This is the latest one of the action movies to come out of Indonesia that is good enough to gain favorable attention worldwide. Unlike some of the earlier, this one features a decent budget and extensive CGI. With its near future dystopian setting, high-tech toys and plenty of fighting scenes that takes place in the rain at night, I would count this as a solid cyberpunk film and a viable contender to Hollywood action movies.

In the near future, climate change has led to global food shortages and economic upheaval. Large-scale protest movements spring up all over the world, including in Indonesia. Former soldier turned congressman Angga is unbothered by this however as he is living the good life. He proposes a plan to the ruling Piranas oligarchy to improve their image by increasing social support and undercut the underground Reform movement that calls for revolution. However when he himself is captured by Reform operatives. He shocked to discover that one of Reform’s founders is his old journalist girlfriend Sari who he thought had died ten years ago and she even has a daughter who is supposed to be his. When Piranas forces track him down, he abruptly switches sides and helps Reform instead. Furthermore he gets together his old squad of ex-soldiers and convince them to help bring down Piranas.

Looking over this synopsis, it’s really hard to understand why Angga is considered the hero since he has been in bed with the establishment and reaping the benefits. What’s even more unbelievable is why his former comrades decide to come back to help him when he changes sides when he clearly hasn’t bothered to help them reach the same kind of luxurious lifestyle he enjoys. The plot ties itself in knots as it wants to be about the people rising up against the corrupt elite yet it doesn’t really want to seen as being anti-government so instead it presents Piranas as an evil oligarchy that has subverted the legitimate government. In any case, you have to be willing to forgive these flaws and even look pass the crappy plot with Sari. It’s somewhat understandable why they do it this way. They want to show how well the elite live and also let you see how wretched conditions are for the poor using the same point of view character.

Angga’s personal story may not make much sense but the setting itself is solid and the film’s atmosphere is just about perfect. I wouldn’t have expected this from Indonesia film but it really does make for an effective cyberpunk film, especially given that the theme here is all about inciting the populace to rise up against the oligarchic elite. Scenes of large crowds of protestors carrying signs, wearing masks, throwing stones and such are sprinkled liberally throughout. They set the sombre mood so well and look so authentic that I wonder if they really are real after all. Did Indonesia’s government really countenance them staging and filming large crowds calling for revolution like that? Then of course we have the resistance movement which consists of mostly the starving and impoverished masses huddling in abandoned buildings who are hunted by corporate forces armed with all the latest military technology. The elite of course live in fantastically tall and high-tech tower which our heroes must storm. I think the marketing for this film in international markets failed by not hyping it up as a sci-fi film, making it instead look more like a generic military movie.

There are plenty of other problems with this, such as the insistence on using English throughout which results in somewhat unnatural acting and the action reuses common tropes too much. How often must we see a hero and a villain locked in close contest of strength glance over to the side to grab an improvised weapon? Plus I really don’t like how the film doesn’t let Sari be an action hero in her own right when according to the plot she has been fighting the good fight far longer. But put this up against any of the Hollywood action movies to have come out recently and I think this compares very favorably indeed. If you’re looking for an action movie where the violence looks like it involves people out to hurt and kill one another instead of just fooling around, you should probably check this out.