanto’s latest release, The Shadow Strays (2024) melds the sleek, character-driven intensity of Nikita (1990) with the mythic, stylized world-building of John Wick, resulting in a brutal and visceral cinematic experience that showcases his signature flair for action. The film blends high-octane combat with a dark, morally ambiguous narrative, creating a layered world filled with shadowy organizations, unrelenting assassins, and a protagonist caught between vengeance and redemption.

The well-worn plot shows a young trainee assassin called, Thirteen (Aurora Ribero), trying to find her own identity, at the same time of rescuing a young orphan from nefarious drug dealers and corrupt politicians. The narrative explores themes of identity, loyalty, and betrayal, grounding the hyper-stylized violence in a story of personal stakes and transformation. Her journey resonates with a sense of tragedy, as she grapples with the toll her violent profession takes on her psyche and relationships. While The Shadow Strays pays homage to its influences, it remains distinctly Tjahjanto, weaving his trademark brutality with Ribero confirming herself as bona fide film action star. The overall result is a gripping, unrelenting, if overlong journey, into a violent underworld where every choice comes with a cost.

Mark: 8 out of 11

Reviews, Sky TV, Television

SKY TV REVIEW – GANGS OF LONDON (2020)

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SKY TV REVIEW – GANGS OF LONDON (2020)

Created by: Gareth Evans, Matt Flannery

Directors: Gareth Evans (2 episodes), Corin Hardy (4 episodes), Xavier Gens (3 episodes)

Executive producer(s): Thomas Benski, Lucas Ochoa, Jane Featherstone, Gabriel Silver

Producer(s): Hugh Warren

Writers: Claire Wilson, Peter Berry, Joe Murtagh, Gareth Evans, Matt Flannery, Lauren Sequeira, Carl Joos,

Cast: Joe Cole, Sope Dirisu, Lucian Msamati, Michelle Fairley, Mark Lewis Jones, Narges Rashidi, Parth Thakerar, Asif Raza Mir, Valene Kane, Brian Vernel, Jing Lusi, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Orli Shuka, Richard Harrington, Jude Akuwudike, Emmett J. Scanlan, Colm Meaney etc.

Production company(s): Pulse Films, Sister Pictures, Sky Studios

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

The British, or more specifically, London-based gangster narrative is a well-trodden pathway for writers, directors and filmmakers. In fact, when Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) was a low-budget sleeper hit, agents and film companies were never more than a few feet away from a cheeky-chappie-laddish-gangster script. Ritchie obviously has made his name in the crime genre and his most recent film, The Gentlemen (2020), was another rollicking piece of entertainment. However, Ritchie’s stylish geezer model doesn’t always show the serious side of the British crime yarn. Films such as: Villain (1971), Get Carter (1971), The Long Good Friday (1980), Mona Lisa (1986), The Krays (1990), Sexy Beast (2000), Legend (2015), and many more, represent the dark and brutal face of hard-nut masculinity and the profession of violence. Enter the new Sky drama, Gangs of London (2020), which over nine episodes pitches itself as a similarly stern contemporary gangster fable, but with lashings of explosive action set-pieces, savage fisticuffs and a few severed hands thrown in for good measure.

From the opening scene — which finds heir apparent to the Wallace Corporation, Sean (Joe Cole), burning alive and dropping a low-level hoodie off a sky-scraping construction building — the brutal tone is set. Flashbacks then reveal the reason for Sean’s ire. His father, Finn (Colm Meaney), was murdered while on the Albanian mafia’s turf and thus he demands revenge. So far, so Hamlet! Yet, this is no singular character’s journey into the psychological depths of real or invented madness. Mostly, we find a sprawling, multicultural and international ensemble piece with the world of crime represented by aforementioned Albanians, Nigerians, Kurdish freedom fighters, Chinese gangs, Pakistani drug cartels, Welsh travellers and various other criminal elements.

While there is some soul searching for Sean as Finn Wallace’s buried secrets are latterly exposed within the drama, this is very much a symbolic and sadistic manifestation of Brexit. Moreover, it critiques the rise of gangster culture from the mean capital streets into the corporate boardroom. The Wallace’s billion-pound construction business acts as a front for money laundering, drugs deals, prostitution, people smuggling, gun-running and other nefarious crimes. Business has never been so good; that is until Finn Wallace is killed. Henceforth, all hell breaks loose on the streets of London and the police, who all seem to be in the pockets of the gangs, are unable or unwilling to control it.

The gangster genre can be a challenge for writers, directors and actors as they attempt to sidestep the cliches. Moreover, these stories predominantly show violent and amoral characters attacking or cheating or back-stabbing one another. Thus, it can be difficult to create empathy for such nasty people. Nonetheless, given the continued success of such narratives, the anti-heroic ensemble represented by the likes of the Wallace, Dumani, Afridi, Dushaj and Edwards’ families, among others, give the audience plenty to get our teeth into. There are so many different characters, motives, actions and desires on show that the sheer pace and twists in the narrative can leave one breathless. That isn’t to say the pace is rapid. There is a brooding suspense and grave depth to the overall direction. At times the drama, as well as the casting of Michelle Fairley (Lady Stark), reminded me of Game of Thrones in crime form. It gives us high-quality genre storytelling interspersed with some incredibly violent fight scenes and shoot-outs. It doesn’t quite have the heroes that Games of Thrones had though. The closest we get to a rootable character is Sope Dirisu’s low-level enforcer, Elliott Finch, who has a big secret to hold onto. Dirisu gives a powerful performance both emotionally and physically as he fights his way up the Wallace chain of command.

Gangs of London (2020) was created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery for Cinemax and Sky Studios. Evans, of course, is the talented Welsh filmmaker who had to go all the way to Indonesia and direct Merantau (2009), The Raid (2011) and The Raid 2 (2014), in order to make a name for himself in the film industry. He is a director with a special set of skills, especially when it comes to the knuckle-breaking and heart-stabbing fight sequences. Thus, the episodes he directs stand out among the best of the series. Notably Episodes 1 and 5, which feature an incredible bare-knuckled-table-leg-glass-in-the-face bar fracas and a bloody-mercenary-raid-on-a- country-farmhouse set-piece respectively. The remainder of the series arguably pales a little where the action is concerned, however, there remains some shockingly grotesque acts of violence as the corpses mount up the further the series proceeds. Indeed, as Sean Wallace attempts to locate his father’s killer and order from the chaos, he will find little in the way of salvation, redemption and satisfaction in the life of a London gangster. If only he’d watched more crime films, he’d know that already.

Mark: 9 out of 11