Pengepungan di Bukit Duri

Not that I complain, well maybe a bit since I expected it to be Joko's take on (or his version of) The Raid based on the trailers alone, but it's still in the realm of good enough to see on the theaters. Acting was on spot; setting? No need to doubt, it's Joko; story or plot has some kind of depth, especially on its commentary on not just racism, but more importantly, on the long term effect of bad parenting. This movie is Joko's clear attempt on visualizing the famous African proverb: "A child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth", and he succeed because I already got the message from the first viewing. So lower your expectation down, it's not about the fight scenes, it's about the message on how we should move forward as a nation in real life.

7/10.

All films produced by Joko Anwar always have a fresh storyline, for example this film. In the era of the Indonesian basic horror film, but this film rebuilds the Indonesian film industry as it should be.

The storyline is indeed quite heavy and the complications/conflicts are quite heavy, with the theme of the 98s. And this film also has several meanings in it which describe what the future conditions in Indonesia will be like with high levels of racist thinking.

However, in terms of the level of sadism, this is not a film with a high level of sadism, it is still ordinary but it is enough to make you emotional and get your adrenaline pumping with the action.

I am from Europe so I was not aware of the Indonesian riots of 1998. This movie opened my eyes to the atrocities commited during that time and shows what humans are capable of when they are driven to the edge of sanity. I would recommend people read up on the riots and watch some actual footage of it as well.

The movie itself was done very well. Brilliant acting by the main lead and the antagonist. The female lead was good as well. Plot was very good and the movie was paced well. Excellent directing. I will definitely watch more Indonesian movies now.

To the people trying to bury the atrocities of 1998 and not wanting to be reminded of it, remember people who forget the mistakes of their past are destined to repeat them in the future.

Despite its high-octane trailers, it falls flat as an action movie. The plot is thin, riddled with clichés, and never gives the audience a reason to care about the characters. It also attempts to borrow the mysterious mentor trope from Assassination Classroom, but the character falls flat. Ultimately, It feels like a checklist of tired tropes rather than a thrilling ride, making it more frustrating than fun.

It feels like the movie is too busy imitating better works without understanding what made them great in the first place.

It hints at the borrowed elements from Battle Royale and Assassination Classroom, while emphasizing the film's lack of depth or originality.

Joko Anwar is bold enough to raise the issue of racial discrimination against Chinese Indonesians.

(Apologies) Without intending to discredit Gen Z and beyond, this film can be quite provocative if viewers don't filter or approach it with an open mind.

At the very least, it will prompt them to look up historical articles about the 1998 tragedy.

Morgan Oey + Omar Esteghlal = Boom!

Fatih Unru was quite memorable for me.

Minimal plot holes, but unfortunately it loses momentum from the middle to the end.

The layered plot twists were interesting, though one of them was predictable - minus 0.5 from my rating.

Joko Anwar is (still) the best director at the moment.