2009 Directed by Gareth Evans
In Minangkabau, West Sumatera, Yuda a skilled practitioner of Silat Harimau is in the final preparations to begin his "Merantau" a century's old rites-of-passage to be carried out by the community's young men that will see him leave the comforts of his idyllic farming village and make a name for himself in the bustling city of Jakarta.
Merantau Meister des Silat, Merantau Warrior
Actioner that was written, directed and edited by a man of many talents Gareth Evans!
Evans took a simple plot added some strategically placed and wonderfully choreographed fight scenes that quite simply were a thing of beauty! Yes his skills are not quite as finely honed as they are now but his gifts are clearly evident.. even a blind man could see it!
This is obviously a dry run for the future success of Evans and his collaborative efforts with The Raid cast members Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian, Ray Sahetapy whom appeared in both Merantau and The Raid : Redemption!
The films share much in common with one major exception Merantau was a little long in the tooth before it…
From the writer-director of The Raid & The Raid 2, Merantau is Gareth Evans' breakthrough feature that marked 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, kinetic action 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…
I've wanted to revisit Merantau ever since experiencing The Raid 2 a few weeks ago. I personally don't think it's as good as either of the two Raid flicks, but it's still pretty freakin' sweet. The fight scenes kick ass and it shows that writer/director Gareth Evans already had a damn good idea of what he was doing with these types of films, and only built upon and improved it more and more with with The Raid(s).
A less propulsive, refined film than the later classic The Raid, this is still an excellent action film that lives outside of the shadow of that film through its sheer scrappy personality.
The budget is lower but the energy is here, and Evans crafts some memorably imagery that evolve into the fight sequences effortlessly, plus it is all supported by an excellent Indonesia meets Nine Inch Nails score that I love. The western actors certainly threaten to let it down a bit, but it's sort of endearing in that classic local-western actor overacting in an Asian action film trope.
Its arguably less nihilistic than the series Evans would make next, offering more of a traditional hero story that the boyish Uwais personifies with ease. It's a simple, easy, and yet very impressive 're-debut' for Evans, after the weak Footsteps/Vengeance Day.
Zwei Jahre bevor Gareth Evans gemeinsam mit Iko Uwais The Raid inszeniert hat, haben die beiden hier erstmalig zusammen gearbeitet. Merantau merkt man sein geringes Budget an. Aber hier ist der Beweis dass man nicht immer viel Kohle braucht, um einen beeindruckenden Film zu erschaffen. Du brauchst talentierte Leute vor und hinter der Kamera. Leute die Bock haben aus den geringen Möglichkeiten das Maximum herauszuholen. Und das haben wir hier.
Mit der Story von Merantau haust du natürlich niemanden vom Hocker. Das ist nicht mehr als Genrestandard. Brauch es aber auch nicht wenn du Iko Uwais vor der Kamera hast. Was der Mann hier in seinem Debut schon zum Besten gibt ist krass. Er ist ein wahnsinniger Athlet und verdammt…
An underrated martial arts film that has been eclipsed by the director’s next films. The action sequences are just fantastic due to Evans’ focused direction. This movie is unlike most action movies that rely on shaky camera and quick edits.
Saddled with a slow start and other dramatic baggage that The Raid and The Raid 2's breathless genre plotting mostly does away with, but the real retrospective surprise for me is how well Evans shoots his action scenes right out of the gate - dynamic, brutal, and exciting.
Side-note: The guy at the box office told me I was pronouncing the title wrong, but it turns out I was saying it the way they say it in the movie. Posting this here is my version of drop-kicking the guy off of a shipping container.
Anying, lagi ngerantau bukannya homesick nangis malah ngebasmi sindikat perdagangan wanita kwkwkwkekke kereen
Merantau is the first collaboration between Gareth Evans and Iko Uwais that marked the debut of the Indonesian action actor, before their name propelled by the successful settlements of the Raid 1&2.
It's just so charming watching this in retrospective, as I did underestimate this when it released back then, because surely it looked low budget and don't have any big stars to pull the attention in. While the first reason is somewhat true, turned out it's quite appreciable as it's glimmered of passion, energy and heart throughout. Lacking any sort of experience is the only reason it's held back to be that level of great.
The story is about Yudha (Iko) that wandering from his small village to the…
The Raid's little brother, and though it's not nearly as innovative and brilliant as either of its big brothers, it does its job sufficiently well.
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Stunts - 85/100 | A few CGI-assisted stunts here and there, but Gareth Evans shows once again why he's one of the best action directors working today.
Narrative - 60/100 | Boy goes to the big city and fights people with his great martial arts skills. Definitely have seen this one before!
Fight Choreography - 79/100 | Iko Uwais always has the same stances and moves in this movie. Maybe it's the choreography, maybe it's him, who knows, but more variety wouldn't hurt! The fights are still good though, don't get me wrong.
Enjoyment…
Basically Gareth Evans's preliminary study to The Raid and a clear love letter to for 1980's Hong Kong action cinema. His understanding of clear, impactful and well-choreographed action scenes that takes advantage of the environment is evident right from the start (that elevator fight straight up shreds). Watching Iko Uwais using his skills and athleticism to fuck people up never gets old. However the plot and characters are one-dimensional at best, and for a straightforward martial arts flick it really suffers from a bloated runtime especially if you watch the 134 minute long Indonesian version which is basically a rough cut. Despite its flaws an enjoyable gem.
