Brief Story Line
Putri (Callista Arum - Buku Harian Seorang Istri TV series, Perjanjian Setan etc) and her younger brother Dimas (Sulthan Hamonangan - Dilan 1983: Wo Ai Ni, Sebelum 7 Hari etc) were brought by their father Agus (Dennis Adhiswara - Milly & Mamet: Ini Bukan Cinta & Rangga, Perjanjian Gaib etc) to their grandfather's house in the secluded area in the mountains. Eyang (Lukman Sardi - Kabut Berduri, Kuasa Gelap etc) was actually hesitant to welcome his grandchildren but Agus convinced him it was only temporary.
Apparently Agus gotten into altercation with a notorious land mafia Ulo (Donny Alamsyah - The Raid, Gundala etc) whose brother was the psychopathic killer Bastian (Derby Romero -Petualangan Sherina, Home Sweet Loan etc) and was trying to get his children to safety while he solve the matter. Unfortunately the problem escalated and the gangsters went after something held by the children. Eyang who had military background had no choice but to stand his ground and fight against the vicious gang members of Ulo and Bastian.
So what would happen to them and how would the story conclude? You could find out in this movie.
End of Brief Story Line
I was interested in giving this movie a try since I caught glimpses of its trailer which looked full of action. And the film certainly fulfilled my expectation as it was filled with violent fight scenes that would please fans of action genre. What surprised me was actually the capability of lead cast Lukman Sardi who was very convincing in the action sequence. Even if there was a body double for him, it did not reduce my admiration for his dedication and commitment in those physically demanding scenes.
Another part that made me in awe was the special effects which were greatly done like showing the deaths of some people, the explosions and that exciting car chase scene. It was a pleasant surprise seeing how Indonesian crew were able to do them well as seen in some Hollywood movies (although there was one time where there was a bit of blooper during the shooting from inside the car but the rear window was still intact). The camera angle during those action scenes were wonderfully done as well. This was definitely in no small part due to the hard work of its director Sidharta Tata (Ikatan Darah, Ali Topan 2024 etc) who was also the writer along with Khalid Khashogi (Janur Ireng, Waktu Maghrib etc). However I thought that some of the dialogues were not too well written. Sometimes they felt too stiff and unnatural but very strong and convincing during cursing.
The story itself was actually pretty standard but the way it was told and the characters were quite engaging (I actually cared what would happen to them). However, I did feel that the duration was a bit long plus the children were rather forced to be involved as they were allowed to see traumatizing thing & experience fighting the bad guys. But I guess if they were not, the film would not feel more intense. In case you are wondering, the film had duration of 2 hours 19 minutes including closing credits. There was a mid end credit scene which could be seen as teaser in case they want to make a sequel. I also believe this film had a huge production budget which should not come as a surprise considering it is a Netflix original so I guess they also contributed.
The cast in general were quite decent. I like the performance of the children and obviously Lukman Sardi, while the villains were not too convincing personally to me. Aside from the names above, there were also appearances of Laras Sardi (Anak Garuda, Cinta Dua Masa etc) as Eyang's hearing impaired neighbor Mayang, David Hendrawan (Headshot etc) & Ismi Melinda (Marni: The Story of Wewe Gombel etc) as Ulo's subordinates Aldo & Jeged respectively, Mike Lucock (Ghost in the Cell, Bandit etc) as Minister and several others, including special appearance of Winky Wiriawan (Badai Pasti Berlalu, Rocker Balik Kampung etc). Before I forgot, I did notice the name of Kimo Stamboel (director of Abadi Nan Jaya, Badarawuhi Di Desa Pelangi etc) who was credited as one of the producers.
Overall this is an entertaining Indonesian action thriller movie that was well executed in the action sequence with pretty engaging characters and standard but still OK story. And although some of the killings were brutal, but they were not as violent as the more vicious Iko Uwais earlier films. The duration was probably a bit too long however it did provide more action scenes that could be enjoyed. The practical and special effects with wonderful camera angle was another positive side of this movie. In the end, this is an enjoyable action film that I was pleased to have seen on Netflix. So if you are OK with the attributes I mentioned here, I think you would be entertained by this movie like I did. But if bloody & gore movie full of vicious killings are more to your forte, then this might not be as satisfying. The choice is yours.
Mike's movie moments rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
PS: The English title of this movie is Never Surrender which was not exactly the literal translation of the Indonesian words. I guess Counter Attack does not have a nice ring to it.
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