The Shadow Strays

What The Shadow Strays lacks in coherence, depth and story is made up by the relentless, almost non-stop, action. There's plenty of blood squirting out of bodies, impossible fight scenes wrapped up in a rollercoaster of guns, swords and an occasional explosion.

If you desire intellectual stimulation, look elsewhere. The characters are two-dimensional, singularly focused on... in fact, I don't think we were even introduced to the characters' motivations. I'd go as far to suggest that the dialogue wasn't necessary, subtitles in my case as it is a non-English film.

Anyway, if a hypnotic opera of blood and action will help you relax, then sit back and enjoy.

If it weren't for a meandering third act I would have easily given this film 10 stars.

I don't know how this film is rating so poorly. This film is one spectacular scene after another. The choreography unique, brutal and beautiful. Beyond the action we have a run of the mill revenge plot but it works. The character motivations are simple but extremely effective. The Silat is the best I've seen since the Raid films.

As I mentioned before the final act is underwhelming. The pacing in the first two acts was amazing but everything breaks down near the end. Still if you are looking for a straight forward action film look no further.

First of all I can't believe this is an Indonesia movie. This movie have amazingly done fight scenes for an Indonesia movie. Full of blood and gore scenes. I liked this movie very much the start to the end. Recently I lose interest in the middle of every movies that I watch but this movie kept my interest to the end. If you like action movie then this is for you. Some people hesitates because this is Indonesia movie don't do that just jump into it. You will like it for sure. Some scenes doesn't make sense but most of the action movies have scenes like that right. This is an awesome movie 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Let me just say the movie is worth a watch for sure. It has great fight scenes and a cliche but serviceable plot. My main issue with this movie is the finale and just how silly it gets. There is a big shootout in the movie that is just horribly done and every sequence that involves a gun is badly done. There is not consistency or any realism to it. Now don't get me wrong I'm not looking for any realism in this movie but at some point it just starts to get jarring. It also drags on for way to long, there is another sequence after the main finale that should just have been cut. It's another one of those movie that suffers from a horrible final act. Overall it's a great first time watch but I personally wouldn't rewtach. The Night Comes for Us is the better movie for sure.

From the director of The Night Comes For Us & May the Devil Take You comes a vicious, violent & vengeful action thriller that delivers on the action front with its no-holds-barred approach yet is undermined by its needlessly overlong & half-baked story that actually could've done without a whole subplot. Within its bloated 145 mins runtime, there is a lean n mean 90 mins action film that would've sufficed.

Written & directed by Timo Tjahjanto (Killers & Headshot), The Shadow Strays concerns a young assassin who goes on a killing rampage to save a boy from a crime syndicate. Tjahjanto's direction is lot better than his writing, for the action set pieces & fight choreography are utterly impressive but the dramatic portion is weak, character bits lack depth, storytelling is mediocre, plus it piles up extra baggage for no reason.

The picture would've been thoroughly gripping if it was solely focused on a single tightly-knitted plot instead of branching out in multiple directions and didn't need to be as long as it turned out to be, for it unnecessarily complicated a simple, straightforward premise. Performances are fine when it comes to the physicality of the roles but isn't compelling on the emotional front. And the journey also gets repetitive after a while.

Overall, The Shadow Strays is packed with bloody, intense & gruesome scenes of carnage but there is also a much better film buried beneath all the insipid attempts at creating a sprawling crime drama at which it fails. The story is at its most gripping when it features our protagonist slice, dice, stab & slash her way through endless bodies and yet every time the film decides to take a breather, the interest fizzles out and it all comes to a standstill.