Mega (Livi Ciananta) is a competitive tournament martial artist. Her brother Bilal (Derby Romero) is a professional fuck up. So when Bilal not only gets into major gambling debt, but also ends up killing and robbing a local mob boss to try to escape that debt, an army of enemies will rain down upon Mega and her brother, not to mention their sweet elderly mother. They’ll have to fight to survive.
This is the set up for Ikatan Darah, which is directed by Sidarta Tata but will be best known internationally as the first film from international action superstar Iko Uwais’ new production company Uwais Pictures. If the film is any indication, actionites can get excited about the potential and promise of Uwais developing rising Indonesian talent to create top quality action films in Indonesia. The best element of the film is the clean, relentless, and fluidly captured martial arts choreography, which is heaped on in copious amounts! The setting is also very cool, with a dense, claustrophobic urban environment our characters have to fight their way out of, which evoked recent banger Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. That film also featured a number of colorful and cold blooded villains, which is another of Ikatan Darah’s strengths. This gangster outfit has a murderers row of charismatic killers coming to ruin Mega’s life, and they won’t fail to entertain.
The film isn’t perfect. The villains are more colorful and charismatic than our leads. The family drama at the core of the film feels like little more than set dressing to set the action choreography loose. It also takes a while before the pot really starts to boil. Ikatan Darah isn’t exploring new territory and audiences have seen before much of what it has to offer. But what it offers is pretty exceptional action that still eclipses most any American action choreography!
If Iko Uwais and Uwais Productions are looking to develop Indonesian action filmmaking talent and unleash some quality action filmmaking onto the world stage, they can be proud of their first venture with Ikatan Darah, even if there’s still room to grow. Livi Ciananta seems like a capable physical performer, as are all the martial artists in the cast who bring incredible action sequences to the screen. Livi isn’t done many favors by the fairly generic story, though. Hopefully some stronger storytelling can accompany the next Uwais Production. But action fans will find gnarly, well-captured melee action in Ikatan Darah, so it’s worth seeking out!
And I’m Out.
