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[Jimbo]

I kind of liked Merantau. IMO it's a pretty decent film, but was it "the best martial arts film of the decade"? Nope. But it's still better than a lot of the stuff that gets made into movies these days.

Leading man Iko Uwais bears a remarkable resemblance to a slightly smaller Tony Jaa. Whether that's coincidence, or an intentional reason for his casting, I don't know. Even some of his physical movements take after TJ. I was glad to see a movie with Silat as its featured art. While some of the fights were good (especially towards the end), there was really nothing too original. Since comparisons to TJ and to the Thai MA films are inevitable, I would say that while the Indonesian onscreen MA is not shown to the same level of sharpness or power as the Thais', there is a lot of potential there. If they can continue to make successful movies, they can get better and better.

Probably the biggest surprise is that the makers of Merantau used European actors (playing the main villains) who can truly ACT. In the past, most MA films from China, Thailand, HK, Taiwan, etc. with white characters in them utilized American/Canadian/European martial artists who can fight/perform but were clearly not actors. Or they would cast whatever Caucasian foreigners they could find in the pubs, hostels, or teaching in English-language schools. In particular, the main bad guy appears highly experienced as a dramatic actor.

***spoiler alert***
IMO, the best fight of the movie is when Yuda (Iko Uwais) fights an acquaintance, another Silat man, in an elevator. This fight showed more unique techniques that would set Silat apart, cinematically, from the style of movement that Tony Jaa has popularized over the years. I hope they continue developing in a way that further distinguishes the cinematic Indonesian Silat from the cinematic Muay Thai Boran.
***spoiler alert off***

Based on the positives I listed, I rate this at 7/10.