Nobody was an action film that took audiences by surprise, as few would have expected that Bob Odenkirk was capable of being the star of an assassin thriller in the vein of John Wick. While it was going to be hard for a sequel to live up to the fanfare that the first film received, Universal Pictures made a smart choice in selecting the Indonesian filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto to direct the next chapter in Hutch Mansell’s adventures. Tjahjanto directed the incredible revenge epic The Shadow Strays, which has been celebrated as one of the best action films of the current decade.
Tjahjanto had already made himself a filmmaker interested in pushing the medium forward with his violent, expressionist works of action cinema. The Night Comes For Us was a brilliant crime thriller that subverted expectations of Indonesian gangster films, and May the Devil Take You was a chilling work of horror that explored the anxieties of aging. However, Nobody 2 is more than just an action film, as it also explores a dysfunctional family that struggles to connect with one another during extreme circumstances. Thankfully, The Shadow Strays is a surprisingly emotional story of relapse and redemption, and features an empowering protagonist.
What Is ‘The Shadow Strays’ About?
The Shadow Strays explores an international syndicate of assassins that operates around the world, picking off high-level targets. Nomi (Aurora Ribero), a seventeen-year-old assassin given the codename “13,” is tasked with taking out the leader of a criminal cartel in Japan, but accidentally kills a bystander when the situation goes horribly awry. Although she is already dealing with intense feelings of guilt, 13 is temporarily barred from the organization by her mentor, Umbra (Hana Malasan), who sends her to receive psychiatric assistance in Jakarta. 13 may be content to take a break from the violence that she is often surrounded by. She shares an encounter with the orphaned child Monji (Ali Fikri), whose mother was killed by a trafficker. However, 13 discovers that Monji is at the epicenter of a criminal conspiracy that involves the trafficker Haga (Agra Piliang) and the powerful drug lord Ariel (Andri Mashadi), who is running for political office alongside his father Soemitro, another influential kingpin. While 13’s only goal was to protect an innocent child, she finds herself amid an intense underworld war, in which both sides aim for the total annihilation of their opponents.
The Shadow Strays is surprisingly nuanced in its characterization, as the redemptive arc of 13 experiences can be very moving. In addition to the trauma that the accidental death of a civilian caused her, 13 begins to blame herself for not protecting Monji’s mother, whom she had seen being abused by Haga’s underlings. While it’s admirable that this causes 13 to be a hero, the film suggests that it is unfair to place this level of responsibility on a teenager who has never been given the chance to experience a normal life. Even if Umbra had trained 13 in the ways of martial arts, infiltration, and combat, she never had a mentor who provided her emotional support or guidance. By protecting Monji, 13 is able to simulate the type of relationship that she never experienced growing up, as this is the first time that she is taking action for reasons other than “orders.” The film draws larger parallels between characters in how it shows the legacy that parents leave for the children; even Ariel couldn’t have been expected to be a more ethical person because of the violent, cruel man that he was raised by.
‘The Shadow Strays’ Has Inventive Cinematic Combat
The Shadow Strays is an inventive entry in the action genre because it does not stick to just one style of stuntwork. Between swordfights, intense martial arts matches, other forms of hand-to-hand combat, gunplay, and many exciting car chases, The Shadow Strays shows just how radically Indonesian action cinema has evolved in recent years, and why it is more exciting than almost every other market. Although there are aspects of traditionalism within the classical notion of an ancient league of warriors that have operated in secret, The Shadow Strays does not give them a sense of chivalry that would feel unrealistic in modern times. At times, it’s shocking to see how violent and disturbing The Shadow Strays are willing to get; given that Tjahjanto has experience making supernatural haunting films, it is not entirely surprising that The Shadow Strays incorporates some aspects of body horror.
Even if some aspects of the plot may feel reminiscent of other recent Indonesian action films, such as The Raid, Tjahjanto takes The Shadow Strays in a surprising direction with its ending, which tackles more complex themes about finding inner peace and the inherent chaos of the world. Although it’s a film that features some of the most athletic cinematography and choreography in recent memory, Tjahjanto does a great job at ensuring that each sequence is grounded in character, whilst also not leaning into the more sentimental cliches that may have made the film seem more commercial. While Nobody 2 is a highly entertaining sequel that features more of Odenkirk in what has come to be one of his best roles, The Shadow Strays remains the one entry in Tjahjanto’s filmography that could be appropriately called “a masterpiece.”
The Shadow Strays
- Release Date
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October 17, 2024
- Runtime
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144 Minutes
- Director
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Timo Tjahjanto
- Writers
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Timo Tjahjanto
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