Merantau
Tags: violence

Plot synopsis:
The plot follows Yuda, a Minangkabau from West Sumatra and an expert in silat. As part of the merantau (journeying) tradition, he leaves his home to seek experience and success. He plans to teach silat to the children of Jakarta. On his bus journey, he meets Eric, a fellow exponent of the art. When he hears of Yuda's plan, Eric becomes sombre, and warns him that the city is quite different from what Yuda is used to, and also that it is difficult to make a living teaching the art. Yuda finds that the address where he was meant to stay has been torn down, so he becomes homeless. His wallet is stolen by a child named Adit. Chasing the thief, Yuda then encounters the thief's sister, Astri, quarrelling with her boss, Johnny. When Johnny begins abusing Astri, Yuda intervenes. Yuda saves Astri but instead of gratitude, he is rebuked because she had become jobless as a result. The next day, Yuda sees Astri once again being beaten by Johnny. He intervenes again only to be beaten at first by his thugs. He quickly recovers and saves Astri from Johnny, while saving her he brutally scars Johnny's boss, Ratger. Ratger's associate, Luc tries to calm down Ratger, but to no avail as Ratger decides to stay in the city to hunt down Astri and Yuda.
Yuda takes Astri and Adit to where he is staying in the city, a construction site. They talk, and Yuda explains why he came to the city and talks about his older brother, who used to always beat him up. Astri then explains how her parents abandoned her and Adit a few years ago, and how she has been taking care of them ever since. The next day, Yuda, Astri, and Adit decide to retrieve their savings from their home in an apartment complex. Yuda leaves Astri and Adit to retrieve the money, but he is caught in the act by several thugs sent to guard the building. Yuda starts fighting the henchmen while trying to reach Astri and Adit.
Meanwhile, Astri and Adit are seen by several guards as they are chased throughout the area. Astri helps Adit to hide as she is kidnapped by several henchmen. Yuda manages to defeat the attackers as he finds Adit. He promises Adit that he'll find his sister and tells him to hide as he sets off. Yuda returns to Johnny's club and quickly dispatches Johnny's henchmen. Johnny then gives the location of where to find Ratger, pointing to a nearby apartment building. Yuda makes his way into the apartment building as Ratger takes Astri upstairs to his room, telling a guard to wait downstairs in case Yuda appears. Yuda enters the elevator and starts to ride upwards only for the elevator to stop and the guard to enter. Yuda realizes the guard is Eric, the man he met on the bus, and Yuda tries to convince him he doesn't have to fight. Eric is ashamed of what he has become, but doesn't feel he has any way out, and they brutally fight in the elevator.
Ratger rapes Astri and takes her downstairs, leaving two guards to wait for the elevator. Meanwhile, Yuda defeats Eric, but spares him, saying that they are different. The elevator opens as the two guards point their guns towards the opening elevator doors. Eric redeems himself as he pushes Yuda to the side, away from the bullets; meanwhile, he is killed by the barrage of bullets. Yuda then defeats the guards and chases after Ratger. He sees Ratger and Astri in a car as they pull out of the parking lot. Yuda hops onto one of the cars as they drive away. The cars end at a shipping dock, where they put Astri in a storage container with other women. Ratger and Luc then notice Yuda approaching and send their henchmen to defeat him. Yuda defeats all of them as Ratger and Luc prepare to fight. The three fight in an epic showdown as Yuda holds his own against the two attackers. Luc and Ratger then gain the upper hand when they retrieve a crowbar and a metal pipe from the ground and begin attacking. Yuda eventually slams a container door onto Luc, causing him to impale himself with the crowbar.
Luc's death throws Ratger into a rage, and he viciously attacks Yuda, pinning him to a shipment container. Yuda gains the upper hand and defeats Ratger, but spares him from a killing blow. Yuda then opens the container, freeing the women. As Yuda and Astri reunite, Ratger attacks from behind, stabbing Yuda in the stomach. Yuda quickly finishes off Ratger as he collapses to the ground. After telling Astri his final wishes, Astri leaves, returning to her brother's hiding place. Astri and Adit eventually go to the countryside and live with Yuda's family. The story then ends with Yuda's mother standing in the doorway of the home watching Adit go to school; her perspective changes as she sees Adit as her son, Yuda.

Review: Although its true that the films plot was very much like Ong Baks, the fighting however, was way more real than the ones done in Ong Bak. The film did not portray Uwais's role as a 'master' in Silat - it portrayed him as a 'young', 'innocent' newbie exposed to the dangers outside his village, and because he was lightly skilled in the arts of fighting and defending - he managed to stand up against the villains.
In other words - a great film for martial arts lovers (introduces a new style of fighting to the International audience which always is a thumbs up), while not so good for those into 'storylines' and 'acting' etc.Watch it by removing any prejudices beforehand, don't compare it to something else, and I will guarantee you that those almost two hours of your time will not be disappointing..
At first, looking at the way the managed the poster and all..I thought this would just be another copy-cat movie (well, we had to admit, neighboring countries cinema are way earlier in successfully creating such motion pictures)But...All the fighting scheme, supporting casts, location, technicalities...this movie is surely one helluva fresh breeze into Indonesian Cinema.Last night, I was literally stunned and amazed by especially the actions and plot this movie had brought.The spirit of Nationalism, Humanism and Martial Artistry is carried out at its best!!Can't believe my own two hands when I clapped them together with the whole theater last night...Surely, one step toward a better cinema for Indonesia..Bravo!!.
what makes this movie so good is that the action is action no fakes or flaps, when they slug out they do slug it out, they use every kind of weapon near by, the hero get hit and hit back (that's what seems to allude others as the hero is untouchable even the Chinese and Asian movies falls in this pit recently) In the end Merantau is A solid film, I enjoy and am sure others will enjoy it MA fan or not.
Bumming around while figuring out his next course of action, he chanced upon the siblings of Adit (Yusuf Aulia) and Astri (Sisca Jessica), the latter whom is picked up by gangsters to be part of a sex trafficking ring, and thus begin his discovery of his destiny and calling as the unofficial protector against the meek and weak.Yes the storyline isn't much to behold naturally, though as far as action films go, this one satisfies its own cursory, flimsy tale to hold all the spectacular action sequences together, giving it some reason to have Uwais go on a rampage, showcasing personal prowess, and to add Silat as a martial arts of choice amongst so many that have its fair share of a cinematic outing, from Ip Man's Wing Chun, to Ong Bak's Muay Thai.
While there are moments inserted for dramatic breathing space, the action sequences aren't forgotten and got interspersed adequately within the first few acts, until the last one which became a non-stop, adrenaline pumping finale that was reminiscence of old Hong Kong action flicks, or even Bruce Lee ones, where the protagonist go up against incredible odds, and one on one (or two) situations against Caucasian villains, who are portrayed here in quite over-the-top fashion in need of a good hard kick up the arse.Granted this is no perfect film with a number of continuity errors spotted, the set action pieces were a sight to behold despite some moments being wire-obvious, mixing things up with components other than Silat all the way, with a few which stood out as campy fun.
Well-pace (a bit slow at start), solid action, nice camera work, brave-stunts, and the hero is just a human after all.The director surely know a lot about pencak silat and how to show it's beauty to audience.
Cole Abaius of Film School Rejects calls the film a "Mind-exploding action sequences coupled with genuine emotional impact."Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool opines that the film is "a tremendous martial arts film"; noting it as an "outstanding" film.Moises Chiullan of Hollywood Elsewhere wrote that the film is "one of the more compelling and powerful martial arts films" he has seen.Andrew Mack, reviewing for Twitch Film, wrote that the film "is the next great martial arts film to come out and one of the best this past decade."Todd Brown, on another review for Twitch Film, praises the film by saying that it "serves very loud notice that Indonesia is back in the action game."Mike Leeder of Impact Magazine expresses his excitement toward the film, saying that it "proves Indonesian action cinema can stand alongside the best of the rest of the world."Gareth Evan's Merantau is a very finely photographed & expertly choreographed film.
I actually saw his movie the Raid 1&2, which I liked so much because the whole movie is just so good from the fight scenes to the action choreography, its just insane.
Another thing is that even though the Indonesians are right to praise this new movie of theirs, and Iko Uwais did show us some really great acting and martial arts skills, I still would not go as far as to say that Iko is better at either one than Tony, especially since the latter has more films under his belt (more experience, hello?).
I really thought Iko added a lot of feeling into his actions and I liked how it made me feel that it was realistic in the way that people who get punched and kicked a lot start to stagger a bit even when they're fighting for their lives.
It's hard not to compare the movie with Ong Bak, and Iko Uwais with Tony Jaa. Not only because the two movies come from the same region and introduce us to the new generation of martial art actors, but also because the vague similarities in their faces.
About this guy named Yuda, played by Iko Uwais, in his journey of Merantau, a tradition still very much in practice by the young males of Minang tribe in West Sumatera, in which they have to prove themselves worthy to be called a real man by migrating to other place and surviving against all odds in the new place, gaining new experience, new skills that will benefit their hometown or their village.
Instead of watching a purely action movie, I feel like watching a drama whose main protagonist happens to be a really good martial artist.
I can feel the rage and determination of Yuda when he broke into the strip club to safe Astri, and I become misty-eyed when Yuda's mother waves goodbye to Adit.Iko Uwais proves himself to be a capable actor, despite the fact this is his first acting experience ever and he has to play the role of a guy from different ethnic group, with different accent and language and different Silat style.
A very good start for a new movie star whose last occupation was a truck driver for a telecom company.However, what sell most from Iko's skills in the film is his fighting skills.
Without using much tricks and less wire-fest than most current martial art movies, the films is able to show great fight scenes, that left me "Ouch, that must hurt so bad" uncountable times during the film.
MERANTAU is the first teaming between Welsh director Gareth Evans and Indonesian action star Iko Uwais.
Uwais is even made up to look like Tony Jaa (same haircut, etc.) and some of the scenes are too similar for it to be mere coincidence; particularly the bone-breaking fight towards the end and the one-man-enters-building-to-kick-ass set-piece.
Sure, the acting is nothing to write home about and the storyline is very slim, but none of this matters when the action's good and trust me, MERANTAU has lots of great martial arts action.
It's the first to showcase a young Indonesian action hero, with unique Silat martial arts, and top quality movie making among problematic Indonesian cinema.Having said that, there are things where it can be better.
Merantau is a long-waited fighting film, featuring Indonesian traditional martial art, silat.
Before returning and marrying an heiress, of course.And so the main character, Yuda, decided to leave his family's peaceful tomato farm and try his luck in Jakarta as a silat teacher – and ended up proving to us once again that 'rural is good, urban is bad, but evil is foreign'.
Strange that they forgot such details, when the life in West Sumatra was portrayed with a great touch of realism, like Yuda eating with one knee folded on the chair, looking so naturally at home.But all in all, this film is very much welcome, a beginning of a series of action films to be starred by Iko (Evans wanted to make him some kind of our Bruce Lee).
The basic premise is that a young martial artist named Yuda (who reminded me of a young Tony Jaa) heads out on his Merantau, a coming of age journey that a young man takes.
Along the way, he runs into a human trafficking gang and things start spiraling out of control in a way that lets Yuda beat the tar out of local gangs like he was running through River City Ransom.The plot is very cookie cutter, but no one is watching this movie for the story - we want to see Iko Uwais kick in teeth, which he does in spades.
Of course, in this city, anyone who is bad instantly knows martial arts, but isn't very good at it, and there are tons of useful weapons (pipes, crowbars, etc.) laying around the streets just waiting for a good thumping.This was a good warm-up for The Raid, out in March in select US theaters, but if you loved movies like Tom Yung Goong and Ong Bak, you've seen most of this stuff already.My rating: 6 on IMDb..
The fight sequences are done brilliantly, if I had watched this movie in 2009, I would have been in the presence of the start of something new.Iko Uwais does a great job.
This is what kept me vaguely saddened and troubled for the characters, and thus interested in this film as the story went along.Well furthermore, to take care of herself she prostitutes herself, and her pimp is an unscrupulous Indonesian creature, under a white European tycoon, so his character is strongly implied to be a sellout when he enslaves his own kind to the sex trade from an overseas "businessman," with serious serious issues, you will see.Well Yuda's importance comes from encountering these people and their not-so-hench henchmen, while he is on his merantau, or journey into manhood.
It's a pretty meager story for a martial arts film, one that comes up a lot (Ong Bak is a good example).
What you're here for, of course, is the action.As a traditional martial arts film, it spends a lot of time getting to the action and then the movie is nothing but.
From the writer-director of The Raid & The Raid 2, Merantau is Gareth Evans' breakthrough feature that marks his first collaboration with Iko Uwais and is also notable for bringing the Indonesian martial-arts pencak silat into the world cinema.
And even though Evans ended up taking action in cinema to a whole new level in his later films, this is where it all started in the first place.A potent blend of full-throttle, high-octane action entertainer that delivers the thrills & adrenaline rush in sufficient doses, Merantau tells the story of Yuda who follows into his family's centuries old tradition of rites-of-passage by leaving behind his village in order to seek experience & success in a big city, only to find himself being chased by the underworld of human trafficking after saving a young girl's life from her abusive boss.Written & directed by Gareth Evans, Merantau brilliantly exhibits Evans' talents as an action filmmaker while also showcasing his comfort with the genre.
However, what brings this film down is that it takes too much time to get things started as the first half is somewhat slowly paced but it revitalizes itself superbly in the later half by upgrading to a ferocious velocity & putting up some jaw-dropping moments of action which continues until the very end.Featuring an overall decent story & fair performances from its inexperienced cast amongst which Iko Uwais impresses with an instantly likable screen presence if not acting capabilities, Gareth Evans' Merantau is a very slick, stylishly directed, finely photographed & expertly choreographed cinema from Indonesia which despite its shortcomings manages to work as one hell of an action extravaganza that will satisfy most action fans in more ways than one..
In martial arts movies, you do not dare to expect decent acting or a plot giving sense - but Merantau has both.
And the ending is rather different from most of similar movies, especially made by Europeans or Americans.Director Gareth Evans has been great in Indonesia and found several talented people there, Iko Uwais, the pencak silat superman, above all, who is nice to watch both in fights and in romantic/melancholic scenes.
Seems that Indonesia have something interesting to offer movie-wise, and "Merantau" is a really great movie experience.Iko Uwais is really a great athlete and martial artist, the fight scenes are really well-choreographed in the movie, just like watching a Tony Jaa movie.
Hearing from a friend about how much they had enjoyed watching Gareth Evans 2011 film The Raid on DVD,I decided to take a look at Evans IMDb page,where I was thrilled to discover,that before directing The Raid,Evans had teamed up with future Raid star Iko Uwais in 2009 to make,what is now called the first ever " Silat Harimau" (a martial arts style) movie.Being interested in seeing the beginnings of Evans and Uwais collaboration,I decided to join both of them in their journey through Merantau.The plot:Following is his brother and his late dad's footsteps,Yuda waves goodbye to his family as he leaves their small village behind,and sets off to a huge city so as to go through a rites of passage called Merantau,which will lead to him coming back to the village as a "man".Getting off the coach in the city of Jakarta,Yuda is shocked to discover that the place he was hoping to stay in has not actually been built yet!,which leads to him having to search round Jakarta, until he finds a closed down building site which has large pipes that he can sleep in for the night.The next day:Deciding to buy some breakfast with what little money he has brought with him,Yuda's meal is interrupted when a pickpocket called Adit) enters the café and steals the bag containing all of his money.
Quickly putting the phone down,Yuda realises that his Merantau is going to be doing everything he can to get Astri free from the pimps and the thugs,and to also take out the lead gangsters such as Johni who rule the cities underworld.View on the film:Starting the film off on a spiritual note by showing Yuda's rural town,the screenplay by co-writer/director Gareth Evans and Daiwanne Ralie uses Yuda's arrival to the city as a way to slam the viewers face to the ground of a seedy,neon-lit,Neo-Noir world.Giving Yuda the wake up call of his life,Evans and Ralie show the places where Yuda is expecting to find hope are actually filled with fear and control,with everyone desperate to grab even a single penny of the cash hidden in the ruthless underworld of the city.Twisting the rites of passage "Merantau" into a hard edge,Noir shape,Evans and Ralie subtly show that Yuda's quest to "become a man",has actually transformed into him trying to give Astri and Adit their childhood back,which was taken from them by the cities iron-grip gangsters.Along with the terrific screenplay,debuting actor Iko Uwais also displays the changing rites of passage route brilliantly,by showing the child-like innocence of Yuda's face fade,to be replaced by a harden face that is furious at the decaying city which he sees in front of him.Complimented by Fajar Yuskemal's smooth acoustic strings and brittle Industeral drums score,Evans and cinematography Matt Flannery show a real elegance in the film's rough and gripping "Silat" fighting scenes by allowing the camera to pull back so as to allow the viewer the chance to see each technically stunning,bone crunching Silat move.Contrasting the elegance shown in the fighting scenes,Evans and Flannery use tight,Neon-red corner streets to show the closed-in murky surroundings that Yuda finds himself drawn into,with the red intensifying as Evans delivers a hard Neo-Noir final punch,to declare that Yuda's blood-soaked Merantau has been completed..
In the end, Yuda uses his martial art skills to save Astri, Adit, and other girls that are suffering from sex trafficking.
Finding out that the address he was given is now a construction site he decides spending his nights in concrete tubes laying on the yard.Instead of a thoughtful and/or philosophical movie, from now on we see Yuda chasing down bad guys in a default "yet another-martial arts-action flick"-manner, with mediocre fights choreography and an obvious predictable plot.**** Serious spoilers ****Saving a GoGo-girl and her young brother from a panderer gets him in trouble with a bunch of white-slavers.
I liked beginning how Iko(Hero) practiced Silat and leaved home.I liked the very first fight too.So what's bad about this movie-- 1).Probably there are 6 or 7 fight scenes.
Indonesian martial arts film that I'm really mixed about.The plot has young man leaving home to make his way in the world.
That being said, the fights are still good.The main disappointment for me is the lack of "silat" the native Indonesian martial art.
The movie starts off with him going through the forms in the country but once in the city you do not see the forms in the fight sequences (I also have to admit that I am more familiar with Muay Thai then Silat so maybe I do not know what to look for).If you do not buy into the hype (like I did), thats its one of the best martial arts/action movies, it is a good movie..