Brief Story Line
Topan (Abimana Aryasatya - Gundala, Warkop DKI Reborn: Jangkrik Boss Part 1 etc), Jenggo (Arie Kriting - Susah Sinyal, Stip dan Pensil etc), Alpha (Lutesha - Penyalin Cahaya etc) and Pelor (Kristo Immanuel) were part of assassins crew infamously known as The Big 4. They were led by Petrus (Budi Ros) who had brought them together since their childhood.
After years of doing the same thing, Petrus decided to retire from such life as he wanted to be close with his only daughter & police detective Dina (Putri Marino - Layangan Putus web series, Posesif etc). However, things did not go as planned when the mysterious Antonio (Marthino Lio - Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas, Kadet 1947 etc) with his group of goons were hunting and trying to kill Petrus and the Big 4, which pushed them to live their lives in the resort of Bersi island.
So what would happen to the Big 4? You can find out in this movie.
End of Brief Story Line
When I saw the name Timo Tjahjanto as the director, I was immediately interested as he was known for directing some ultra violent action movies such as The Night Comes for Us, Headshot or horror film like Sebelum Iblis Menjemput and few others. This time he was going for the action comedy genre where he was supported by two people known for their comedic traits like Arie Kriting and newcomer standup comedian Kristo Immanuel.
It did not take too long for the movie to get to the violent part which was combined with few humorous approach, but my surprise was actually the special effects of the blood as they seemed unnatural and did not look too realistic. It was definitely not one of the best part of this movie. Fortunately the fight scenes were quite well done and only few times the the speed up effects looked obvious. But in general they were pretty satisfying. I thought the fights sequence involving Topan and Antonio were the best which should not be surprising as they were experienced in playing action movies before.
The story of this film felt like inspired by few other movies and a lot of parts that were supposedly plot twists could have been guessed early on. So to me that was not the plus point. During the course of 2 hours 21 minutes including closing credits that did not have any mid or post end credit scenes, we were bombarded by some action scenes which were good when they were the hand to hand fight, or when they involved explosions with decent special effects. The movie was also classified for 18+ in Netflix due to its violence and language (Indonesian audience might not be accustomed by the frequent foul language and curses).
The cast were generally OK in here. Abimanya was able to portray the informal leader of the group who had a huge crush on Dina and Marthino Lio was suitable enough as the villain. Putri Marino was also pretty good in here and was able to show off some convincing fight scenes and even a bit of comedy. In addition to those names, there were also other support cast such as Donny Damara (Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini, Lovely Man etc) as police chief Hassan, Michael Kho (Kenapa Harus Bule? etc) and Michelle Tahalea as Antonio's team Lengko and Alo respectively with few others in minor roles.
As an action comedy movie, the action was more of the highlight rather than its comedy. Despite few of the shortcomings like the unrealistic blood effect or the inconsistent speed on few of the fight scenes, mostly they were still entertaining. I thought one of the fight scenes between Topan and two guys in the hotel was a bit like Jackie Chan's style (you will know what I mean if you see it). Sadly though, some of the comedy was a bit too cringe for me like that part involving Dina, Jenggo and Topan in Jenggo's hut which was overly long, or Jenggo's weird fetish over his rifle and so on. The story was pretty standard and nothing extraordinary but sufficient for this kind of film. Btw, the final scene seemed to hint for a potential sequel, but whether it was going to happen or not, will depend on the performance of this film. Overall I did enjoy this movie that is only available on Netflix, though it is not one of Timo Tjahjanto's best work.
Mike's movie moments rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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